Westward ho! The Calfironia Trail



California Trail crosses through northern Nevada

For decades, pioneers traveled the Oregon Trail from the East to new lives in the West. It is indeed the most prominent of all roads leading to Pacific Ocean Country.

But another trail was equally important in carrying hundreds of thousands of pioneers to greener pastures: the California Trail.

Map of the California Trail

Most emigrants traveled the Oregon Trail through to southern Idaho when California-bound travelers cut away to head for the Golden State. Their route took them across northern Nevada before turning south to California.

Because crossing the lofty Sierra Nevada Mountains was difficult, some early travelers went as far south as Bakersfield, California. The first few groups of pioneers had to abandon their wagons in what is now Nevada; this was as early as 1841. In the next several years, guides searched for new routes across the Sierra Nevadas, finally finding one that was doable by wagon when there was no snow on the ground.

The Donner party learned the hard way that wagons couldn’t make it across the pass with snow on the ground. Today, modern travelers can cross what is known as Donner Pass in just a few minutes of freeway driving.

Rest area lies on California Trail

The California Trail attracted growing numbers of pioneers every year, but trail traffic really escalated with the discovery of gold in California in 1848. That year, 25,000 people traveled by wagon train to California; this was more than had come in all the years previously.

Soon, 50,000 people were coming to California this way.

Travelers can follow the California Trail in comfort by driving Interstate 80 across northern Nevada, dipping south to Reno and then continuing on to San Francisco via Donner Pass.

 

Tucson gardens showcase desert landscapes

Pima County demonstration garden at Tucson

Visitors to Tucson who have green thumbs may want to check out the Pima County Cooperative extension demonstration gardens for ideas to incorporate into their gardens at home. A myriad of ideas for all garden settings can be gleaned in just a few minutes’ walk.

Cooperative extension offers two demonstration gardens in Pima County. One is located at 4210 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, which is the one we visited. The other can be found at 1100 Whitehorse Canyon Road in Green Valley, south of Tucson on Interstate 19. The Green Valley garden is open from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, while the Tucson garden is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no admission charge to wander through the gardens.

The Tucson garden is the biggest, showcasing 11 garden settings while Green Valley has only four types of gardens. The Tucson garden has been named an All American Selections Display Garden since it shows how plans from all over North America can be adapted to grow in the desert southwest.

Other gardens in Tucson are:

·       Basin edible garden, which grows fruits, veggies and herbs in basin, with most of the produce donated to local food banks.



Pima County demonstration garden
 at Tucson



·       Cactus and succulent garden that shows the use of cactus and succulents in patios or as accent decorations.

·       Color garden that showcases flowering plants and decorative ground covers.

·       Container garden, which shows how to use a variety of containers, either singly or in groups, as decorative accents.

·       Grass garden, which concentrates on Arizona’s native grasses.

·       Habitat garden, which uses logs, rocks and plants to provide food and shelter for wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation has certified this garden for wildlife habitat.

·       Pollinator garden.

·       Raised edible garden

·       Rose garden showcases roses that grow well in Arizona.

·       Small space garden, which uses dwarf plants appropriate to the climate.

·       Xeriscape garden that uses plants native to the Sonoran Desert that grow well in dry climates.

 Green Valley features vegetable, xeriscape, ornamental and cactus gardens.

 

 

Small Arizona town has Hollywood appeal

Longhorn Grill

Amado, Arizona, is a small town about 40 miles south of Tucson at Exit 48 off Interstate 19, which links Tucson with the Mexican border.

 It has a few hundred residents and a miniscule business district, so townsfolk most likely to north to Green Valley or south to Nogales when they need to go shopping.

The town’s main claim to fame apparently lies with filmdom.

This is the place Gordon MacRae sang. “Oh! What  beautiful mornin’” in in Rogers and Hammerstein's  Oklahoma. Additionlly, the Longhorn Grill is where a scene in Alice doesn’t live here anymore was filmed.

Opa! Tucson celebrates its Greek-ness

Salad and spanakopita

A touch of Greece cones to Tucson every year when St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church throws its annual Greek Festival, an event that has grown from a single dinner to a four-day event filled with food, entertainment and displays of Greek crafts and jewelry.

Always there is the food: gyros stuffed with meat, spanakopita, meatballs, souvlaki and baklava, among other delectable desserts. There’s a Greek market where you can buy feta and kasthiri cheeses, bags of kalamata olives and Greek seasonings.  Go hungry and come away stuffed like a dolmathes.

