Return to Mt. Rubidoux Memorial Park

We enjoyed our walk on Mt. Rubidoux yesterday so much that we did it again this morning.  Yesterday we went around clockwise so today we went the other way to get a different view.  We did find a few things we missed.

Mt. Rubidoux Memorial Park
Awesome views on all sides.

We missed this plaque of Charles M. Loring yesterday.  This is the same Charles M. Loring that is largely credited with being the father of the Minneapolis park system.  He did live in Minneapolis, but would spend his winters in Riverside, California, where he was just as involved in community affairs as he was in Minnesota.

In honor of

Charles M. Loring

Tree Lover

and

Civic Enthusiast

Let dead names be eternalized by dead stones

Let living names by living shafts be known:

Plant thou a tree whose griefless leaves shall sing

Thy deed and thee, each fresh unfolding spring

Mt. Rubidoux
Atop this hill the outdoor Easter sunrise
service tradition began in 1909.  The founder
of Riverside viewed arid land soon to
become green.  It is named for Louis Rubidoux,
who raised cattle ande colonized around
it under Mexican and U.S. flags.  Upon it are
many shrines and monuments such as the
Peace Tower dedicated to Frank A. Miller

View from the cross. 

Peek!!!

Our Passport America discount has ended here, so we moved our tightwad selves about 30 miles eastward to Morongo Casino in Cabazon, California.  They have a large parking lot behind the casino just for RV's and we can stay here for free.  

We went into the casino and signed up for their "Winners Club" and got $10 each in slot play and a $10 each coupon for the buffet.  This is one of the larger casinos we have been in this winter.  Turns out we have to spend money to get the $10 slot play.   After spending $46 and not seeing any sign of the "free money" we said forget that.  I hope we have better luck with the buffet coupons.

I guess our free parking spot isn't so free after all.

Mt. Rubidoux Memorial Park

Since we didn't do anything yesterday we thought we should go for a walk today.  There is a big hill near us with a large cross at the top, we thought we would investigate.  Turns out it's an awesome hiking trail, very popular with walkers, joggers, and moms pushing strollers, and people walking their dogs (it's too bad that in spite of the efforts by the park people to provide several garbage cans and poo bag dispensers we still saw a lot of poo piles along the way).  

Frank A. Miller
Mt. Rubidoux Memorial Park 

This is supposed to be a "trail of shrines" leading to a long white cross honoring missionary Father Junipero Serra credited, by early developers anyway, for "the beginning of civilization in California."

Looking down from the top to our RV park below.
It's in the very center of the picture.

American Flag

The Cross

1.5 miles to the top and 1.5 miles back down.  It was 81 degrees (but it was a dry heat) an excellent day for a walk, and the trail was not too steep.  There are a few rewards for you when you get to the top, and American flag, the cross, and the Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge.  Frank Miller - the owner/creator of the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside, was a lifelong advocate for world peace and his friends constructed the distinct tower to honor him in 1925.

Peace With Justice For All Men
Anno Domini 1925
This bridge was built by
neighbors & friends of
Frank Augustus Miller
in recognition of his
constant labor in the
promotion of civic beauty,
community righteousness
and
world peace.

World Peace

During the
equestrian games
of the 10th Olympiad
Lt. Col. Shunzo Kido
turned aside from
the prize to save
his horse.
He heard the low voice
of mercy, not the loud
acclaim of glory.
1934
Erected by
Riverside Humane Socy.
Unveiled in the presence of
H.I.H. Prince Tsunenori Kaya

Nothing

Nothing to blog about today.  We just took it easy and hung out around the park here.  No plans for tomorrow, but we'll see what happens.

Rainy Day

Rain!  Something we haven't seen much of in a while.  It didn't last long and didn't amount to much but we stayed in and spent most of the day inside reading, cooking (and eating), watching TV, and some computer time.

After the rain Bernie went out to clean the motor home.

That's it.

Bernie Cleaning the RV

Surrounded by ducks after the wash

Oranges

We're still in Riverside, and plan to stick around until Friday.  This morning we went to find the Parent Navel Orange Tree.  Every navel orange grown in California is a descendant of this tree.  We found it on the corner of a busy intersection in Riverside.  The plaque thanks Mrs. Eliza Tibbets of Riverside for obtaining two young Washington navel orange trees, native to Brazil, in 1873, one of which is on this corner.

Parent Navel Orange Tree

At the entrance to the California Citrus State Historic Park is a replica of an old-fashioned roadside fruit stand.

Unfortunately for us the visitor center, museum & gift shop there were closed.  We parked and walked around a little anyway.  There is paved trail that shows off all the different varieties of oranges, lemons, grapefruit, etc.

Kumquat

Fingered Citron Buddha's Hand

Farm Equipment

Super Bowl Sunday

We went to San Bernardino today to check out the casino there and see if they had free RV parking for us and to spend the $20 in slot play coupons we got from the California Visitor Center.  We didn't think they were very RV friendly like other casino's have been so we won't be moving there.  We did go into the casino and played slot machines for about 20 minutes, then left with $30 more than we went in with and two    free hats, so that was good.

Before we left town we went to the downtown area just for kicks.  It's Sunday, and hardly anyone was around.  We found the Cruisin' Hall of Fame wall in a parking lot by City Hall.  It was painted with a long map of Route 66.  Every year since 1995, plaques have been added to honor those who "have made a major difference to the uniquely American automotive cruising era."

