California 2006 : Home on the strange

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Friday, April 07, 2006

Home on the strange

Southern California did not disappoint in its strangeness! After a somewhat broken night of sleep in a motel in Yuma, Arizona, (the next door room was full of students on "spring break") we found ourselves at the official centre of the world. It's in a place called Felicity which has a population of four, two being the mayor and his wife. They've constructed a stone pyramid to mark the spot, are slowly building huge rows of granite slabs on which the entire history of civilisation is being etched, and are also putting together a church on a hill behind all this. Oh, and they have a section of stairs from the Eiffle Tower.

But the lady who ran it (the mayor's wife) was lovely, and showed us around even though it was meant to be shut for the off season. We watched a DVD on the place, and left with certificates proving we had been there. We can now re-visit for free for the rest of our lives (not bad for $2).

We drove west from there, through huge rolling sand dunes and then across green fields, irrigated by Colorado river water. Finally we reached the mountains, on top of which sits the Jacumba desert tower. It was built in the 40's to allow people to view the surrounding landscape, and across the road the huge boulders that cover the hills around there are carved and painted into strange shapes. The place houses its own museum, with displays ranging from stuffed animals to historic linen bags for carrying water.

Driving west again, stopping only for a Subway sandwich, the land went up and down until we took a detour north through rolling hills that wouldn't have been out of place in England. It was all very rural, with farmhouses seilling their own produce out of their back doors and horses everywhere. An hour later we were back to the ocean's edge, following the Pacific northwards. The week's total mileage was 1,094. That was enough!

What better way to celebrate our return to San Clemente than a trip out with Jim and Gen to "The Cheesecake Factory"? I ignored warnings to skip the starter, and none of us could finish half of our main courses. So we ordered pudding, got it all boxed up, and left with six doggie bags worth of food. That's all the meals for the rest of the weekend sorted. I still feel a bit ill from all the eating...or maybe that's the three margaritas we each enjoyed during the evening.

Down by the border. They have various checkpoints along the American highways too, but if you're white they wave you through with no questions...

We were getting excited by this momentous occasion

Here it is, the pyramid at the centre of the world. You get to go inside too!

Here's Hannah, being congratulated for standing at the official centre (she's facing true north, of course)

And here we are, proudly displaying our certificates

These are the long granite prisms. You can see their church under construction in the background

This has all been hand etched onto polished granite!

Oh yes, and here are the Eiffel Tower steps, because the pyramid and the granite slabs recording the entirity of human history aren't enough for a town with a population of four