Aside from his celebrity as an actor in films like “The Minority Report”, “Eraser”, and “Free Willy 3″, television  shows such as “Nip/Tuck”, “Cold Case” and “Criminal Minds”, Kilpatrick is also known for his charity work that includes animal-related causes.

“Patrick Kilpatrick has supported individuals and organizations that dedicate their time and resources to rescuing homeless pets from animal shelters who are often moments away from being euthanized,” explained Apple Valley Animal Services Manager Gina Schwin-Whiteside. ”

Kilpatrick will join Apple Valley Mayor Barb Stanton to open the park in a ceremony at noon during Saturday’s Paws N’ Claws Pet Fair, a larger , community event that celebrates pets of all kinds and sizes.

“I’m looking forward to appearing at the event a great deal. It’s a very worthy enterprise,” said Kilpatrick. “I’m proud to be a part of it.”

This is the seventh year the Town’s Animal Services Department has hosted the pet fair. The dog park is located on the easternmost edge of Civic Center Park adjacent to Town Hall. In addition to Kirkpatrick, this year’s festivities will feature other famous visitors. Wolf Mountain Sanctuary will bring several of their wolves that were used as models for the computer generated renderings of the wolves featured in the “Twilight” movies. Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary from Phelan, which was featured on ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition, will bring some of their animals. Hesperia Zoo, which manages a number of animals featured in films and advertising campaigns, will be on hand, and “Bella”, a National Eukanuba Mission Contest Winner from Apple Valley will make a return appearance this year.

The event will also feature retail vendors, demonstrations, contests and snake avoidance training, as well as microchip services for only $20 and low-cost vaccines. Apple Valley, residents can license or re-license their pets on-site with proof of residency inside Town limits. For the first time in Pet Fair history, Adelanto and Victorville will also have staff on hand to license pets living in those communities. Cash only please.

Visitors can meet some of the adoptable animals in need of a loving home or win a variety of gifts including an iPad sponsored by Animal Medical Center of Hesperia. The pet fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

For more information visit www.applevalley.org or call Animal Services at (760) 240-7000 X 7555. To pre-register for the snake avoidance training, call (866) Pet-Obey or visit www.petobey.com.

 The PGA Family Course uses two sets of tees that scale the golf course for players whose drives are 150 yards or less.This allows players the opportunity to make pars and birdies by playing a yardage that enables them to reach the green in fewer strokes. These tees will open for play on Labor Day Weekend.

“A PGA Family Course lets golfers of all abilities enjoy their golf experience and grow the game of golf,” explained Apple Valley Golf Course Manager Eric Fisher. “The program will be perfect for kids, beginning golfers and families who want to enjoy a day on the ‘links’. “

In addition to the new markers, the course also unveiled new tee boxes aimed at providing players more of a choice depending on ability. The yardage on the new tees are:

• Black Tees                   6,805 yards
• Blue Tees                     6,477 yards
• White Tees                   6,228 yards
• Gold                             5,929 yards
• Green                           5,139 yards

PGA Family Course Tees:

• Forward tee 2 (Gold)   4,057 yards
• Forward tee 1 (Blue)   3,035 yards

“For most young and beginning players, the existing forward tees were still too long,” Fisher explained. “With the new choices, Apple Valley Golf Course now is fun for all golfers, whether they are a scratch golfer that has played for years or a beginner just taking up the game.”

 For tee times or more information about the Apple Valley Golf Course, visit www.avcc.com or call (760) 242-3653.

The Cajon Pass is where the San Gabriel and the San Bernardino Mountain ranges overlap. Mormon pioneers traveled through this area in the 1850s looking for a smoother route from the Mojave Desert to the San Bernardino Valley.

These striking sandstone formations are like monuments pushed through the earths crust along Highway 138.

