The California State Railroad Museum

The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento has something to appeal to all of its visitors.  Any train enthusiast will be dazzled by the collection. Opened in 1981, they have amassed nineteen steam locomotives that are kept in immaculate condition.  With polished brass and stained wood, they look as sharp as the day they were first wheel out of the factory. For kids, it offers lots of hands-on opportunities and plenty of walk through exhibits as well as a collection of model trains upstairs.  For really little kids, there is a room full of Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains they are allowed to play with. Any surly teenagers who have been dragged along on a family outing should be able to appreciate that the collection is indoors and climate controlled allowing for a comfortable place to wander despite the worst that Sacramento weather can deal out.  As striking as the collection is however, it really is a place that gets beyond just the celebration of machinery. The museum’s displays are well thought out and weave in a very human story among its exhibits. It’s a place that will leave anyone who loves trains satisfied, but it uses the trains to tell the stories of people that could have been lost in time.

The first exhibit in the hall tells the story of the First Intercontinental Railway and culminates with the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah.  While the obvious choice would have been to focus on Leland Stanford, the museum carefully includes the story of the Chinese who made his vision a reality. Depending on who is telling the story, Leland Stanford was either a captain of industry and a robber baron.  In his lifetime, he built a vertically integrated empire that involved the railroads, banking, insurance, as well as an international steamship operation. He would eventually command enough political capital to serve as the governor of California for two years. On paper, he is the type of person a free market capitalists would celebrate.  While he may be credited with being one of the masterminds behind the First Transcontinental Railroad, the reality is that his efforts would have gone nowhere without exploiting workers. During his time as governor, he spoke out publicly against the influx of Chinese into the United States of America. At the same time, he knowingly imported Chinese laborers and used them to complete the crowning achievement of his empire.  The museum makes sure that their story is not left out.

At the entry of the exhibit, a life sized diorama features the locomotive The Gov Stanford, a Central Pacific locomotive used in the construction of the Intercontinental Railroad. It looks dazzling as it sits poised on the tracks, waiting to pass through a mountain tunnel that appears to still be under construction.  Nearby are three nameless Chinese laborers, hanging off the side of a mountain as they carve through stone in order to make Leland Stanford’s dream of connecting the United States of America a reality. The end of that exhibit features a painting by Thomas Hill called The Last Spike. Completed in 1881, Hill included two Chinese laborers at the center of the painting.  Both men lean on shovels and look at the powerful men congratulating themselves while standing on the backs of others.

Chinese workers are not the only people who the museum celebrates.  In the back of the roundhouse, the museum displays two walk through Pullman Coaches.  Finely appointed, visitors can get a feel for the level of opulence travelers once experienced.  The sleeper car actually rocks to provide the sensation of riding down the rails. In the dining car, tables are set with fine china where passengers dined as the countryside slipped by.  Quite honestly, travel in a Pullman car seems like it would be a wonderful way to cross the country.

However, that level of elegance came at a very human cost.  One person was commissioned to look after the passengers’ needs.  He was required to be constantly available and permanently invisible.  Those in his care would refer to him as George, the same name as his employer, George Pullman.  Much like Leland Stanford, George Pullman built an empire on cheap labor. Seeking a way to market luxury train travel to the middle class, he sought out former slaves to provide travelers with a sense of opulence by railroad providing them with a devoted servant for the duration of the trip. Porters were required to work long days and sacrifice their own identities in order for the middle class to feel some of the creature comforts. The workers relied on tips because the wages paid their employer were low.

The two cars are remarkably well preserved and could easily cause a visitor to get nostalgic for the good old days.  However, the museum makes sure to include African American mannequins integrated into the exhibit in order serve as a reminder of the army of men who worked long hours for low pay on the trains.  

The California Railroad Museum would be a great outing just based on the strength of its collection.  However, the fact that it does not attempt to sweeten the past is really what really makes it a museum instead of just a display of archaic machinery.  

This article is based on a visit to the California State Railroad Museum on March 4, 2019.

California State Railroad Museum

125 I Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

916 445-7387

Interested in seeing trains? When in Southern California, make sure to visit Angel’s Flight and The Great Train Show when it touches down at that Fairplex in Pomona.

Valley of Fire State Park

One day, a historian will write a book about our slice of the twenty-first century and will identify right now as the moment when people lost any sense of a nuanced approach to their dealings.  It does not matter if it’s an opinion about the president, or a Yelp review of Moons Over My Hammy, the best we can manage is to say that things are either entirely great, or wretchedly terrible.  The majority of people are only carrying two crayons in their boxes. One is black and the other one is white. While I am busy throwing stones at the rest of humanity, I will go ahead and plead guilty of the same binary approach to thinking.  

