Cruising the Time Machine - Part One: Fort Ross

Cruising the Time Machine – Part One: Fort Ross

Our keyboards don't have those letters - is it really Russian?

 Overlooking the cold dark blue waters of the Pacific Ocean from a grassy cliff, stands the refurbished but authentically accurate Fort Ross where the Russians first invaded the United States. Actually, there was no invasion since in the early 1800’s the United States was not the country it is now with expansion not even past the Mississippi River. California was not much of a thought and the gold rush which would change that concept forever was still at least 37 years away.

View of the Pacific Ocean from Fort Ross

Fort Ross is an easy drive along the narrow and dangerously breathtaking Highway 1, approximately 8o miles north of San Francisco. The passengers will have a great time staring down at some of the most majestic and beautiful coastline in the world while the driver will get blurry eyed gauging the roadway and wondering if the whiteness in his or her knuckles will ever go away.

Nice setting for a Russian Fort on American soil

The Russian-American Company (RAC) whose main function it was to collect seal and otter furs, built the fort in 1812 and carried on business there until 1841 when the decline for such furry clothing made it non-profitable. Bad for the RAC but good for the little creatures of the Northern California coastline. A secondary priority was growing food for the employees of RAC who were stationed in Alaska – this too turned out not to be good as the growing season was rather short and the amount of gophers in the farmland proved too much bother to deal with.

Looking north from Fort Ross - nice view

J and L took a short four day cruise up the northern coast of California in their RV though it should be noted here that it is not recommended to drive such large vehicles on the winding stretches of asphalt. But since the drive and scenery is a must, just tow a smaller vehicle if a RV is the mode of travel. Our rendition of the ‘Herbie the love bug’ is our go-to transportation for daily excursions away from the RV. Light-weight, funky looking, and fun to drive.

John pointing - always looks good in photos

Now that's a Russian design

The rather large wooden fort was built on an ancient Kashaya Village site and is considered one of the truly first International communities in North America (some of the Russians married the local natives which were then referred to as Creoles). Located on the Spanish Frontier and occupied by Russians, Native Alaskans, Kashaya, Miwok and Pomo Indians living together as one large ‘family.’ Almost equal number of males and females made up the population which was documented by Father Ioann Veniaminov who conducted a census of the community in 1836: 260 residents made up of 154 male to 106 female (120 Russians, 50 Kodiak Aleuts and 39 various other local natives as mentioned above). Besides the regular inhabitants, the fort was also the destination for dignitaries and businessmen from around the world – United States, Europe and Mexico.  At this time the Russian Empire and the Chinese Empire did not get along too well so the Americans were used as go-betweens to sell the fur to China which was the highest market for the little furry creatures. Because of the location of Fort Ross deals were made with the Hawaiian King Kamehameha during that time period making this a true community of diverse cultures.  In fact, the people got along so well that the Pomo baskets which are some of the sturdiest and decorative native handicrafts from the area were so admired by the Russians that the largest collection in the world is in Russia today.

Replica of California's first windmill - Russian made

Wow, if only that were the case today – maybe not the baskets but the getting along part.

Then again, the baskets are pretty nice.

The fort is also known the place to be where the first windmill to grind grain was built in California – this is a locale where firsts just keep coming.

Explorers on the explore

After the fort was abandoned and everything sold off by the RAC, the area became farm land, grazing land and even a stage stop for those folks traveling the coast of California.

In 1906 the grounds were designated a state park and is one of the oldest in the entire state of California. As any park – this one is visited by thousands of people from around the world who want to take a step back in time with a keen eye to research and exploration – that is something J and L want all travelers to do.

Sort of like a time machine just without all the handles, gizmos and electricity buzzing around. Highway 1 is enough of a thrill.

Laureen walking the beach with a jacket in July

On a side note J and L bumped into a young man by the name of Brian who is doing something pretty awesome this summer of 2015. Astride his Harley Davidson, Brian plans on hitting 48 states within a couple to three months. We chatted him up a few minutes and he even showed us his route already planned out with pit stops here and pit stops there. He plans to take paths not always taken by travelers and we nodded in agreement as in all of our travels the famous poem by Robert Frost which talks about road less-traveled should, in truth, be the one taken to influence our destinations.

Brian - on his quest of 48 states in 2 months

We wish our new friend the best in his road circuit.

Brian's trusty steed

Wrightwood Ride

A nice day for a bike ride - just take some Advil first!

A quaint small village of a little over 5,000 people hugs the sides of the San Gabriel Mountains which is only a fifteen mile drive west of Highway 15 and five miles west of Highway 138 on Highway 2 in Southern California (that's a lot of highways to remember). It is one of the easiest, but sometimes rather busy, drives to local skiing in California - when drought conditions don't linger on and on that is.

But Wrightwood is much more than simply a place to visit when the snows fall making all the fun happen at Mountain High Ski Resort - it's a community rich in history and a place where families can visit any time of the year for pure enjoyment.

A tenet of J and L is to visit local places. A short drive here or there can pull out gems for a family to explore and remember for a lifetime. A picnic beneath pine trees on a hot summer afternoon, a hike through natural mountain trails or just sitting bar side in a small saloon with friends wiling away a few hours with good conversation makes these short jaunts so worthwhile.

A family member once told John that they had taken a trip of a lifetime - but every trip is a trip of a lifetime.

Our intrepid friend, Paul Bakas and John decided to break their routine of bicycle riding along familiar paths and peddle their way up some rather steep mountain roads to visit this friendly little town less than twenty minutes from the abode of J and L. That's twenty minutes in a motorized vehicle - a lot longer by human muscle power working the calves, thighs and heart of both riders. A short five mile nearly two thousand gain in altitude took forty-five minutes but the return same five mile trip took an astonishingly eight minutes - it was all down hill.