Festival activities reflected in church windows

2015 marked the 39^th year for the festival. It was cancelled in 2013 due to a fire that destroyed part of the church, but returned in 2014 with more than 11,000 people attending. The festival was started about 40 years ago by Father Anthony Moschonas who wanted to share Greek culture with Tucson.

St. Demetrios was founded in 1947, being housed first in a church building that previously housed the First Christian Church. Construction on the present church began in 1967, with the first services being held the following year. It is named in honor of two Greek University of Arizona graduates who died in World War II.

St. Demetrios is located at 1145 East Fort Lowell Road in Tucson. The Greek Festival is generally held in late September.  The church’s regular parking lot is filled with food booths during the festival, but the church offers free shuttle service from nearby parking lots.

Tip: Go early. Thousands of people attend this event every day of its run, and food lines quickly grow long.

 

Bonneville Salt Flats offers unique landscape

In a state filled with beautiful, unique scenery, one famous feature fits only into the unique feature.  Whatever words you use to describe Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats, pretty isn't one of them.

The salt flats, located in western Utah near the border with Nevada, are barren and, well, just plain ugly. Little vegetation grows near its most famous section, the Bonneville Speedway, though the dynamic is different in the surrounding hills.

At one time, eons ago, Lake Bonneville covered the area. It dried up, leaving the salt. The Great Salt Lake was once part of Lake Bonneville. The high salt content is one reason vegetation doesn't grow here. Ponds and marshes that support plants and wildlife can be found around the edges of the salt flats, which in some places look like snow-covered ground.

The salt flats, located about 10 miles from Wendover, Nevada, are visible from Interstate80. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which administers the 30,000 acres, has a rest stop where travelers can walk out onto the salt flats. It also has a facility where travelers can clean the salt from their shoes before resuming their journey.

Speed Week is perhaps the most famous event associated with Bonneville Salt Flats. Hundreds of vehicles show up for the annual event in hopes of being named the fastest vehicle in their class. The crusty packed salt is ideal for this. Unfortunately, Speed Week has been cancelled the last two years because of poor surface conditions.

The movie, The World's Fastest Indian, gives a good picture of what Speed Week is all about.

Utah's Zion National Park: a place of stunning beauty

Zion National Park

Utah isn’t the drab state that many people imagine it to be. Southern Utah is filled with colorful scenery, and nowhere is it more colorful than Zion National Park, one of five national parks in the state.

Zion has gorgeous red rock formations, accented by the greens of evergreen trees, the blues of its creeks and the many shades of brown found in its mountains. The canyon scenery is considered some of the best in the whole United States.

Human habitation of Zion began about 7,000 years ago, though it was the 19^th century Mormon settlers who gave it its name, since it reminded them of a sanctuary. Hence, some of the religious oriented names, such as the Three Patriarchs, named for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or West Temple, the highest peak in southern Zion, and its Towers of the Virgin.

Zion is a great place for outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers, bikers, horseback riders and birdwatchers. The scenery also can be viewed by driving the scenic roads.

 

Kolob Canyon

Zion almost seems like two parks: two entrances are on Highway 9, known as the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, and the Kolob Canyon entrance, which is right at Exit 44 on Interstate 15.

The Zion-Mount Carmel route has a narrow tunnel that was considered an engineering miracle when it was built in the late 1920s.  Because it’s so narrow, RVs and other large vehicles must have escorts; traffic is blocked coming the other way when large rigs to through. The park service charges for this escort service.

 

 

 

 

Quail Creek's reservoir offers prime fishing

Quail Creek State Park

Utah’s Quail Creek State Park is a fisherman’s dream since it offers year ‘round fishing in the reservoir.

The reservoir was formed by two dams. It’s filled with waters, not from Quail Creek but from the Virgin River.  The water is used for irrigation and households in the St. George area.

The reservoir is stocked with a variety of fish. At its deepest, the reservoir has rainbow trout, catfish and crappie. Largemouth bass and bluegill inhabit the warmer levels of water.

The boat ramp is open daily, as is the park. Camping is available. The reservoir is open to both power and people-powered watercraft. Skiing, swimming and windsurfing also can be done on the reservoir. Wildlife viewing also is a popular activity,

Quall Creel became a Utah state park in 1986. It is located at 472 N. 5300 W. in Hurricane.