The Rocks or hogbacks stand above the floor of the Cajon Wash. A 1/2-mile nature trail of gradual switchbacks goes through manzanita, yucca, chamise and sage. They are riddled with small holes and caves; home of the owl, lizard, and pack rat. In the cliffs watch for White-throated Swifts, hawks, and ravens. In the chaparral look for coast horned lizards, California Thrashers, and Western Kingbirds.

All along the trail there are excellent views of the Mormon Rocks and Cajon Pass area. An interpretive brochure may be available at the trailhead or is also obtainable at the Lytle Creek Ranger Station.

Beginning elevation is 3360 feet. This 1-mile loop trail was built by the Forest Service fire engine crew in 1975 to provide easy access to the many forest visitors wanting a closer look at the unique and historic Mormon Rocks.

The trail begins at the Mormon Rocks fire station located on Highway 138 just west of Interstate 15. The historic Mormon Trail of the previous century passed through this valley of geological curiosity.

Source: United States Department of Agriculture

Mormon Rocks

Cajon Junction, CA

(From the junction of I-15 & Highway 138, head west.)

http://www.fs.fed.us/

Devils Punchbowl Courtesy of County of Los Angeles

Devil’s Punchbowl – Hiking the fault lines.

In 1963 the Devil’s Punchbowl County Park opened it’s “doors.” It consists of 1,310 acres including forty acres where the nature center is located.

The Punchbowl is a deep canyon cut by the runoff of large quantities of water from the higher San Gabriel Mountains occurring over a long period of time. These mountain peaks above the park are 8,000 feet in elevation while the Nature Center is located at 4,740 feet above sea level.

The Punchbowl Canyon is 300 feet deep at the vista point. The peculiar uptilted rock formations to be seen in the entire area are layers of sedimentary rocks that were formed long ago by the depositing of loose material in horizontal layers by water. Later they were squeezed into their present steeply-tilted form by the continuing action of uplift along the Punchbowl and Pinyon Faults and pressures along the San Andreas Fault.

In any area, the predominant plants contribute greatly to the particular “look” of the landscape. And many types of mammals live here but most are nocturnal, or night active, and are seldom seen. Gray foxes may sometimes be seen in the early mornings or at dusk and you may occasionally see a deer crossing the road. Chipmunks and California ground squirrels are active during most of the day. A few of the common birds are on display.

There are several paths to hike –

• The self-guiding “Pinyon Pathway” trail is about a third of a mile and only takes a few minutes to read the brochure and walk the trail.
• A one mile “Loop Trail” is longer and quite strenuous with a 300 foot elevation drop into the canyon and back to the top above the picnic area and parking lot.
• A much longer trail to the Devil’s Chair and the eastern canyons of the park is also available. This trail is 3.7 miles to the Devil’s Chair or about 7 1/2 miles round trip and approximately 4 hours hiking time.

Please feel free to ask the Ranger on duty for maps or other information required.

Source: The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

Devil’s Punchbowl

28000 Devil’s Punchbowl Rd

Pearblossom, CA 93553

Park Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Visitor Center: Tues-Sun;9:00 am – 5:00 pm

FREE

661.944.2743

www.devils-punchbowl.com 

The Desert Discovery Center is a 7,000 square foot facility surrounded by 12 acres of public land located in the heart of Barstow, CA.

It is filled with environment-based education programs that provide focused learning of the natural world while inspiring environmental stewardship. These programs are offered to a diverse population including K-12 students, high desert residents, and visiting public from all over the world. The center receives upward of 10,500 visitors per year and growing.

The Desert Discovery Center also houses the “Old Woman Meteorite”, the second largest meteorite found in the United States which weighed 6,070 pounds when discovered in 1975.

A native plant and animal habitat is also housed in the secret garden and pond area where visitors can enjoy the peaceful environment with art installations and meet our popular resident tortoises.

Source: Desert Discovery Center

Desert Discovery Center

831 Barstow Road

Barstow,CA92311

760. 252.6060

Tuesday – Saturday11:00 am – 4:00pm

FREE

www.desertdiscoverycenter.com 

HomeSource Home Makeover

HomeSource announced the Home Makeover winner for the first annual HomeSource Home Makeover contest. Semi-finalists have been selected each week, and the final winner was pulled at random.

