Day: May 26, 2011

Posted on

Vikingsholm View Emerald Bay State Park California

One of the main reasons that you want to drive California highway 89 around Lake Tahoe is so that you get a chance to see Emerald Bay state park. There are two main lookouts over Emerald Bay: Vikingsholm and Inspiration Point. While there is a lot more to do than look at the Emerald Bay view from the Vikingsholm stop, if you are in a rush with little time, the Vikingsholm view stop is one you’ll definitely want to make at all cost. A short 2 minute walk up some rocks will give you an outstanding view of Emerald Bay making it accessible to virtually everyone:

Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe from Vikingsholm

with Fannette Island in the middle:

Fannette Island in Emerald Bay State Park

You will also be able to see a portion on Eagle Falls off to the right side:

Eagle Falls at Emerald Bay state park

While this is the absolute bare minimum you should do at Emerald Bay, Vikingsholm also has a trail head for the 1 mile hike down to the shore of Emerald Bay

Posted on

Kelso Depot Jail Mojave National Preserve

When you visit Mojave National Preserve (CA), it makes sense to stop by the Kelso Depot Visitors Center to get information on all the different places and activities at Mojave National Preserve. As you walk from the visitor center parking lot toward the visitors center, you will see a couple of fairly low tan cages sitting out in front of the train tracks. When you first see them, you will likely wonder “what the hell are those things?” and eventually assume they are some type of animal cage. In reality, these “cages” were at one time the Kelso Depot jail:

The Kelso Depot jail cages Mojave National Preserve

The two stalled jail was made out of metal strapping. When it was actually in use, a shade roof was built over the jail with corrugated tin walls added around the cage at a later date. The jail arrived at Kelso Depot in about 1944 which was a time when Kelso depot had a large number of drunk men wandering around from both the Kaiser (Vulcan) mine and Union Pacific railroad. The jail was mainly used to house these drunkards.

This must have been a pretty miserable place to be locked up, especially since the jail is less than 6 feet high. I’m not sure if the roof and tin walls would have helped relieve the heat or only add too it, but it certainly would not be a place that anyone would want to wake up with a hang-over.