Capture Calif

Capture California

What is a YOLT? Well, you may have heard the term YOLO. Gary and Sherri think we can live again, not as James Bond, but as being reborn. Consequently, we are having fun in our life, after all, You Only Live Twice.

Showing posts with label Los Banos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Banos. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Adventure 003, Site 102-Canal Farm Inn-Los Banos

Sherri at Canal Farm Inn
Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 003, Site 102-Canal Farm Inn-Los Banos
California Landmark Number: 548

Team: YOLT
Date:  October 23, 2013
Location:
Address: 1460 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos


Description:
Espana's now resides at this location—this is a place Sherri and Gary year after year say we want to go and eat at. But we have yet to do so. Maybe this coming year. But the place does have significant local history which we discovered last year. See our notes from there.
Canal Farm Inn
NO. 548 CANAL FARM INN - This original San Joaquin Valley ranch headquarters of California pioneer and cattle baron Henry Miller (1827-1916) was established in 1873. His farsighted planning and development in the 1870s of a vast gravity irrigation system, and the founding of Los Banos in 1889, provided the basis for this area's present stability and wealth.
Location: 1460 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos



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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Adventure 215, Park 09-San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area

Sherri and San Luis Reservoir SRA Sign
Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 215, Park 09-San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area
Team: YOLT
Date:  October 9, 2013
Location: Los Banos

Description:
The San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area takes in the lands surrounding the San Luis Reservoir, but does not include the Pacheco Pass area, which is a separate state park. You pass through this recreation area anytime you come over Pacheco Pass on Highway 152. This time area we had missed the Pacheco pass turn off and so decided to do the Lone Oak Trail within this recreation area.
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Location: San Luis Reservoir, California, USA

Adventure 005, Hike 061-Trail of the Lone Oak

Gary at start of Lone Oak Trail
Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 005, Hike 061-Trail of the Lone Oak
Team: YOLT
Date:  October 9, 2013
Location: Los Banos
Trail: Trail of the Lone Oak
Distance: 4.68 miles
Duration: 1:53 Moving
Elevation Rise: 676'


Description:
We missed Pacheco Pass State Park, we we did a walk at San Luis State Recreation Area. Nice way to strech our legs. Read about our hike in our blog.
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Location: San Luis Reservoir, California, USA

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Adventure 003, Site 054-St Joseph's Church-Los Banos

Gary on the steps

Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 003, Site 054-St Joseph's Church-Los Banos
National Registry ID: 04000330


Team: YOLT
Date: September 11, 2013
Location:
Coordinates: 37°3′34″N 120°51′0″W
Address: 1109 K St., Los Banos



Description:
Date Built: 1923
Architect: Charles Fantoni



Last year we tried to find this church. How hard can it be to find a Catholic church in Los Banos? Apparently hard enough. We had tried to locate the address on our GPS-nothing. Then walked around Los Banos-still nothing. Then drove around-still nothing. We gave up. This year, we did some searching around and found out that it is no longer St Joseph's church but the Los Banos Art Council. Also looking at Google maps, we found it right away—at the corner of 5th and K St.
St Joseph's Church, Los Banos



The building has seen its better days. The front door seemed like it was once grand, but now looks a bit battered. But you can tell at one time this church was the pride of the area.



Wikipedia:
The Church of St. Joseph is a historic church building located at 1109 K Street in Los Banos, California. Built in 1923, the church was designed in the Romanesque Revival style, a common style for church buildings. Charles Fantoni, a San Francisco architect, designed the church; it is one of only two surviving Fantoni designs, the other being Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco. The church's design features extensive use of rounded arches, arches and vaults in both the interior and exterior of the building, and a low pitched roof atop the apse. The church is the only Romanesque building in Los Banos and its surrounding communities. The building no longer functions as a church and is used by the Los Banos Arts Council.[2]
The Church of St. Joseph was added to the National Register on July 8, 2004.






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Location: 1109 K Street, Los Banos, CA 93635, USA

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Adventure 031 – A Dam Picture

Reservoir side of BF Sisk Dam

Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 031 – A Dam Picture

Team: YOLT
Date:  August 27, 2013
Location: B F Sisk Dam (37.059167, -121.074722 )


Front side of BF Sisk Dam
Description:
This dam is large, or should I say immense? It is the BF Sisk Dam, just west of Los Banos. The dam's height is 305 feet and it is 18,600 feet long. For those of you who love big number, think over 2 million acre-feet of water can be stored. This 50 year old dam is the largest off-stream dam in the world—off-stream means that there is no stream running into the reservoir. Some people know this dam as the San Luis Dam and Reservoir—it is the large dam you see when you come over Pacheco Pass.



