About 85 miles from Los Angeles the stage route reaches the Tejon pass near Fort Tejon State Historic Park 
. My first of just two stops today, Ft. Tejon is a peaceful little spot surrounded by velvety smooth hills. When Ormsby arrived, Ft. Tejon was an active fort with "some very fine adobe buildings" and "few settlers." Today Ft. Tejon is a state park with recreated and original buildings from the old fort. With Juan and the boys, I arrived after closing time.
Turns out we were not exactly alone — a family of deer was taking advantage of the open space in the closed park. I spent nearly an hour walking around, videoing, and sharing the space with them. It really added to the tranquil feeling of the place and helped transport me to another time when I'm sure wildlife was abundant here.
Tranquility aside, I had to be off. Further up Highway 99 is another town I'd never heard of, but will never forget: Visalia, California . When I arrived, it was already dark out and I was getting quite hungry. After locating the KOA in Visalia and registering for the night, I headed into town. Being a weeknight, I was worried there would be nothing open in such a small town this late.
Boy, was I surprised! As I approached downtown, I was greeted by a huge party. Not in my honor, of course, but that night just happened to be the 15th Annual Taste of Downtown Visalia .
I was amazed. There was live music. The streets and restaurants and bars were filled to the brim with people enjoying all that downtown Visalia has to offer.
And does it have something to offer! Nearly every kind of cuisine you can imagine was available. Juan and I settled on steak, and soon found the Double LL Steakhouse. I have to say, I've had steak a few times on this journey (when there was no catfish available), and this was hands down the best steak of the trip. In fact, I would venture to say one of the best steaks I've ever had. And the mashed potatoes were to die for! (And you will if you eat all that they put on your plate!)
Unfortunately, the next morning was to be an early one, so I wasn't able to take part in the festivities. After stuffing myself, I headed back to the KOA. Before hitting the hay, I grabbed my copy of Ormsby's book to research for the next day's visit and filming in Visalia and had another "Ormsby moment"....
First, there was the coincidence of having taken my first shower in the RV on the same exact day that Ormsby had his first bath in the Clear Forks of the Brazos River.
Then, after carelessly leaving my copy of Ormsby's book at Box Canyon, I had returned to find some "mystery" person had put it in a safe place, and set rocks atop it to keep it from blowing away. Then, I found myself face to face with an Ormsby descendant in LA.
Now here I was, reading how Ormsby had been quite unexpectedly greeted upon his arrival by a party in...Visalia! In fact, during those festivities Ormsby drank his first beer and enjoyed the company of New Yorkers for the first time since he'd left New York.
I had the Taste of Downtown Visalia, and he had a party in honor of the arrival of the mail 150 years ago to the day!
The next morning I met with Terry Ommen , a local resident and historian. He was nice enough to drive me downtown to show me the Butterfield marker and give me a quick, CliffNotes version of Visalia history.
Terry is incredibly interesting and knowledgeable, and I could have spent hours talking with him. But as those of you who have been following this blog know, there just wasn't time. So with a heartfelt thanks and a quick goodbye, I headed north.
Next stop, San Jose!
Keep on truckin' Casey! The research you are doing will be wonderful contribution to our knowledge of this historic route!
-kirby-
Thanks Kirby. I learned so much along the way. Mostly from meeting knowledgable folks like yourself. I have shared your book with everyone who will listen. Please keep me updated on the next installment. I can't wait to read and share it!! Thanks again for your kind hospitality and the great BBQ!