Oxnard CA to Needles CA
Tickle got in her kennel and was ready to ride! She’s a happy traveler, not demanding too much except for a few walks before arriving at our destinations.
We headed out of Oxnard CA where the farm workers were busy applying their trade. It has rained a lot in Southern California this year so it was not a surprise to see the deserts looking greener than we have ever seen them.
That mysterious white rectangular pyramid on the northwest side of I-15 is one of San Bernardino’s (the local county) solid-waste landfills. It’s permitted to store agricultural, construction, industrial and bio-solid wastes, along with dead animals. Good news: No recent EPA violations.
Our special drive-by destination today was the Calico Ghost Town which is an old West mining town that has been around since 1881 during the largest silver strike in California. It produced over $20 million in silver ore over a 12-year span. When silver lost its value in the mid-1890's, Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950's architecturally restoring all but the five original buildings to look as they did in the 1880's. Calico received State Historical Landmark 782 and in 2005 was proclaimed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California's Silver Rush Ghost Town.
Today Calico is part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system visited by people from around the country and all over the world. The park offers visitors an opportunity to share in its rich history and enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding desert environment. Along with its history and attractions, Calico Ghost Town has shops, restaurants and offers camping and outdoor recreation not available at most of our other park facilities. Due to the historic nature of the town, not all areas are ADA accessible.
We cut across Interstate 15 and drove south via a small highway. Very cool to do! Then we met Interstate 40 and continued on to Needles CA. An interesting thing about this town: Most of the to do and to see things are out of town except their beaches by the Colorado River. A friend of Jorge’s told him that when his car broke down in Needles, that spent a hellish, boring week there during his two day stay. We can’t say anything as we are just traveling through after our hotel stay. (Knock on wood and cross the fingers!)
