El Cariso Nature Trail

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Total Distance: 1.3 Miles (1.5 if you go to the Firefighters Memorial)
Difficulty: Easy (slight elevation gains, dirt path)
Address: 32353 Ortega Highway Elsinore, CA 92530
Cost: $5 parking or Adventure Pass

AJ and Denise walking past some really old bobwire.

AJ and Denise walking past some really old bobwire.

Yesterday we went to the El Cariso Nature Trail. Despite the fact that it was Memorial Day weekend we did not see anyone on the trail. We saw a few people in the campsite ($15 per campsite, first come first serve), but there were still plenty spots available.

Usually when there is a lack of people that is a bad thing, but when it comes to nature it is a good thing. The trail was very short (only 1.5 miles), but it was interesting as it had lots of outlook views on to the different valleys, an abandoned mine, and a few pine trees. Every so often there were interpretive signs along the way to point out highlights.


For us it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. It was a very relaxing quick hike for our family. My son is 6 and he did the whole trail in sandals. I would not recommend this as some parts can get slippery (I slipped once on some gravel) and I also recommend to wear pants that cover your ankles because there are some parts of the trail that get narrow and there are plants that have various briars (sticky things).

The Chicago White Sox Redwood Tree: Riverside City Landmark #60

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Location: Corner of Magnolia and Arlington in Low Park
Date Established: 2/24/1914*
Date Visited: 4/18/2014

(click to expand pictures)

lowparkplaqueI find it kind of funny that the Chicago White Soxs would donate a redwood tree to Riverside considering you cannot grow a redwood in Chicago. Then again I find it even funnier that in a very unassuming corner of Riverside in a very small park called Low Park there is a solitary redwood tree growing. At the base of the tree you will see a small plaque dedicated by “members of that famous ball team.” Looking at this plaque my thought was many anniversaries are celebrated and many are almost forgotten. One of those almost forgot anniversaries just happened in Riverside.

lowmagazineTo understand why there is a redwood in Riverside dedicated from the Chicago White Soxs you have to remember California a 100 years ago. Riverside was a very different place back then. In those days California was coming out of its “old west” days, but it hadn’t quite gotten to it’s “Golden Hollywood” stage yet. Pumped with a agricultural boon, Riverside was starting to come into the money. To help this progression the City of Riverside paid $4,000 dollars (that is like $100,000 in today’s dollars) to help build a new electric rail line from Riverside to Rialto. This was done so that Riverside would now have a direct passenger line to Los Angeles (and you thought the Metrolink idea was new).

Building this new passenger line was tourist gold mine that Mission Inn Frank Miller couldn’t resist. Adding to this was the desire to build a major league ballpark in California. Using the opening of the new Riverside to Rialto line as a catalyst a big party was held in White Park. As part of the celebration a demonstration game between The Chicago White Soxs and the Los Angeles Angels, which at that time where a minor league team owned by the Wrigleys (another Chicago connection).

The game was a success and the plaque was born and money was raised to build Wrigley field in 1925. WAIT A MINUTE!!! WRIGLEY FIELD WAS FINISHED IN 1915 AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RIVERSIDE!! And what you don’t know is that there were not one but TWO Wrigley Fields. WHAT?! Yep, there were two Wrigley Field baseball parks.

California Wrigley Stadium 1925.

California Wrigley Stadium 1925.

One was built in Chicago in 1915, but another one was built in Los Angeles California in 1925 to host the Los Angeles Angels minor league team, which would eventually morph into what is now the Los Angeles Anaheim Angels. The California Wrigley stadium was demolished in 1969, but the tree still remains, go figure.

* The Electric Railroad Historical Association says it happened on 3/24/1914, but the plaque says 2/24/1914.

El Expo Ganadera (Livestock Expo), Aguascalientes, Mexico

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Lots of different livestock at the exposition.

Lots of different livestock at the exposition.

I have been to a lot of fairs and I have seen a lot of livestock expositions. As far as the Expo Ganadera at the Feria de San Marcos goes it does cover all the basics: common livestock (horses, goats, big tractors, and even a live auction. All these things are like any other livestock you have been to EXCEPT for what happens right when you step in the gate.

Another cow to dance with the mariachis.