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Location: San Luis Reservoir, California, USA

Adventure 003, Site 033 – Pacheco Pass


Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 003, Site 033 – Pacheco Pass
California Landmark Number: 829




Team: YOLT
Date:  August 27, 2013
Location:
Coordinates: 37°3′59″N 121°13′7″W (Location of pass)
37° 4.825′ N, 121° 5.892′ (Location of plaque)
Address: Romero Overlook, San Luis Reservoir, 31770 W Hwy 152 (P.M. 8.0), 15 mi W of Los Banos


Description:


Looking Towards Pacheco Pass
We cannot say that driving into the Romero Center at San Luis Dam is inspiring or even refreshing-it is hot after coming in from the Bay Area. But it does give you a pause to consider what did Morega see when he came this way? What inspired him to establish Los Banos? I suspect that it may have been the fields of golden poppies, stretching from the Coastal Range to the Sierras; the Sierra's looming over this Valley. But today, we can only pause to ponder.



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NO. 829 PACHECO PASS - On June 21, 1805, on his first exploratory journey into the San Joaquin Valley, Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga traversed and recorded this pass. Since then it has been trail, toll road, stagecoach road, and freeway-the principal route between the coastal areas to the west and the great valley and mountains to the east.Location: Romero Overlook, San Luis Reservoir, 31770 W Hwy 152 (P.M. 8.0), 15 mi W of Los Banos From CHL



Looking eastward from the summit of the Pacheco Pass one shining morning, a landscape was displayed that after all my wanderings still appears as the most beautiful I have ever beheld. At my feet lay the Great Central Valley of California, level and flowery, like a lake of pure sunshine, forty or fifty miles wide, five hundred miles long, one rich furred garden of yellow Composito. And from the eastern boundary of this vast golden flower-bed rose the mighty Sierra, miles in height, and so gloriously colored and so radiant, it seemed not clothed with light, but wholly composed of it, like the wall of some celestial city. Along the top and extending a good way down, was a rich pearl-gray belt of snow; below it a belt of blue and lark purple, marking the extension of the forests; and stretching long the base of the range a broad belt of rose-purple; all these colors, from the blue sky to the yellow valley smoothly blending as they do in a rainbow, making a wall of light ineffably fine. Then it seemed to me that the Sierra should be called, not the Nevada or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light. And after ten years of wandering and wondering in the heart of it, rejoicing in its glorious floods of light, the white beams of the morning streaming through the passes, the noonday radiance on the crystal rocks, the flush of the alpenglow, and the irised spray of countless waterfalls, it still seems above all others the Range of Light. From John Muir, The Yosemite, 1912






A trail nearby, through what is now Pacheco State Park, was used by the Yokuts people to cross the mountains and trade with other native people on the coast.[5] Spanish army officer Gabriel Moraga first recorded the pass in 1805.[1] Since then, it has been a major route between the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley. It was the site of one of the stage stations on the route of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route which connected the Saint Louis, Missouri with San Francisco from 1858 until 1861.[6] Other stage lines used the route thereafter until completion of the railroads within the state. From Wikipedia






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Location: San Luis Reservoir, California, USA

Friday, August 2, 2013

Adventure 003, Site 025-Los Banos

Gary and the Los Banos Monument
Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 003, Site 025-Los Banos
California Landmark Number: 550

Team: YOLT
Date:  August 2, 2013
Location:
Address: Los Banos Park, 803 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos


Description:
You cannot beat the ease for this historical site. It is in the park, right next to highway 152. So stopping is easy and educational, plus a bit relaxing if you take the time to stretch out. See our writeup from last year for the facts concerning Los Banos.



NO. 550 LOS BANOS - Los Baños (the baths) del Padre Arroyo, visited as early as 1805 by Spanish explorers, was a favorite place for padres from San Juan Bautista Mission during their travels to the San Joaquin Valley. Its name was changed to Los Banos Creek by later American emigrants. The town of Los Banos was established at its present site in 1889, after the post office of Los Banos was built near the creek in 1874.
Location: Los Banos Park, 803 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos






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Location: 803 East Pacheco Boulevard, Los Banos, CA 93635, USA

Adventure 003, Site 024-Bank of Los Banos


Gary and the plaque honoring the founder
Capture California, the Game-2013
Adventure: 003, Site 024-Bank of Los Banos
Bank of Los Banos
National Registry ID: 1979000500

Team: YOLT
Date:  August 2, 2013
Location:
Address: 836-848 6th Street, Los Banos, CA

Description:
Date Built: January 1925
Architect: H.H. Winner Company


It is time for us to revisit some of the historical sites we enjoyed going to last year. One of them was the Bank of Los Banos. Some new things we learned on this time around is the original building was decorated with cattle heads and garlands-but was removed in the 1930's due to safety reasons.