Take my thoughts about the city of Las Vegas, for example.  I have been more than content to shrug that city off based on my limited interactions with it.  To me, Las Vegas is nothing more than a town built to dispense little units of pre-programmed joy.  Every day, swarms descend looking for a recharge and the machinery running Las Vegas provides exactly what the robots need to be happy.  A wonderland covered in sparkle and light, Las Vegas is a city that specializes in too much drink, too much food, and too much gaming. Thankfully, my wife convinced me to look past the obvious Las Vegas offerings on our latest outing.  If I would have relied on my own lazy thinking, we would have missed a chance to see the marvel that is Valley of Fire State Park.

The Valley of Fire is a remarkable contrast to the obvious Las Vegas fare.  Don’t look for smoky casinos filled with people who failed math as they bet it all on black. Starting with the hour long drive north, all the trappings of a major city slip away. Despite its close proximity to endless jumbo shrimp cocktails, there was little more that endless blue skies without a cell phone tower or powerline in sight.   Entry into the park is only ten dollars per carload making it one of the best values around. Valley of Fire Highway snakes through the park and offers several places to turn out and explore.

While the Ancestral Puebloan people who once claimed it have moved on in the shuffle of history, they left their mark on the land in the form of the petroglyphs they left behind.  There are several locations to see them but the most accessible is at Atlatl Rock near the entrance of the park. Ringed by a parking lot and an RV campground, Atlatl Rock is a monolith jutting up from the dry, red sand and features 3000 year old petroglyphs.   High atop the rock, carved into the face of the red stone, there are pictures of people and long horned sheep. They are also supposed to include the depiction of an atlatl, a hunting tool that predates the bow and arrow. It is a staggering thing to see and still I am moved by the gravity of being able to show them to my kids.  I could see these markings being left by a party of hunters as they bided their time, waiting for a herd of sheep to pass through the valley. For the convenience of visitors, the park offers a staircase directly to the rocks. Aside from the petroglyphs, the observation stand also offers commanding view of the park. While the access to the carvings is remarkable, it has had its price.  While the stairs allow curious people to take in the wonder of the artifacts, they have been damaged by visitors over time.

Only a few miles down the road from Atlatl Rock lay the Seven Sisters.  Once again, the Nevada State Park Service does a tremendous job of accommodating visitors with parking and picnic tables.  The Seven Sisters, a group of red rock formations is an ideal place to bring kids and let them run wild. The formations became castles and cathedrals for my kids as they climbed and played.  It was absolute rocket fuel for imagination. The Seven Sisters was the antithesis to the obvious pleasure center activities in the Strip. Only 54 miles away, a giant jumbotron flashed advertisement for French Canadian acrobats and buffets, my kids were lost in a world of their own creation.

All totaled, we were only able to spend a few hours in the park.  Our stops and simple hikes amounted to us seeing only a fraction of the Valley of Fire.  Weather permitting, I could see returning many more times in the future. My enthusiasm for the park made me reconsider my opinions about Las Vegas as a vacation destination.  While I may still not be excited about the bright lights and wretched excess of the Strip, I would say that I am now more included to seek out some of the quieter, more subtle places in Nevada.  

Anyone considering a trip out to the Valley of Fire should plan head.  Bring food and water because there are no concessions inside the park. The only place to get food is at a truckstop just outside the entrance.

This entry was based on a visit to the Valley of Fire on December 27, 2019

Valley of Fire State Park

29450 Valley of Fire Highway

Overton, NV 89040

Interested in dusty adventure? If you’re ever in Utah, book a trip with Dreamland Safari.

The Great Train Show - Fairplex in Pomona

I’d like to tell you that Animated Meat has always been a staunch supporter of asking the tough questions in the noble pursuit of the truth.  However, I’d be lying to you if I did. Friends and readers, asking tough questions requires follow through. Follow through can be exhausting and there is no guarantee that the noble pursuit of the truth will ever yield anything.   Take this situation for example. My son Jacque has been in love with trains since before he could walk. He has been pointing at iron horses as long as I can remember.

Jacque admiring the display.

As he has grown, his level of fascination has intensified. I have had no choice but to take him out to see every train themed attraction I have been able to find.  On our journey, I noticed that he wasn’t the only little critter out there with a burning passion for trains. In fact, it turns out that there are two distinct demographic groups that like to cluster up around locomotives and diesels.  This observation has lead me to the tough question I been following through on for the last two years. Why do little boys and old men love trains so much?

