Mount Rubidoux

One of the entrances for the trail up Mount Rubidoux

Spending roughly three decades in Riverside, John knew the iconic landmark, Mount Rubidoux intimately. During his three months in the police academy for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, he, along with the rest of the cadets, used to run the three mile asphalt road which led to the top of Rubidoux. The run wasn't that difficult, since the cadets were in good physical shape, but it was the yelling by their drill sergeant which caused the pain during the run.

Maybe it wasn't Sgt. Carter but someone was always yelling at the cadets

So, when John and Paul Bakas, decided to head to Riverside and hike up Mount Rubidoux, memories of the 1331 foot mountain flooded fondly back.

The winding black asphalt rolled out in front of the two casual hikers; the route up and around Rubidoux is an easy hike, as was evident with moms pushing strollers and older folks strolling while talking about this or that with their friends.

Paul, looking back and wondering: are we hiking or taking photographs?

Not being strenuous, allowed a good deal of time to soak in the beauty of the valley which holds the city of Riverside. The San Gabriel Mountains to the northwest, the San Bernardino Mountains to the southeast, and the San Gorgino Mountains to the east lock in this city of nearly  330,00 people. The sights from along the roadway are picturesque and the multitude of people walking, running, bicycling the path seem to enjoy the views immensely. People stopping here and there to snap a selfie or take a photograph of the scenery proved that this venture was appreciated.

Yes, staged pose of John

A wooden bridge which intersects two different routes

View, eastward from half-way up Mount Rubidoux

Looking north from the cross base toward the American Flag

The former name of Mount Rubidoux was Pachappa. The mountain was once part of the Jurupa Rancho, which had been granted to Juan Bandini in 1838 by the Mexican government. As the Rancho expanded, Pachappa was reassigned to a smaller hill to the southeast as the boundary marker for Jurupa Rancho

In 1906, Frank Miller, of Mission Inn fame (written about in a previous blog), along with Henry E. Huntington and Charles M. Loring, purchased the mountain with the idea of building a road to the top of the mountain. The view, they believed, would be a wonderful gift to the city of Riverside.

And it was.

Looking east from the top of Mount Rubidoux over downtown Riverside

The mountain is well known for having Easter Sunrise services at the top with thousands of people venturing up the long and winding road to listen to a non-denominational service. At the sunrise service in 1912, an estimated crowd of 3,000 people attended and by the 1920's, the crowds had grown to over 30,000. It was an event known around the country with people coming from many different states to take part in the early morning trek on Easter to the top of the mountain.

Easter Sunrise Service - 1920's. John is third from the right on last step

It is believed, the Mount Rubidoux Easter Sunrise Service became the catalyst for many other locations around the United States, and the world.

Even the Hollywood Bowl got into the act after Riverside

As a honor to Father Juniper Serra, a gigantic white cross was erected at the very top around 1907. But a snag was put in place one hundred and five years later in 2012, when the group, 'Americans United for Separation of Church and State', took the city of Riverside to court. The anti-Christian group, wanted the cross removed from public lands, as it may offend non-believers.

The 'Cross' - oh, that 'Cross'

 In a meeting in January of 2013, the city council decided to sell the cross and the approximately 1/2 acre of land beneath it, thus making it no longer public land.

'Totally Mt. Rubidoux' was formed, and won the bidding at $10,500. The group was sponsored by the Friends of Mount Rubidoux and others, which raised in total, over two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars. There was plenty of money left over when the bidding stopped to ensure the area around the cross was taken care of for good.

The people were speaking loud and clear!

The city of Riverside played a serious legal battle to maintain the cross on top of the mountain, which has and does call tens of thousands of believers every year. The anti-Christian group, was not happy - but, hey, where there's a will there's a way, and Riverside found the way to preserve a portion of it's history.

I didn't win - I have to win - listen to me!!

 The road to the top is an easy hike and the views fabulous, the history fascinating, and the idea that a public government would stop at nothing to ensure a cross stays put for their community is awesome.

So, next time in Riverside - take a few hours and climb up to the top and see the valley. It's worth the time and effort.