Las Vegas to Oakland
March 26, 2016
I am on the final leg home today. The road takes me from Las Vegas, along IS
15, then CA 58 through the Tehachapi Mountains to Bakersfield, and then to IS 5
and IS 580 to home. The first part of the
drive was the desert leading to the California
crossing. As I neared California
I was startled to see a view in the distance I did not recognize. The desert floor was covered by thousands of
what could only be mirrors, and in the middle of the large array of mirrors
were three tall towers with a very bright light burning at the top. I really
had no idea what it was, but quickly deduced that it must have something to do
with sunlight (what else do they have on the desert). When I got home a little
Internet searching revealed what it was. I was right:
“Using technology known as solar-thermal, nearly 350,000
computer-controlled mirrors roughly the size of a garage door reflect sunlight
to boilers atop 459-foot towers. The sun's power is used to heat water in the
boilers' tubes and make steam, which drives turbines to create electricity.” [http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2014/02/worlds_largest_solar_power_pla.html
accesed 4/1/2016]
The facility is operated by NRG Energy which apparently has
a lot of involvement in the energy production business. The wikipedia
entry has a lot more information, but the view driving by on IS 15 is
other-worldly. Acres of mirrors cover
the sandy desert and the large towers where the mirrors are aimed by computers
control glow with a brilliant silver color that is nothing like I have ever
seen. It looks like someone grabbed a bunch of the sun and stuck it is a room
at the top of the Tower. I guess that is
what is going on – all of the products of the burning sun that get to earth are
reflected by thousands of mirrors into what machinery in in the top of the
towers. From the highway, the scale of
the installation is hard to judge. The “garage door” sized mirrors look like
sheets of paper.
Leaving Nevada into California I came a
cross the most elaborate rest stop I have ever seen. I was really a “Welcome to California” place. There are large signs
explaining history, depicting scenery, and generally promoting California. Some of the history was interesting: Father
Garces was recognized as the first Spanish visitor to the area, and he was led
over the mountains by the Mojave Indians, and then to Mission San Gabriel. I
know they have a celebration their every year – when I was there two years ago
there some sort of celebration going on with people dressed up in all manner
of Spanish/Mexican clothing from the 19th
Century – they were selling stuff, playing music, and had other types of
entertainment. I got there just as the crowd and participants were packing up
and leaving.
Another one of the displays at the rest stop was about the
development of the travel routes from Santa Fe
to California which mentioned that the Old
Spanish Trail basically followed the routs of IS 15 into Los Angeles.
I don’t see that route marked on the AAA California map I have as it is
on the Nevada map, but the trail led goes to Los Angeles, as does
IS15. Somewhat more prominently displayed
was a sign with a map of the United
States and a dark line across the country
identified as the “National Old Trail Road Association” and the “Ocean to Ocean Highway” sponsored by
the “Auto Club of So. Cal.” The National Old Trail Association was
formed in 1912 in the center of the country, Kansas City,
to develop a road system extending from New York
to California. The
wikipedia article has a lot of information about this subject. Of interest might be the fact that Harry
Truman was instrumental, along with the Daughters of the American Revlution in
placing “Madonnas
of the Trail” Statues in each of the 12 states along the Old National Trail
“to provide a symbol of the courage and faith of the women whose strength and
love aided so greatly in conquering the wilderness and establishing permanent
homes.”
Below is a list of the cities located on the original Old
National Trail – the ones in red are ones I have visited – the ones in the west
on one or another of my trail route explorations over the past few years. Even though most of the original route no
longer exists, the route having been replaced by Route 66, a trip through each
of the cities in the list would certainly be a great way to connect with the
country.
I proceeded through the Tehachapi
Mountains and found IS 5 full of traffic with lots of trucks. So I
join the excursion and headed north.
Along the way I stopped at a rest stop- and noticed that this was the
John Erreca Memorial Rest Stop. Who is John Erreca?
One thing I have always wondered is who are the people after
whom various roads, rest stops, or other memorials along highways and
roads are named. Someone, maybe the
person named, decided that a monument to the person would be appropriate and so
money was raised, or allocated, for that purpose. But often, the reason for the memorial is not
obvious. Rarely is there a permanent
marker like that for Linda Louise Terry Barnes (see yesterday’s blog). After a little searching at the Erreca rest
stop I found a couple of sheets of computer-printed text behind the glass of a
bulletin board on the wall by the restrooms which provided some information.
John Erreca was a Basque immigrant to the US in the
1920s. He became a successful sheep rancher, served on the city council of Los
Banos, was mayor for a long time and was ultimately appointed as California’s Director of
Public Works. He was given award by the Pope (I don’t know which Pope) and had
a rest stop named after him. I subsequently learned from a friend of a friend
of Dana’s that “he was a cattle rancher in L[os] B[anos], then he became a
politician and served as mayor for several terms. He then worked for Pat Brown
in land acquisition and was instrumental in forming highway 5, and the
peripheral canal.” When I Googled him I
got lots of information about the rest stop, but little about the man. The only biographical information about him
was Findagrave.com.
As I proceeded a little further along IS 5 and saw a sign
for the Larry Combs rest stop. I didn’t
stop but decided to see if I could find out about Larry Combs – that was pretty
easy, and Google so I Larry Combs
Memorial Rest Stop.
WHEREAS, Larry
Combs was a leadworker for the Department of
Transportation assigned to the operation and service of all
roadside
rest stops for District 10 of the Department of
Transportation, which
included the Westly rest stop off State Highway Route 5 in
the
County
of Stanislaus; and
WHEREAS, Larry
Combs was well recognized as an outstanding
employee of the Department of Transportation who gave the
people of
California
selfless, dedicated service that resulted in improved and
superior maintenance of roadside rest stops; and
WHEREAS, Many times
Larry Combs, through his own initiative,
overcame seemingly insurmountable problems to keep California
roadside rest stops open and available to traveling public;
and
WHEREAS, Larry
Combs had a wonderful personality that inspired
many who worked either with him or for him to do their best
in the
worst situations and to do it with a smile; and
WHEREAS, Larry
Combs was a great friend to many and a great
representative of the Department of Transportation; and
WHEREAS, The
Department of Transportation lost a valuable member
of its family when Larry Combs passed away; now, therefor be
it
Resolved by the
Senate of the State of California,
That the Senate
hereby designates the Westly rest stop on State Highway
Route 5 in
the County
of Stanislaus as the
Larry Combs Memorial Rest Stop; and
be it further
Resolved, That the
Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers,
consistent
with the signing requirements, for the state highway system,
showing
this special designation, and, upon receiving donations from
nonstate
sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those plaques
and
markers; and be it further
Resolved, That the
Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the
author of
this resolution for appropriate distribution.”
So that’s who Larry Combs was.
The last day’s drive, even across the desert and up IS 5,
where I still could not name the crops that were growing except for the one
large orchard with a “Mandarins” sign, raised as many questions, and pointed to
more new places to explore, than had existed before I left. My bucket
overfloweth.
