Author: Rick Rockwell
The Mobius Arch: nature’s perfect picture frame
California is filled with “must see” geographical wonders and breathtaking landscapes. Many are well known like Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. But, there are some that fly under the radar to the average traveler or tourist, and The Mobius Arch is one of them. Unless, you have heard of this place before, live in the region, or...
The Alabama Hills: Hollywood’s iconic outdoor playground
There are very few locations that can match the Hollywood resume of Inyo County’s Alabama Hills. This wonderful landscape has been a “Big Screen” favorite since the 1920’s . Hundreds of movies have been filmed here and close to forty or fifty television shows. In addition to the long history of film and...
A three hour tour of the World War II ‘Mighty Midget’ ship
In 1944, as the United States was already deeply entrenched in World War II, 130 Mighty Midgets, officially titled Landing Craft Support (Large), were created by three American shipyards and sent to aid military efforts in the Pacific Theater operations. These ships were basically tanks on water as they had two twin 40mm guns, four...
Randsburg: the friendliest ghost town in California
California is littered with old mining towns barely hanging on to their existence, dangerously flirting with ghost town status. One location that comes to mind is Iowa Hill. This Placer County gold rush town is sadly fading away into the history books. But, unlike Iowa Hill and other towns on life support, Kern County’s Randsburg...
Silver City: a ghost town with cardiac arrested decay
Silver City is one of the most unique ghost towns in all of California. Like Bodie State Park and Calico, Silver City is in a state of “arrested decay”. This means that the structures are preserved and protected in a state of natural decay to prevent further deterioration, without building anything new. However, unlike the...
The mysterious Orange shaped building of Cartago
When driving through barren lands surrounded by mountain ranges, your eyes naturally gravitate to any object that sticks out. Now, imagine driving on and off for a few days through these barren lands and all of a sudden a building shaped like an orange pops up out of nowhere. I thought my mind was playing …...
Lake Isabella Park: more commonly referred to as Tank Park or Uffert Park
On my adventure to the haunted Silver City, located in Bodfish, I passed along a small park unlike any other park I have ever seen before. It had the usual playground items for kids to play on like swings and a slide. But, it also had something that I’ve only ever seen on television – …...
Red Hill cinder cone: more than just a mound of dirt
Heading northbound on Highway 395, about 3 miles past Little Lake, is a unique looking mound of earth and rubble that sticks out among the landscape. This mound is almost perfectly symmetrical and appears more fascinating the closer you get to it. What is it? Upon first glance, I just assumed this “red mound of …...
Fossil Falls: no fossils or waterfalls, just plenty of adventure
The name may be misleading, but this spectacular location is not. Although there’s no waterfall or fossils to be found at Fossil Falls, there’s plenty of adventure and awe when exploring this natural wonder. Fossil Falls is a large formation of lava rocks created by the merging of lava and the Owens River some 20,000 …...
Shasta County’s Afterthought Mine is fading away
Located in the town of Ingot, less than 20 miles east of Redding along Highway 299, are the remains of an abandoned copper mine called the Afterthought Mine. What was once one of Shasta County’s most prosperous copper mines, is now nothing more than a dilapidated structure and a fleeting memory of a once thriving …...
