California Here I Run
#6 in a Series
The Nanny Goat Ultra course passes through a mini orange grove on a horse ranch in Riverside county.
Riverside County
Despite being the 4th most populous county in California, Riverside has room to grow. Across 7200 square miles, it spreads from Orange County on the west to the Arizona border, a rectangular swath of land cut from San Bernardino and San Diego counties in 1893. Juan Bautista de Anza, the Spanish explorer, wrote about this area in 1776 and 1778, described the terrain, lakes and deserts. Over the past several decades, residential housing developments and shopping centers have sprung up in Riverside, the county seat, and surrounding communities of Temecula and Murrieta. State and National Parks and Temecula Valley wineries attract weekend visitors. countyofriverside.us
Home of:
Palm Springs
A winter get-away and spring break destination, Palm Springs offers shops, museums, and art galleries to attract vacationers. Hollywood notables frequent this desert community for a little R & R from the hustle bustle of L.A. Sonny Bono of Sonny & Cher was once the Mayor of Palm Springs.
Established in 1938, the Palm Springs Art Museum features contemporary painting and sculpture; Western American art of Charles Russell, Thomas Moran, and Frederic Remington and drawings by prominent architects Richard Neutra and Frank Gehry. psmuseum.org
Mission Inn 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, CA 92501
The Historic Mission Inn Hotel and Spa is a National Historic Landmark in the city of Riverside. Names on the guest lists include Reagan, Nixon, Hearst, Bob Hope, and Clark Gable. From its roots as a 2 story adobe guest house, it has become a setting for weddings, reunions, and movies. My dad’s 57th Bomb Wing reunion took place here. It was an ideal spot to meet and relive the WWII days, as it was close to March Air Force for tours. http://www.missioninn.com
Keeping up with the times, the Mission Inn has a cute little shop, Casey’s Cupcakes. All flavors and colors, the delectable sweets are tempting. Wedding cakes can be ordered, also. caseyscupcake.com
The annual Festival of Lights opens in October, featuring four million lights for the 22nd holiday season 2014.
Just up the street from the Mission Inn
The Spaghetti Factory offers good food and historic décor.
Orange Empire Railway Museum 220 S. “A” St., Perris, CA 92570
Over two hundred historic railway cars and locomotives are on display at this railroad museum in Perris. Miles of rails cover 100 acres. Movies are filmed here and trains operate every weekend. The Pacific Electric “Red Car,” L.A.’s favorite mode of transportation in the early 20th century, is represented by 35 cars. Henry Huntington formed P.E. in 1901. The design for Disneyland’s California Adventure came from the equipment here. oerm.org
The Ramona Pageant 27400 Ramona Bowl Road, Hemet, CA 92544
The official state outdoor play, Ramona, by Helen Hunt Jackson, is presented at the Ramona Bowl. This year marking its 91st season, the outdoor play tells a love story of life in early California during the 1850’s. ramonabowl.com
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Mt. San Jacinto stands 10,834 feet in the mostly wilderness state park. Two drive-in campgrounds are located near the little town of Idyllwild. The PCT passes through here. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway starts at 2,643 ft. and climbs to 8,516. A restaurant, visitor center and a panoramic view of the high country greet the passengers at the top. www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=36
The 150th Anniversary of the California State Parks is being celebrated this year. www.150.parks.ca.gov/
CA Citrus State Historic Park 9400 Dufferin Ave., Riverside
A smudge pot beside a winding trail leading from the visitors’ center to an overlook of orange groves.
Native plants adjust to the drought years.
Many citrus varieties are still grown in Riverside. Roadside stands sell in season fruit.
The importance of the citrus industry in So. Cal. is the theme of this state park. Pick and taste tours, a speaker series and bird walks are held on the grounds with picnic areas, demonstration groves and an activity center for visitors. The Washington navel oranges thrived in this area. Two original trees remain at the intersection of Arlington and Magnolia Aves. in Riverside. www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=649
Lake Perris State Recreation Area 17801 Lake Perris Dr., Perris, CA 92571
Eleven miles south of Riverside via Highway 60 or I 215, Lake Perris offers picnic sites, camping, boating, fishing, hunting, and an Indian museum.
Temecula Valley Wine Region
Temecula Old Town is popular for its restaurants and antique stores.
