Simanaitis Says
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CALIFORNIA TINY TOWN TIDBITS
RECENTLY, THE DISCOVERER LISTED “The Tiny Towns of California.” Being as I am a born-again Californian (since 1979) though not a tiny town dweller, I am interested in its selection. Here are tidbits, more than a few gleaned first-hand.
Ferndale. As The Discover notes, “Ferndale is an artists’ haven where you can escape the hustle in what was previously a dairy town.” Ferndale lies between the ocean and the California redwoods about 300 miles north of San Francisco. The town is known for its fine assemblage of Victorian buildings. Wife Dottie and I used to visit a second-hand bookstore there and regularly found treasures.
Carmel-by-the-Sea. About 120 miles south of San Francisco, Carmel is on the Monterey Peninsula, which each August is home to the internationally renowned Monterey Historic Races and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
I fondly recall Katy’s Place, a high point being breakfast there with Sir Stirling and Lady Susie Moss. It was a special treat for Wife Dottie and me, and I believe a gentle respite for Stirling and Susie, away from their celebrity status during a Monterey Week.
Morro Bay. Just off U.S. 101 about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Morro Bay is on the coast, its “harbor anchored by a 576-foot-high monolithic rock, a natural refuge for marine life.…,” as The Discoverer notes.
Morro Bay was a frequent R&T comparison-test stopover, with really excellent seafood rewarding us after a hard day’s photo opps. (Now you tell one.)
Solvang. Solvang is to Denmark what Disneyland is to Walt’s imagination. The Discoverer notes, “Danish immigrants left the chilly Midwest in the early 1900s and settled here in 1911.” Today, it’s “a Danish village filled with gingerbread architecture, spinning windmills, and fresh flowers,” just off U.S. 101 about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
In one of its charming building resides The Book Loft. An independent bookstore since 1970, The Book Loft is special for several reasons: Its first floor is a full-service bookstore of new publications. Its second floor is an eclectic mix of second-hand books plus a fine little museum of Hans Christian Andersen.
Wife Dottie and I always left Solvang with books as well as tasty Danish baked treats.
Ojai. The Discoverer notes, “About 30 miles east of Santa Barbara in a scenic valley lies Ojai, where you’ll find a lush blend of citrus, oak, olive, and palm trees mixed with cacti and succulents. Ojai is known for its spiritual retreats, a native ‘Pixie’ tangerine, art galleries, a year-round farmers market, stellar golf, and boutique shopping.”
And have I told you about Bart’s Books? “Everything, under the sun,” it says. And indeed Bart’s claims to be “the world’s largest outdoor bookstore, serving the Ojai community since 1964.”
As I recall, there’s a portion that has open access 24-7, with a little box accepting optional payments for treasures found in its outdoor shelves.
Borrego Springs. This tiny desert town, The Discoverer notes, “is entirely surrounded by the most stunning desert park, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. At more than 600,000 acres, it’s California’s largest state park and the state’s only official International Dark Sky Community. It should come as no surprise that dazzling stargazing is what attracts many visitors here.”
Also plan your visit at the right time (with Park Ranger info) and you’ll see wild flowers dense enough to make you reassess the word “desert.”
R&T used to be well-connected at Borrego Springs because of Casa del Zorro. Back then, it had a remarkably good restaurant and a few cabins (er… casitas) for us to rent as headquarters for R&T comparison-test stays. It’s evolved upmarket as La Casa del Zorro Desert Resort & Spa.
There were great burgers at the airport restaurant too as we compared notes during our test drives across the desert and up into the mountains.
Julian. The Discoverer says, “Poised between the coast and the desert, this little mountain town sits at an elevation of about 4,200 feet in the Cuyamaca Mountains, about 60 miles east of San Diego.” (And, by the way, 31 miles up the mountain from Borrego Springs.)
Julian Pie Company, Julian, California.
The Discoverer continues, “Nowadays, it’s famous for its apple orchards, so if you visit during fall, you can pick and sample local varieties not available elsewhere. Savor apple pie and other apple-based dishes year-round at places like the Julian Pie Company and the Apple Alley Bakery.”
Those editors at The Discoverer sure know their way around good eats, second-hand books, and interesting roads. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2023
Simanaitis Says 
What makes all these little towns so great for Gear Heads is the old narrow farm to market roads that surround them .
The No Frills iron Bottom Motoring Tour and others use these roads liberally .
Always fun to drive in these areas .
When visiting Borrego Springs I always stay at Stanlund’s Resort ~ a kitschy place built in the late 50’s or early 60’s, large rooms many having full kitchens .
-Nate
Nate, right y’are. Unfortunately, driving our auld survivors to such relaxed realms today means first brooking hours of halting lockstep on concrete conveyor belt past endless tire shops, condos, mall ‘n sprawl. So unless living in the immediate area or willing to drive there and back in the wee hours, impractical.
Meanwhile, don’t forget Dogtown, on Highway One north of San Francisco. Population 25 40 years ago, now up to 30.
Well Mike ;
We’re still doing those fun auto tours, the Fool’s Errand, Iron Bottom and so on .
Yes, we leave the Los Angeles basin early but there are still roads one can use to avoid freeways etc.
-Nate
How i wish such were possible here in the loony, overheated, over-hyped, overrated East Bay, Wastrel Creek 12 miles east of Berkeley, where the traffic never stops and Stupor Bowl Sunday the sole day of the year you can drive an old car in the middle of the day in anything like relative relaxation.
We read California’s lost several hundred thousand people the past couple years. Well, we’ve got DOT 5 silicon brake fluid, Optima batteries, running synthetic oil, maybe things’ll simmer down by 2049 at this rate. If Dick Van Dyke can still dance at 98, perhaps i can still drive.
Good on ya, Nate, and Merry Christmas. And to the ranging Monsignor Simanaitis and all fans of this remarkable site.