Another cow to dance with the mariachis.

Right when you step in the gate you are going to hear it. Just like any auction you will start to hear numbers over the loud speaker but this is definitely not a silent auction. As the auctioneer yells out his bids the bidders kind of sing back the bids, then there is the mariachi music. Due to the fact that public was allowed to auction, we remained very quiet (although if you do accidentally buy a cow they will butcher it onsite for you or give you a rope to lead it home). As you get closer to the joyful noise you notice the mariachi music is live and the musicians are dancing with the soon to be sold cows who are accompanied by women dressed in tight black dresses. I made a video of the surreal experience but you really have to see it in person to believe it:

Expo VillaVerde was a side exposition to the main hall.

Expo VillaVerde was a side exposition to the main hall.

Lest you think the rest of the exposition is normal it is not. In the United States except for the occasional petting zoo (where you are expected to pay), you are not supposed to touch the animals. In Mexico it is the total opposite. To one side of the expo they had a small farm exhibit going on demonstrating different aspects of farm life. As I am sitting there watching a 1000+ pound pig being led to a moving truck and all the sudden a ranch hand yells to me “ayudame” (help me). And so there I am helping to move a very ornery pig into a moving truck. AJ got the more pleasant job of petting a bunny rabbit.

Good or bad in Mexico things often come as a surprise. When we were at the horse part of expo we were surprised again when we found out we were not the only foreigners at the fair. Many of the horses were from the United States. In fact one of the horses was from Norco, California (that is right next door to Riverside). Speaking of foreigners, the pigeon exhibit was interesting as well, as it featured pigeons from every continent in the world (some of them really strange).


Overall, it was very fun to go and see all the animals and even though we were tempted after tasting the goat caramel, we resisted buying any livestock.

El Expo Agroalimentaria (the Food Expo), Aguascalientes, Mexico

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Aguascalientes is well known in Mexico for it's dairy products.

Aguascalientes is well known in Mexico for it’s dairy products.

Part of the Feria de San Marcos was the Expo Agroalimentaria (the food exposition). Held on the Isla de San Marcos (Island of San Marcos) the expo was a fun way to try many of the different agricultural products of Mexico. One thing that we enjoyed was unlike a lot of fairs where the food is just on display at this fair not only were many things on display but we many were on sale which meant we got to try a lot of new things.

To list all of the fun food we tried would be exhausting but it seemed like the fair favorite was the gordita. A street food must try, to make a gordita they take a ball of masa (cornmeal), fry it, and then cut it in half and put ingredients in the middle. The most common gorditas were made of chicharron (fried pork grinds) or of cheese, or sometimes cheese and chicharron. Toppings included radishes, chopped onions, cilantro, and guacamole.

A small video of the food expo:

The 1914 Convention of Aguascalientes

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Myself Denise, and my cousins Eduardo and Claudia wonder what it would be like to be a revolutionary.

Myself Denise, and my cousins Eduardo and Claudia wonder what it would be like to be a revolutionary.

While we were in Aguascalientes we were able to learn a bit about the 1914 Convention of Aguascalientes. To understand the importance of this meeting you need to know a bit about Porfirio Diaz. Porfirio Diaz was the president of Mexico for 40 years (at that time there were no rules about re-elections). He was basically a dictator.


After announcing yet another run for the presidency in 1910 the Mexican people decided that 40 yrs. was too long for Porfirio Diaz to be in the presidency and started a revolution. By 1911 President Diaz had fled to France and Mexico was thrown into chaos. By 1914 a military coup had form and was running the government out of Mexico City led by a man named Victoriano Huerta. Another man named by the name of Venustiano Carranza decided this was just another run for a dictatorship and called up the meeting of all the revolutionary leaders to meet in Aguascalientes.


The reunion took place in October 1914. At this meeting they discussed the idea of term limits, provisional power, and integration of the militias into a regular army. Noticeably absent were Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, who had gone on their own and captured Mexico City. This pretty much made the two leaders enemies of every other revolutionary leader which led to Venustiano Carranza and his army eventually chasing them down and shooting them.

Villa having a party on the Presidential Chair in Mexico City with Zapata.

Villa having a party on the Presidential Chair in Mexico City with Zapata.