Cruisin' Hall of Fame

 Across the street from that was what used to be the local mall.   Now it's a ghost mall.  It was nearly 100 percent empty, and only a security guard walking around alone.  The few stores that were left were going out of business.  We learned the downtown mall has failed for various reasons and a new plan is in place for something else to be built there some day.

Carousel Mall

Then back to the RV to watch the Super Bowl on TV.

Mission Inn

We learned that there is a California Welcome Center in San Bernardino which is only 10 miles north of where we are here in Riverside, so that's where we went this morning.  We left with a bag full of brochures and maps and posters and a free pen and $20 in slot play coupons for a local casino.

Not far from the welcome center, in downtown San Bernardino, on old Route 66, is the very first ever McDonald's Restaurant.  It was closed when we got there so I could only take a picture through the fence.

Original McDonald's

Next was a visit to the old railroad station / museum.  Beautifully restored inside and the museum was interesting, but did not have a yard full of all the train cars and trolley cars like the other train museum we had just seen a few days ago.  This is still a functioning train station and it's where you can get on Amtrack as well as the Metrolink into Los Angeles.

Old Santa Fe Train Depot in San Bernardino

Back to Riverside.  We went to the downtown area for some exploring.  One of the first things we saw was a Chinese Memorial Pavilion.  This was "dedicated to the spirit and courage of the Chinese pioneers who came to Riverside.  The culture and heritage contributed by them exemplifies the diversity that is an integral part of the magnificence of this land."

Chinese Memorial Pavilion

 One block over is the National Historic Landmark Mission Inn.  We went in to see as much as we were allowed to see without being a registered guest or paying $12 each for an actual tour.  It's beautiful!  Never was an actual "mission", just looks like one.   

"Frank A. Miller (1857-1935) made adobe bricks for a small 12 room guest house which he opened in 1876.  Over the years by successive building additions he fulfilled his dream by recreating this early California mission style setting of a hotel."

It covers a full city block with gardens, towers, a Baroque alter, gargoyles from Aztec ruins, Tiffany windows, and a large golden Buddha. It's now a fancy schmancy hotel & spa and has several very nice restaurants.

Mission Inn

Several president's have stayed here.  President Nixon was married in this hotel in 1940.  And there is a giant chair made for 350-pound President Taft when he visited in 1909.

Chair built for President Taft in 1909

In a small shop on one side of the Mission Inn is Casey's Cupcakes, owned by the daughter of the current owners of the Mission Inn.  There was a big banner over the doorway indicating that Casey's was a Cupcake Wars winner in 2011.  We went inside to check it out.  While the cupcakes looked beautiful and I'm sure they were delicious, they are $3.50 each or a 6-pack for $18.  I guess we're the tightwads today since we didn't want to pay.  

Cupcake Wars Winner

However, I did pay $4 for a box of Girl Scout cookies when I saw the little girl with her parents selling from a curbside table.  hmm

Riverside, CA

We moved today to Rancho Jurupa Park in Riverside, California.  It does belong to the Passport America network, but that discount is not valid over the weekend.  There are two campgrounds within the park.  We chose the cheaper one for $25 a night for now, but it has a few drawbacks....no Wi-Fi and very poor TV reception.  We may move to the prime area on Sunday where we can get TV cable and Wi-Fi, but this will do for now.

Rancho Jurupa Park (Lakeview Campground)

After we got settled and ate lunch we decided we would head to the Trader Joe's in town.  On the way there we noticed a very interesting restaurant, Tio's Tacos.  It has a rather interesting landscape and yard art.  There is a chapel made out of beer bottles, a garden with fountains and water, some rather interesting statues and homemade art.  We may have to return another time to actually eat there. Here are some of the pictures:

White Castle

What started as a foggy morning turned into another beautiful day.  There is a big unusual looking white house high upon a hill overlooking the town and the lake.  We were curious about it so we drove up narrow windy Sunnyslope Avenue to have a look.  It was hard to get a good pic of it without a helicopter!

We found out that it is one of the region's most famous and mysterious homes.  The Arabian-style house was built in 1929 by Aimee Semple McPherson, a celebrity Pentecostal evangelist, as a retreat.  It does resemble a mosque, but it's not one.  There has been a lot of mystery and intrigue surrounding the home since it was built, and urban legends have been told for years.  It was finally opened up for a tour one day in 2007, but not now.

Aimee's Castle

That was the highlight of the day for us, so it was back to the RV to chill out and watch The Doctors and Dr. Oz on TV.

Easy Day

I don't cook steel cut oats for breakfast very often while we are RVing because they take so long to cook. But today we had no plans and didn't need to use our own propane since we have electricity here so that's what I did. Topped with blueberries and cinnamon it made for a nicer breakfast than just a bowl of Cheerios.

Then we decided to drive to town for supplies and stopped at a nice Mexican restaurant for lunch. When we got back we walked around the RV park and sat by the lake like we did before.

Now I am sitting by the pool waiting for our clothes to wash in the laundry here. $1.25 to wash and $1.25 to dry each load.

While I am waiting I am blogging this on my iPhone. So far so good, I'm just not so sure about how adding the photos will work this way.