Desert Hills Premium Outlets (Cabazon) 48400 Seminole Dr., Cabazon
Fifty stores have just been added to this popular outlet mall.
Indio
The popular California country music festival, “Stagecoach,” is held in Indio. The desert town is off the 10 freeway, past Palm Springs. The event just took place April 25-27 and received considerable media attention. www.stagecoachfestival.com
Diamond Valley Lake
I visited the bottom of this lake on a field trip for teachers. It was just an enormous hole in the ground, under construction by the Metropolitan Water District. Now it holds emergency water for Southern California. Recreational uses include boating and fishing for black bass, trout and catfish. As it’s a drinking water reservoir, no swimming is permitted. dvlake.com
Lake Elsinore
A stop on the Butterfield Stage Line, the city of Lake Elsinore was incorporated in 1888. A bit of trivia – It was named after the town of Elsinore in Denmark in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The lake went dry in the 50’s for 10 years. Water from the Colorado River was used to fill it in 1964, but flooding in the El Nino years of ’81 and ’83 demanded a project to build a levee and use recycled water. lake-elsinore.org
A Class A minor league baseball team, the Storm, is an affiliate of the San Diego Padres and makes its home at Diamond Field in Lake Elsinore. The Diamond, 500 Diamond Drive, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530.
www. milb.com/index.jsp?sid=+103
Another outlet mall in Riverside County, Lake Elsinore Outlets is located at the intersection of Highway 74 and I 15. www.lakeelsinoreoutlet.com 17600 Collier Ave., Lake Elsinore, CA 92530.
March Field Air Museum
Aircraft from WWI to Afghanistan are on display. The Yeager Family Library holds over 5,000 volumes on aviation, with an emphasis on WWII, vintage aircraft and the U.S. Air Force. marchfield.org
Riverside National Cemetery
Built on land from March Air Force Base, the National Cemetery is a site for a National Medal of Honor Memorial, a Fallen Soldier Veterans’ Memorial and a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action National Memorial. My uncle, Duane Van Pelt, was buried, here, with full military honors for his service in WWII as a member of the 101st Airborne. He was awarded the Silver Star at the Battle of the Bulge. Bill and I visited the gravesite on June 6, 2014 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and to pay respect to the valiant soldiers who fought so bravely.
Joshua Tree National Park
Named for extensive stands of Joshua Trees, this desert national park offers campgrounds, walks, hikes, campfire talks. Wildlife includes herds of desert bighorn and six species of rattlesnakes. A good selection of books is available at the nature centers in the park. nps.gov/jotr/index.htm
The Nanny Goat 12 Hour Run 5/25/13
Highlights: Ultras are the best – friendly, familiar faces, lots of time to ponder your goal or change it. The Nanny Goat 12/24 Hour Run held on Memorial Day Weekend was a benefit for Wounded Warriors. One strong female runner hefted a large Stars & Stripes. Her t-shirt read, “ Honor the Fallen.”
Distance: The choices were a 12 hr., 8 AM Sat. – 8PM Sat., a 12 hr., 8PM Sat – 8AM Sun., a 24 hr., or 100 miles.
Amenities: A fully stocked aid station included hamburgers at noon and pancakes on Sunday morning. 24hr. runners were allotted one of the stalls in the barn for their private space!
Location: A few miles off the 91 fwy, a horse ranch provided the facilities. Traces of early California remain here – horses grazing, dogs lounging by the barn, oranges ready to pick.
Course: Starting at the barn, about 200 of us wound around a horse pasture on grass and dirt, through a small grove of orange trees, along a brief out and back on asphalt for a total of 1 mile.
My Observations: Knowing Riverside to be hot in May, I was pleasantly surprised by the moderate temps, probably jutting into the 80’s for the hottest part of the afternoon. The breeze compensated for the dusty first half of the loop. Another plus for this run was the “Made in USA” t-shirt and hat!
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My Results: 5/24/14 12 hours – 40 miles
5/25/13 12 hours – 32 miles
5/28/11 12 hours – 31 miles
Riverside Running Clubs
Riverside Road Runners – All ages and abilities are welcome. riversideroadrunners.com
Loma Linda Lopers – This group meets at Loma Linda University, and conducts 1/2 marathon and marathon training programs. They’ve been around since 1977. lopersclub.org
CJJ Explores California 