Moral of the story: Meetings are still boring but if you are going to take over the Mexican capital you better have support or you are likely to end up with a bullet in your back.

We learned all sorts of new facts at the convention museum.

We learned all sorts of new facts at the convention museum.

Parent Navel Orange Tree (Tibbets’ Tree): Riverside City Landmark #15

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Location: Corner of Magnolia and Arlington
Date Established: 1873
Date Visited: 3/6/10 & 4/18/14

California is world renowned for its citrus industry. It all started back in 1870 William Saunders, a horticulturalist at the United States Department of Agriculture, sent Eliza Tibbets a navel orange tree he had received from Bahia, Brazil. The tree got to Riverside in 1873 (not exactly speedy delivery) and it started California’s citrus industry. According to the book, A History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, three tree were planted. During the first year they were planted, one got trampled over by a cow and died. Later President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 transplanted another tree to the Mission Inn Hotel. According to the hotel management that tree died in 1922 (where was the CCC on that one??). In order to protect the last tree the City of Riverside moved it to the corner of Magnolia and Arlington (which back then was the outer limits of the city) and surrounded it by a big fence.


This last tree is still surviving today. In fact on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 we went to go see it. Sure enough, over 100 years later this tree is still doing well. In fact, when we saw it there were plenty of oranges on it. Can you imagine? Over one hundred years and it is still bearing fruit. We cannot say if the fruit was good or not, the fence is still there. No hundred year old oranges for us!

We did make a video however:

There are also some grapefruit that was planted there in 1958, but let’s face it, who cares about 50 year old grapefruit when you can look at 100 year old oranges…

 

Here are some additional photos (mostly from 4/18/14), click to enlarge:

The Universalist-Unitarian Church: Riverside City Landmark #3

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Location: 3525 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
Date Established: 1891
Date Visited: 4/18/14

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do.” – Edward Everett Hale

I love the theme of "Love".

I love the theme of “Love”.

When I think of the Unitarians I immediately think of them as the “Book Sale” Church, because it seems like every time I am visiting them they are having a book sale. I am not a Unitarian, so I will ask immediately for forgiveness in this post because I doubt as a non-member I can do their religion much justice. I will however say that I am very grateful for the great work they have done in preserving their precious bit of Riverside history.

 

The Universalist-Unitarian Church first started it’s existence in 1891 as the All Souls Church. Later, as the church incorporated into the Unitarian movement it changed it’s name to the Universalist-Unitarian church. A beautiful example of sandstone Norman Gothic, the stone was originally brought in from Flagstaff, Arizona. The church was declared a City landmark in 1969 and placed on National Register of Historic Sites in 1978.

Jesus Christ in Stained Glass at the Unitarian Church.

Jesus Christ in Stained Glass at the Unitarian Church.

The highlight to the building has got to be the stain glass rendition of Jesus Christ in their chapel. The windows were made in Chicago by the Sebiling Wells Glass Company. Using the setting of a inspiring teacher, it depicts Jesus Christ walking in a field of flowers with his hand outstretched. My interpretation is he is kind of inviting people to hear his words (but I would say art is always subject to interpretation).

The Unitarians to me seem to be a very inviting group of people. Every time I visit them (mostly for the used book sales), they seem eager to talk and share the highlights of their building.

Riverside County Historic Courthouse: Riverside City Historic Landmark #2

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Location: 4050 Main Street, Riverside, CA. 92501
Date Established: 1903
Date Visited: 4/18/14 (well actually many times before that)

Still pretty much the same after 100 yrs.

Still pretty much the same after 100 yrs.

On May 2, 1893 Riverside County was created from parts of San Bernardino County and San Diego County. It was during this vote that the people chose Riverside as the county seat. It was in the year 1900 the county leaders found their inspiration for the county courthouse by visiting the Universal Fair in Paris, France. Emulating the Petite Palais, a unique structure was formed and finished in 1903 by a Chicago designer named Franklin Pierce Burnham.*

A view of the Petite Palais in the year 1900.

A view of the Petite Palais in the year 1900.

The style for the courthouse is what is known as the Beaux Arts. This style is know for it’s multi-layered façades, many columns, and roman depictions of deities. Fitting the bill almost entirely, the Riverside Historic Courthouse pretty much incorporates all of these aspects.