Jacque has found his bliss.

My quest for an answer brought be to the Great Train Show at the Fairplex in Pomona.  The Great Train Show is a traveling exhibit where people can buy and sell model trains.  Up for grabs at the show are trains in all gauges and states of repair. The vendors carried everything from brand-new, in the box trains all the way down to some pieces that can best be described as intensely well loved.  While I cannot claim to be an expert because I only picked up a few items, it seems as though haggling over prices is very welcome.

Trains and commerce as far as the eye can see.

Lots of this.

And this.

And this.

In addition, local clubs are welcome to come out and display their train sets.  The displays that they bring out are remarkable. I’m not talking about an old Tyco sitting on top of a sheet of plywood and a couple saw horses.  These displays are massive and cover huge expanses of real estate. I have only begun to dip my toe into acquiring model trains. It is staggering to consider the dollars and time invested to create these model railroads.  Yet, around each one of the displays were squadrons of little boys and old men, buzzing around like bees.

One of the smaller displays.

The Great Train show is an annual event and Jacque and I have attended it at different locations.  However, one reason why the Pomona Fairgrounds is a good place to take the train lover in your life is because it is home base for two other train exhibits.  

Waiting for that noon time train to appear.

Directly in front of the bungalow the Great Train Show calls home for one weekend in July sits the Fairplex Garden Railroad.  Supported by your generous donations, the Fairplex Garden Railroad is a volunteer-maintained G-scale train display. It has over 10,000 feet of track and multiple trains criss-crossing through several different displays.  

This is what 10,000 feet of track look like.

Jacque taking it all in.

If a visit to the Great Train Show and a pass through the Fairplex Garden Railroad isn’t enough to satisfy the train lover in your life, the Rail Giants Train Museum is just a short walk away.  The museum is home to a collection of restored, full-size steam locomotives and diesels. Most of the trains are open so that a curious explorer can climb aboard and see what it was like to be an engineer.  

Exploring the caboose.

Dreaming about the iron horse.

Because Pomona was once a citrus town.

As I bring this entry to a close, I can provide plenty of evidence to support my question.  However, I do not think that I am any better informed as to why old men and little boys like trains so much.  Like I said before, asking tough questions requires follow through. Dear reader, I can assure you that there will be plenty of follow through as Jacque and I drop pins in the map as we attempt to find an answer.

Rambling down the line.

This entry was written after a visit to the Great Train Show on July 14, 2018

How about some more trains? When in Los Angeles, pay a visit to Angel’s Flight. In Sacramento, stop by the California State Railroad Museum.

Knott's Berry Farm - Buena Park, California

For a long time, Knott’s Berry Farm was popular for the wrong reasons. They weren’t noteworthy for being the first amusement park in America, as they should be.  Unfortunately, they had a reputation for being the cheap park with rollercoasters that happened to stand in the shadow of Disneyland. It felt like they were catering to teenagers and begrudgingly set aside a little of the park for families. However, it is evident that they have spent a lot of time cleaning up the park and investing time in their staff.  The recent incarnation of Walter Knott’s roadside attraction on Beach Boulevard is a welcome one and a noticeable change from how it was operating a few years ago.

Jacque taking a spin on the Huff Puff ride.

Since Animated Meat packed up its global headquarters and moved to Orange County, I’ve made a few visits to Knott’s Berry Farm.  Up until recently, it hurt to go there. There was so much potential for the place but it consistently fell short of the mark. The crowds were massive and the park seemed to be incredibly understaffed.  It looked beat up and tired. It just didn’t feel like anyone cared about the guests’ experience. While the price of admission was cheaper than one to Disneyland, that was really the best they had to offer.  I remember a time a few Decembers back when I looked at a cutout of Snoopy and thought, “Come on, man. You and Charlie Brown are better that this”. I swore the park off and It wasn’t until I was given a free ticket this spring that I even bothered to return.  I’m really glad that I did.

This image was taken by a park employee. He saw the two of us trying to take an awkward selfie and volunteered to commemorate Matilda's first ride on Ghost Rider.

The change is noticeable in the air at Knott’s.  It’s an undeniable vitality that seems to have corresponded with the park’s seventy-fifth anniversary.  It’s almost like that scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas when the Peanuts gang spends a little time and effort in dressing up Charlie’s tree after realizing it wasn’t so bad in the first place.  Someone has decided to give the park the love that it deserves. That amounts to a superior visit for the guest and in my case, a better chance that I will return.

