January 1, 2007
Local Tour Photos -- Posted by Editor on Monday, January 1 2007
At the intersection of Ghost Town Rd. and the freeway frontage rd. Turn west to the KOA Campground on your right. This Famous KOA is open year round for your camping and recreation pleasure
This view of the Calico Mountains is looking north from the I-15 Freeway into the multi-colored mountains of the Silver Valley. Calico Ghost Town is located just under the large "CALICO" on the hillside.
This is a view of the famous Stone Hotel, which is a National Historic landmark in Daggett. Originally this hotel was a Depot for the Union Pacific Railroad on the Barstow/Daggett corridor.
Peggy Sue's Restaurant is a local landmark and has been featured on California television's PBS's Road Trip with Huell Howser. This Nifty 50's Diner has been a rest stop for the traveling public for over 20 years and has a unique atmosphere. The walls are decorated with photos of famous visitors and the gift shop is a virtual museum of collectable memorabilia. The food is great too! Visit the Diner, the Ice Cream Parlor, the Pizza Parlor and the Outdoor Paradise Park for a peaceful and comfortable shaded meal.
This is a view of the Original Solar One Electrical Generating Station just East of Daggett. Southern California Edison built this test platform in the 1980's to test the feasability of solar energy production. This site was chosen for our over 300 days per year of available sunshine. The large black cylinder at the top of the tower was filled with a variety of liquids for testing the ability to retain heat for steam generation of electricity. When just 50 percent of the reflecting mirrors at the base were trained on the liquid filled cylinder, the glow of from the tower was impossible to stare at due to it's intensity. It was very similar to the white light from an Arc Welder. It was extremely bright!
Barstow-Daggett Airport serves as a base of operations for the Dept. of Defense Air Operations for the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, Ca. This logistically perfect location also provides hanger and ramp space for the County of San Bernardino and the California Highway Patrol.
Located at the Dept. of Defense U.S.Marine Corps Yermo Annex, is the Military Vehicle Test Track Facility. This 1 1/2 mile, $3.2 million dollar facility opened in April of 2001. This high-speed test track allows the mechanics at the Yermo Annex Maintenance Center to fully test tracked, wheeled and amphibious vehicles after repair and prior to issuing these vehicles to the Field Marine Forces. Visable in the top left portion of the test track is a U.S. Marine Corps P-7 Amphibious Personnel Carrier undergoing high speed testing.
As a point of referrence, the red colored hill in the rear of the photo is known as Elephant Mountain due to it's unique silhouette from the ground. Approaching from the East, it appears to be an Elephant lying on it's belly with it's trunk pointing out in front to the south.
At the intersection of Famous Route 66 and Daggett -Yermo Rd. in Daggett, you see the steep sloped roof of the Alpine House. In use for years as a tourist and information center, it is now a private residence.
The Yermo and Daggett areas have been known for over 100 years as a western United States railroad transportation hub. As many as 100 trains per day travel through this location on their destinations to all points East and West. If you've got it, it probably got there part way on these trains.This location in Daggett is well known by "Train Spotters" from all over the world. These train enthausists photograph, catalog and record trains of all types traveling through the area.
The longest available stretch of Historic Route 66 is still part of the everyday roadway in Daggett, Ca. This roadway was part of American History throughout the past 100 years and is still a well traveled highway today. Route 66 crosses the US from Santa Monica, Ca. to Chicago, Il. and is famous in folklore and history.
