"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a motorcycle
and that's basically the same thing."
When I created my Updated Bucket List for YEAR 77 I listed a Harley day-ride on the 7th of each month. The idea was to do a monthly ride to a place that had an interesting history and a fun route to ride on a motorcycle. The 7th doesn't always work, and this month it worked better for me to go on Sunday, September 3rd. Monrovia has been experiencing a heat wave (over 100 degrees for many days in a row) so I jumped on my Harley early hoping to avoid some of the heat, about 6:45 am, and headed for Mother's Kitchen at Palomar Mountain. It's a round-trip ride for me of 247 miles.
The route to Palomar Mountain is essentially south on I-15 to the Temecula area, which is simply a freeway ride. From there, however, it's a great ride. Pala Road is almost wilderness, with a few well-hidden homes along the way. Then CA-76 winds through farms, ranches, orchards, fruit stands, and plant & tree nurseries - a very scenic area. Then there is a seven-mile stretch of ridiculously curvy road that winds its way from CA-76 to the top of the mountain. Some riders (like me) do it because they love the feel of the wind, the forest atmosphere, and the challenge of the curves as they leisurely ascend and descend. There are many others who love to race up and down, often illegally passing slower moving vehicles by crossing double-yellow lines while approaching a tight bend. This is a good reason to ride the mountain on a week day rather than on the weekend when there are many of these crazy guys on crotch-rockets. I had a very enjoyable ride today, even though it was on a weekend, with no encounters with the crazy guys. The photos below show the route from Monrovia to Palomar Mountain, a few crotch-rockets challenging the mountain, and a view from part way up the mountain (my photos never show it the way it feels in person).
Click Photo to Enlarge - Use Arrows for Next Photo
Downtown Palomar Mountain consists of a post office and a building that houses a general store and a restaurant, Mother's Kitchen. If you blink you can pass by without knowing it's there. I had a good breakfast and read some interesting articles in the Wall Street Journal and Barron's. The cover story in Barron's this week was entitled, "How This Bull Market Will End." There seems to be a lot of articles along these lines these days, but of course no one knows. The market will keep going up until it doesn't.
I chatted with Brian, who was working in the restaurant. He said the restaurant was just a small snack bar in the late '40s and early '50s. In the late '50s the inside eating area (which is very nicely done) was added and it's claim to fame is that a B-movie, "Creature From Crater Lake", was filmed there. Brian is part of a Yoga Center group from Orange County that purchased land in Palomar Mountain in 1977 to establish a retreat there. Beginning at that time a number of the members (including Brian) remodeled and opened Mother's Kitchen to help earn money to pay for the land purchased for the retreat. They recently celebrated the 40th Anniversary of running Mother's Kitchen.
I got back in Monrovia about 12:30 pm, after a very enjoyable morning ride (even though the temperature reached 102 degrees on the way home). The photos below show the Palomar Mountain Post Office, Mother's Kitchen (the general store is in the same building, but out of the photo to the left), and a comfortable outside eating area behind the restaurant.
Click Photo to Enlarge - Use Arrows for Next Photo
A Little History: Palomar Mountain is in northern San Diego County. It is most famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory, which was completed in 1948, and the Hale Telescope. It is also known for the Palomar Mountain State Park. During the 1890s, the population was sufficient to support three public schools, and it was a popular summer resort for Southern California, with three hotels in operation part of the time. There is still a Lodge on Crestline and the Bailey Meadow Resort, but these are not open to the public and are only used on special occasions. Population now is approximately 400 including permanent residents and second home owners.
.