Overtime the courthouse became very rundown. The Landers and Northridge earthquake in 1994 damaged the building and the idea of destroying the courthouse was entertained. This however was avoided as both the City and County of Riverside got together 24.7 million dollars to restore the building.

When I was a student studying law I had a class with Judge Victor Miceli. He was a long time judge (they named the law library after him) in Riverside and he told me a lot about the Riverside Courthouse. One interesting fact he told me was even though the earthquake almost destroyed the building it also uncovered some beautiful stained glass inside the courthouse. The other was that the courthouse was a city and county landmark but not a state or national landmark. The reason why is because had they designated it a national landmark, they would not have been able to retrofit the building for electronics and they wanted to be able to modify the interior to better display evidence.

*Historical Source: City of Riverside Local History Resource, Ray McDevitt, ed. �Courthouses of California: An Illustrated History.�

The Mission Inn: Riverside City Historic Landmark #1

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Location: 3649 Mission Inn Avenue
Date Established: 1903
Date Visited: 4/18/14 (well actually many times before that)

(click to expand photos)
“It is the most unique hotel in America. It’s a monastery, a museum, a fine hotel, a home, a boardinghouse, a mission, an art gallery and an aviator’s shrine. It combines the best features of all of the above. If you are ever in any part of California, don’t miss the famous Mission Inn of Riverside.” – Will Rogers

It is a city, state, and national landmark.

It is a city, state, and national landmark.

The Mission Inn Hotel started it’s life as just a regular home to the Miller family in 1876. In the begining the Miller home was more of a bed and breakfast boarding house. They would house people long term as they visited the orange fields. By the 1890s however all those oranges were quickly making Riverside one of the richest per capita city’s in the nation. Being the entrepreneur that he was, Frank Miller decided to create a destination hotel to lure more tourists into Riverside. Inspired by the California Mission system he created The Mission Inn Hotel.

The mission Inn is a hotel that is unique in that is it is constantly being added upon.

The mission Inn is a hotel that is unique in that is it is constantly being added upon.

The Mission Inn Hotel first opened as a hotel in 1903.To help inaugurate the place he invited President Theodore Roosevelt to come and stay the night. The first of many such guests Frank Miller invited many famous people to stay at the Mission Inn. Booker T. Washington, Bob Hope, President Taft, President Nixon, President Reagan, Clark Gable, and Will Rogers are only some of the names of the people that have visited the Mission Inn Hotel.

All views around the Mission Inn are beautiful.

All views around the Mission Inn are beautiful.

I have never stayed overnight, but I have been fortunate to go to many events at the Mission Inn. The food in the courtyard is very good. For $16 dollars you can take a guided tour or if you are more adventurous you can just walk the grounds yourself for free.

A fun place to walk around as a family.

A fun place to walk around as a family.

City of Riverside Historical Landmarks

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Last weekend I was riding my bike around town and I saw this very beautiful house in the middle of what I would describe as plain suburbia setting. Coming closer to the house I saw this sign:

City of Riverside Landmark #113.

City of Riverside Landmark #113.