Maybe 2 forties!

"Dude! That was quick - I'm not sure I peddled at all on the way back."

"Good thing we didn't take a header over the bars - we were hitting forty."

"I need a forty after that."

Something cold to look at during the hot summer

Anyway, the original inhabitants of the area now known as Wrightwood were the Serrano Indians who lived here before the first settlers made their way past the Mormon Rocks and north up through the Cajon Pass.  In the 19th century cattle ranches started to develop by the hard work and tenacity of a couple brothers - Nathan and Truman Swarthout. A larger ranch was created a short time later by Summer Wright (hmmm, Wright is right on with the name of the town) but in the 1920's others found the beautiful location to enriching and started building residential properties within the tall trees as a way to beat the heat from down the hill (that's what we call going into the Inland Empire, Orange County and beyond (or the I.E. or the O.C. if you are truly a hipster).

A nice place for Paul to get a bite to eat.

Soon some ski bums learned that the north facing San Gabriel Mountains had some wicked slopes and with a little back breaking work lifts were starting to pull (rope lifts at first before the high speed chairs) up during the snow season for hours of skiing fun. Big Pines Park was the original name of the ski area located in Swarthout Valley before it was changed to Mountain High in 1975. A bit of fascinating history was that the 1932 Winter Olympics were to be held at Big Pines Park but after visiting the Olympic Committee decided the area didn't have the experience or facilities for such a large event and instead awarded Lake Placid as the host of the 1932 Winter Olympics.

There's a Catch-Twenty-Two. You don't have the experience and we're not going to allow you to gain any either.

And maybe grab a beer too - just saying

Thousands of skiers visit the area each winter allowing the city at nearly 6,000 feet above sea level a chance to show off its' friendliness and warmth. But as stated earlier - Wrightwood is a place for all seasons as the boys proved with their bike ride on an early Tuesday morning.

Restaurants, parks, small fishing lakes, quaint shops are just a few reasons to go out and explore this mountain town with clean air and cool temperatures. It is a place which breathes 'relax' and 'enjoy' yourself.

And isn't that what sometimes an explorer just wants to do?

Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple

சிவ சுப்பிரமணியர் கோயில்

The Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, located in Nadi, Fiji, is the largest Hindu temple in the entire Southern Hemisphere, and it is a sight to behold. With a population nearing 800 thousand, the 330 islands which make up Fiji have three major ethnicities: Fijian, Indian and Sunni Muslim. Fijians with Indian ancestry constitute approximately 46% of the population, so the need for such a substantial temple near the edge of the second largest town on Viti Levu, the principle island of the tiny nation is understandable. 


The original temple was constructed in 1914-1916, a hundred years ago, along the banks of the Nadi River. Repeated floods necessitated a move. Construction on the new temple began in 1984. The design is an ancient one, stemming from a time preceding the birth of Christ, utilizing elements of Dravidian architecture, including pillars, porches and pyramids and includes a number of elements of sacred Vedic design. The entire place is painted in incredibly bright colors, and some of the wooden carvings of Hindu deities were brought from India by the artists who decorated this temple. The numbered ceiling frescoes tell the story of Lord Shiva's manifestations and reincarnations.


The temple was consecrated July 15, 1994 and will be celebrating its 21st birthday this year, as we were informed by this gentleman, who is clearly knowledgeable on the subject. As a Hindu priest, or pujari, he is charged with performing puja or worship services including blessings, etc. We were able to witness, from a discrete distance, out of respect, a few of these manifestations of worship by devotees. They offer an Aarti plate with bananas, coconut, and flowers. Or burn incense (the air was rich with camphor). It was, although I know this will sound cliche, enlightening.

Visitors to the temple are made to feel very welcome, but just as visiting any place of worship, you are asked to abide by a few rules. Women are asked to dress modestly, covering shoulders and wearing a long skirt. No pants, shorts or tank tops. This is not a tourist resort after all. Men as well should be neatly and modestly dressed in long pants. If you wish, men may borrow and don a dhoti in lieu of trousers, and there are scarves and other coverings available for women as well. You will also be asked to remove your shoes. This all adds a feeling of peace, wonder, and respect within the temple. Non-Hindus obviously shouldn't enter or photograph the inner sanctum of the temple.

Nice view, of the temple

Indians were originally brought to the islands as indentured servants. After serving out the terms of their servitude, usually five years, they were free to return (although the price of passage would no doubt have necessitated additional service). Most stayed, finding something in their new land which spoke to their hearts and souls. From just the brief time we had in Fiji, I believe we caught a glimpse into what that was.

The weather is perfect. We were there in June, winter in Fiji, the dry season. It was never cold, and never too warm. Just beautiful sunrises and sunsets and all the moments in between. But what struck us most, was not the weather or the beauty of the natural landscape, although that is tremendous, but the people. J and L wished to explore the far end of Nadi Town, and so we took a taxi to the temple. Our driver was a Fijian Muslim, and he was happy to drive and explain a great deal about his experience of Fiji, politics, family and about the temple. He remarked that the Christians (primarily Methodists), Hindus and Muslims live together as brothers. If you go into a village, you will see them living side by side as Fijians. Proud of their history and background, respectful of tradition, but identifying culturally as Fijian, first. In a time when much of the rest of the world struggles with terrorism and disunity, it gives us such wondrous hope to see the citizens of this tiny nation living in harmony. 

Fiji has been referred to as being like a three-legged stool: requiring all the support of all its people: Fijian, Indian, European and others, to stand. A lesson those of us living in more industrialized nations should observe more closely.

Namaste.