Wagons Ho!! That's one of my favorite sayings that I've heard watching old western movies about wagon trains moving across the land. Anyhow, that seemed a bit like us on that beautiful day on June 9, 2016 as we loaded up our coaches and headed towards Hollister, California.
We drove 74 miles to our next camping destination called Casa De Fruitas RV Orchard Resort. Our route westbound on CA-152 took us directly to the resort in a short time. After checking in and setting up camp at our designated sites, there was still plenty of day to explore the area.
Case De Fruitas first planted their orchards in 1908 then opened a roadside stand in the 1940's. Over the many years they have grown into a successful business involving a campground, restaurants, fruit and nut stands, amusement center, wines and sweets. They get over 2 million visitors a year and it was a fun place to stay.
Next the four of us (Rick, Janet, Ralph and I) piled into our SUV and headed towards Castroville, California. On the 101 Freeway, we noticed bells mounted on (what looked like) shepherd's hooks placed along the road...I had to find out more about them. Turns out they are mission bells and have been in place since the early 1900's. Their purpose was to herald the original route of "El Camino Real" ("The Royal Road") which ran 700 miles from San Diego, California to Sonoma, California. The road connected 21 California missions founded by Father Junipero Serra and was spaced one day's journey apart by horse. Originally, there were about 450 bells and now, due to vandalism, they have diminished to approximately 75. In response to this thievery, Californian Legislature appointed Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) to replace and repair the bells. New ones are being placed in concrete to prevent/discourage theft.
The tiny town of Castroville pride themselves on being nicknamed the "Artichoke Center of the World" and for good reason. In 1922, the first artichoke shoots were planted. The land was inhospitable, surrounded by swamps. However, settlers thrived and in just one year, 12,000 acres of artichokes were growing. Today, nearly 2/3 of the world's artichokes are grown in Monterey County (Castroville). In 1947, Marilyn Monroe was given the honorary title of "Artichoke Queen" during her visit to the area. That was interesting.
We ate at the Giant Artichoke restaurant and tried (big surprise!) their steamed and deep fried artichoke. Then we did the requisite photo opportunity in front of the namesake.
I learned a lot about artichokes from my visit to Castroville - things I never knew before. Such as: there is a yearly Artichoke Festival; premier artichokes are slightly frostbit, or "kissed by winter", and are light brown/bronze on the outer leaves; technically, an artichoke is a flower; Americans are divided on their choice for a sidekick to artichoke - Eastern state residents refer butter while Western folks choose mayonnaise or garlic aioli (garlic mayonnaise).
Update to post (7/22/17): Based on reader feedback, I am going to include a very complete and interesting blog that explains how to prepare and cook an artichoke (even grilled!) so check it out: Complete Primer - "How To" On Artichokes. There are also great recipes such as artichoke hummus or braised artichokes with ground beef...maybe this will be part of your next meal or party. Enjoy!
With food always on our mind (as it should be when traveling), we next visited Gilroy, the "Garlic Capital of the World".
Well known for its garlic crop, this town also has a yearly festival and produces a wide array of garlicky foods, one being garlic ice cream.
As if garlic ice cream wasn't enough, how about garlic hot sauces...
Once back at the campground, we enjoyed an evening of temperatures in the low 50'sF (10C) and had reason to use the fireplace in the coach that night. Cozy.
The next destination is Monterey Bay and Carmel: California - (Part 9) Monterey and Carmel
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