As the park opens, those who inhabit Ghost Town go to work.

Taking in the local blacksmith.

There are flowers here. There doesn't have to be, but someone took the time to make it so.

Just some folks milling about.

The staff really makes an effort to make each guest feel welcome.  This comes in the form of costumed actors who tell an ongoing story in Ghost Town, to a friendly clerk in a gift shop, to a ride operator who takes the time to offer to take a photo for this author and his daughter after her first ride on Ghost Rider.  In a very Disneyland way, management is visible, each armed with a trash pick up tool. I am happy to report that the park is a clean and amicable place to go.

She has a thing for coffins.

Over at the undertaker.

The first amusement park in America is finally getting the treatment it deserves.  Gone are the days of the five cent disturbance because they aren’t just catering to teenagers anymore.  It really feels like someone cares about the place and wants the people who walk through the gates to have the best possible experience.  There is a mix of rides for the little ones over in Camp Snoopy, thrill rides for the older folks, and some places to explore in Ghost Town that add a little magic to the visit.  It all adds up to a move that takes that grand old park in the right direction.

This was written based up visits on March 10th, July 3rd, and July 13th, 2018.

Knott’s Berry Farm

8039 Beach Blvd.

Buena Park, CA 90620

714 220-5200

Looking for something a little smaller in Orange County? Take a look at Bunnyhenge or M and M Nursery.

Good job, Snoopy. This place is deserving of the Charles Schultz legacy.

M and M Nursery - Orange, California

When the archaeologists sort through the American empire, my bet will that none of them will think that our civilization put any value on novelty.  They may piece together the Home Depots and Lowes that will litter the far expanses of our domain and will conclude that we, the people of the early twenty-first century worshiped the powerful gods of automation and convenience above all else.  Home Depot is a cathedral built to exalt automation and convenience. Need some succulents? Don’t worry about thinking. The well-managed superstore overlords have been studying the data and they have considered everything. The garden center is laid out exactly as it should be.  Get those succulents and be home before you even realize you left.

An ent at home in a garden.

M and M Nursery, on the other hand, will confound those same archaeologists.  While the remnants of the super stores will only build their grand unifying theories of our predisposition for saving time, this little family own business will throw a monkey wrench of made beautiful novelty into their discussions.  M and M Nursery is the antithesis to Home Depot. Instead of being grabbed tight, pulled in, and spit out, this nursery opens its arms, welcomes you in, and makes time stop.

There's a fairy garden nestled in that little read wagon.

My objective was to stop and pick up some plants  However, what I found was a wonderful shop devoted almost entirely to fairy gardens.  There wasn’t just one or two, or even a table full. There were row after row of them in every imaginable fashion.  Fairy gardens for the sun, fairy gardens for the shade. Small fairy gardens. Big fairy gardens. Fairy gardens that incorporated water.  Fair gardens that made use of old red wagons. Fairy gardens followed by intoxicating fairy gardens.

At M and M, even a cracked pot has value.

I wanted to move quickly like I would in a Home Depot, but I couldn’t.  Novelty sang out to me with her quiet but captivating voice. She forced me to stop and look around.  I forgot about my responsibilities and my checklist. A half hour slipped by unnoticed. I found my way through the displays of the fairy gardens into a small building where they actually sell everything that a person would need to build one of these little marvels.  I spoke with Beverly Turner who was as warm and welcoming as a person who has built a career around fairy gardens should be. Not only has she literally written the book on fairy gardens, but she also teaches classes on them and thankfully has posted her videos here.

We're all mad here.

M and M Nursery is a wonderful place that will confuse archaeologists and will spark debates among the academics in the millenia to come.  Should this document survive to that era, I would like to communicate to them that the spirit of novelty is a powerful one. She took hold of me at M and M Nursery and has not let go yet.  As I sit and commit my experience to the Internet, know that I can’t help but think that I’ll return there one day and will begin to build my own fairy garden. It will be a fairy garden that will celebrate novelty and will stand in open defiance to automation and convenience.   

Everything you need to make a garden of your own.

M & M Nursery

380 N. Tustin

Orange, CA 92867

(714) 538-8042

www.fairygardenexpert.net

Even a discarded wheelbarrow gets a chance at a second life.

 July 4, 2018

Looking for other unusual business? Take a look at Tio’s Tacos in Riverside or Huy Fong Foods in Irwindale.