It became immediately apparent to me that there are at least 112 more of these markers out there. I thought to myself wouldn’t be cool to go out on my bike and try and visit them all?! So I did a little more research and I found this list:
(UPDATE: 4/30/14 Since initially writing this list I have discovered there are now 125 City of Riverside Landmarks and many more interesting memorials and artifacts. As I find new places or as new landmarks are declared I will add them to my list for exploration.)
1. Mission Inn
2. Riverside County Courthouse
3. Universalist-Unitarian Church
4. Magnolia United Presbyterian Church
5. Heritage House (Bettner-McDavid House)
6. First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ)
7. First Church of Christ, Scientist
8. Victoria Avenue
9. Union Pacific Depot
10. Bandshell at Fairmount Park
11. Riverside Municipal Museum
12. S.C. Evans Residence
13. Benedict Castle
14. Buena Vista Drive and Carlson Park
15. Parent Navel Orange Tree
16. Sherman Indian Museum
17. Riverside Municipal Auditorium
18. Riverside Art Museum
19. Chinatown Site
20. Fred Stebler House
21. Loring Building
22. New Jerusalem Church
23. Harada House
24. The Gage Canal
25. Edgewild
26. Mt. Rubidoux
27. John W. North Park
28. Old City Hall
29. Rockledge
30. Devine House
31. Raeburn
32. Arcade Building
33. Bonnett Building
34. Estudillo House
35. Irvine House
36. Waite House
37. Cressman House
38. Grant School
39. Fox Theater
40. Seventh Street
41. Young Men’s Christian Association Building (YMCA)
42. Greystones
43. Lerner Building
44. Hole Mansion
45. Collins-Seaton House
46. Arlington Branch Library
47. Batkin-Chrysler House
48. Riverside City College Quadrangle
49. University Heights Junior High School
50. Rouse’s Department Store Building
51. Ward House
52. Weber House
53. Moulton House
54. Victoria Bridge
55. Hoover House
56. Palm Elementary School
57. White Park
58. Orchard House
59. Robert Bettner House
60. The Chicago White Sox Redwood Tree
61. Montezuma Bald Cypress Trees
62. Magnolia Avenue Parkways and Center Median
63. Palm Grove
64. Roosevelt Palm
65. Native Sycamore Tree
66. Horse Chestnut Tree
67. Evergreen Cemetery and Riverside Mausoleum
68. Mitchell House
69. Fairmount Park
70. Harwood Hall House
71. Shiels House
72. McIntyre House
73. Newman Park and the De Anza Statue
74. Buena Vista Bridge
75. Stone House
76. Stone House (yes there are two of them)
77. Hammer-Wallihan House
78. Jarvis House
79. Collier House
80. M. H. Simons’ Undertaking Chapel
81. William Childs House
82. Hartee Grove
83. First Christian Church Parsonage
84. Aurea Vista Hotel
85. Casa De Anza Motel
86. Rockledge Cottage
87. Tetley Building
88. Henry M. Streeter House
89. James M. Wood House
90. Roosevelt Building
91. Ridgecourt
92. J. R. Willis Building
93. John J. Hewitt House
94. Dr. Edmund Jaeger House (Delisted)
95. First United Brethren in Christ
96. Irving School
97. Chudzikowski Home Site
98. White Park Building
99. Benjamin Rockhold Family House
100. Santa Fe Depot
101. Elmer A. Day House
102. Food Manufacturing Corporation
103. Jaeger Family House
104. Raymond Cree-Criddle House
105. Mary and Emerson Holt House
106. Alkire House
107. Holden House
108. Ames-Westbrook House
109. Riverside Upper Canal
110. Piddington House
111. Lillian M. Spurgeon Residence
112. R.D. Brough/Harry W. Hammond Residence
113. John Swanson Residence
114. Jackson Building
115. Arthur N. Sweet House
116. Ernest and Louise Clarke House
117. C.O. Evans House
118. Five Points Intersection
119. All Saints Episcopal Church
120. Walter C. Banks Residence
121. Bobby Bonds Residence
122. Payton House
123. Hawthorne House
124. Marcy Branch Library (the old one)
125. Clinton & Geraldine Marr Residence #2
Honorable Mentions:
1. Riverside National Cemetary
2. Mahatma Ghandi Memorial
3. Martin Luther King Memorial
4. Cesar Chavez Memorial
5. “Safe In His Arms” Memorial
6. Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho Memorial
7. California Tower
8. Seth Thomas Clock
9. Eliza Tibbets Statue
10. Crocker-Citizens Bank/Old District Attorneys Office/Soon to be Public Defenders Office
11. Security Investment Company/Provident Bank
12. Tio Tacos
13. Riverside City Hall (current)
14. Bomber Plane House
15. Chinese Memorial Pavilion
16. Sundial Clock
17. Japanese Stone Lantern
18. Ronald O. Loveridge Plaza
19. California Museum of Photography
20. Brockton Arcade
21. Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas Statue
22. “Freedom Is Not Free” Memorial
23. Christiansen and Teel Memorial (City Hall)
24. Christiansen and Teel Memorial (Police Department)
25. Ryan Bonamino Park

My plan is to visit each one of these places and do a small blog entry about each one. This post will be my landing page and as I visit each place I will change the number into a link, or you can just follow along on my list through the RSS feed or by checking up on the blog. Should be fun.