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Location: 848 6th Street, Los Banos, CA 93635, USA

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Adventure 051, Site 045 – Bank of Los Banos

Capture California, the Game-2012
Adventure: 051, Site 045 – Bank of Los Banos
National Registry ID: 1979000500


Team: Thing One, Thing Two
Date:  September 19, 2012
Location:
Latitude:
Longitude:
Address: 836-848 6th Street, Los Banos, CA

Description:
Date Built: January 1925
Architect: H.H. Winner Company


Not more can be said about this adventure besides, we came, we saw we snapped pictures. Except when you look a little bit deeper. This bank building was the basis for the commercial empire built by Henry miller, of the Canal Farm Inn fame, and the Charles Lux. As the principle bank for the area, it influenced how Los Banos and much of the western part of the Valley has been developed. This building was a statement to the area that after the 1919 fire which destroyed much of the downtown area, that this area would be economically viable, helping to influence bringing the Southern Pacific railroad through Los Banos.



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Location: 848 6th St, Los Banos, CA 93635, USA

Adventure 051, Site 044 – Los Banos

Capture California, the Game-2012
Adventure: 051, Site 044 – Los Banos
California Landmark Number: 550

Team: Thing One, Thing Two
Date:  September 19, 2012
Location:
Latitude: : 37°03′30″N
Longitude: 120°51′00″W
Address: 800 Block of East Pacheco Boulevard in Los Banos Park, Los Banos, CA

 Description:

Since when is a town a historical landmark? For the longest while, Thing One thought Los Banos meant the town of the moths. Way back when Thing One was in Boy Scouts we passed through Los Banos and remember there were these giant moths. But now Thing One realize, and after a couple Spanish classes, that los banos means The Baths. What we found by reading the plaque is the reason for the name was that the Spanish padres would wander over to this area to take a bath. Which makes sense because we found a trail on the south side of San Luis Reservoir called the Trail of the Padres. Now the mystery is what were they doing so far away from the El Camino Real?



But that is not the only history for this city. It ranges from Moraga and his Spanish troops all the way to American troops stopping at the baths. Charles Young and his Buffalo troops on the way from the Presido in San Francisco stopped here for seven days to refresh themselves on the way to guard the newly formed Sequoia National Park. There will be a celebration of this next year on May 20th in Los Banos.



(Sort of interesting that a city can be a historical site)



Text on Plaque: Los Banos Los Baños (The Baths) del Padre Arroyo was a favorite place for padres from San Juan Bautista Mission during their travels to the San Joaquin Valley. Visited as early as 1805 by Spanish explorers, its name was changed to Los Banos Creek by later American emigrants. The town of Los Banos was established at its present site in 1889 after the location of the post office of Los Banos near the creek in 1874. Registered Historical Landmark No. 550 Plaque placed by California State Park Commission in cooperation with Los Banos Parlor No. 206 Native Sons of the Golden West and the City of Los Banos. April 25, 1957






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Location: Los Banos Parks Dept, 645 7th St, Los Banos, CA 93635, USA

Adventure 051, Site 043 – Canal Farm Inn

Capture California, the Game-2012
Adventure: 051, Site 043 – Canal Farm Inn
California Landmark Number: 348

Team: Thing One, Thing Two
Date:  September 19, 2012
Location:
Latitude: 37.056992 N
Longitude: 120.832261 W
Address: 1460 East Pacheco Boulevard, Los Banos, CA


Description:

When we first started going through Los Banos on our trips between Fresno and the Bay Area, we would see this elegant, older building called Canal Farm Inn. Then about ten years ago, a new sign went up and the place was called Espana's. Being Mexican food lovers, we have always thought this would be a good place to stop and try our. But usually we are trying to get one place or another. While, we were in the same situation this time, our stop at least reminded us to stop here sometime. By the way, Espana's is owned by a former mayor of Los Banos.



While we were stopped here, we did talk with a couple who were in transition from Northern California, down to southern. Of course, they were interested in what we were doing, so we did tell them about Capture California.



Text from Plaque: Canal Farm Inn This original San Joaquin Valley ranch headquarters of California pioneer and cattle baron Henry Miller (1827-1916) was established in 1873. His farsighted planning and development in the 1870's of a vast gravity irrigation system, and the founding of Los Banos (1889) provided the basis for the present stability and wealth of this area. Registered Historical Landmark No. 548 Plaque placed by California State Park Commission in cooperation with Los Banos Parlor No. 206 Native Sons of the Golden West. August 19, 1956






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Location: 1460 E Pacheco Blvd, Los Banos, CA 93635, USA
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