Joseph and Diane Brilliant were surprised with the makeover by an “award crew” which included the HomeSource realty team, as well as radio, magazine and other press teams.

The winner has owned the home for 30 years. The Brilliants will work with participating sponsors to design their makeover, starting with a consultation with Donald Tatera of Interiors by Decorating Den. Other participating sponsors include ServPro of Victorville, Sparkle Cleaning Services, Carpet Club, Intricate Tile & Design, and Christopher Homes Construction. Media sponsors include High Desert Lifestyles Magazine, the Daily Press, and El Dorado Radio Station.

The makeover is due to be complete in August, and High Desert Lifestyles Magazine is scheduled to show a before and after pictorial in the November/December issue.

Congratulations to the Brilliants!

Calico Ghost Town

Today, Main Street is complete with churches, schoolrooms, saloons, shops and tourists.  The many activities meant to entertain and bring the Wild West to life include activities, tours, and special events.

Walk through an actual silver mine, visit a real cemetery, see Wild West re-enactments, and go through the house where water runs up hill. Take a ride on an authentic mining train ride, or get pictures done in old-time dresses and cowboy gear.

There is a lot to do at Calico, but a little known attraction is the camping.  Boy scouts and girl scouts come for weekends of high adventure, as do families and off-roaders.

Calico has three hundred total sites for campers, and several different amenities. Off Highway Vehicle sites put campers far toward the back of Calico and right up against OHV area Mule Canyon. Bunkhouses hold four, eight or twenty-four people. And then there are the regular campsites with and without services.

Most of the campsites are close to the park, so there is a lot to keep campers entertained.  Scout moms tell of midnight strolls through the graveyard, starry night skies, and wide open spaces that make camping at Calico memorable for young and old alike.

Sounds perfect for a few ghost stories…

Skyline Drive In Barstow California

Ah, the All American Drive In…. embedded in our collective imaginations as a piece of Americana, tied forever to the romance of the automobile. Few things are as simply delightful as taking in a movie outside on a warm summer night under the stars. The perfect venue for a romantic date or a rambunctious family outing, the ever more rare drive-in is a treasure to experience.

One of the best outdoor movie experiences anywhere is right here in Barstow California at the Skyline Drive-In, just off of Route 66. Nestled up against the desert hills, evening movies come to life just as the sun sets behind the screens. Old fashioned speakers tethering the car to a post have been long ago replaced by radio transmission. Modern day drive-in goers usually park the car and camp out in front of their vehicles with lawn chairs and blankets, picnic style. Two screens, two showings a night, and a snack bar loaded with concessions make Skyline a great place to come on a date, with friends, or the whole family.

Gene Harvey, owner of the Skyline Drive-In says that visitors from all over the world come just to experience this uniquely American innovation.  “There was never enough space to do drive-ins in Europe,” says Gene, “so European travelers just love it.”  The drive in attracts “locals” from as far away as Las Vegas, and Lancaster.  International visitors come from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, China and Australia. Some of his travelers stay in touch after their trips through the U.S.  “One family from the U.K. asked if they could park their RV overnight, so we let them.  Of all the things they did – crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, and going to the Grand Canyon – they said the night at the Drive-In was their favorite memory.”

The outdoor movie hit its heyday in the fifties and sixties, tied forever in retrospect to the iconic, roomy American cars of its day. Difficult to pencil out financially as showings are limited to evenings and good weather, drive-ins have declined as land has become more valuable. Fewer than 300 drive-ins are now estimated to remain in the U.S. Even in its decline, the All American drive-in has captivated our own imaginations and the word’s.

Miss Route 66 Pageant

The Route 66 Pageant is a friendly and low key national competition open to “anyone from 1 to 100”. Titles are awarded for 13 categories spanning every age group, such as Baby, Teen, Miss and Classic. The National Pageant was founded by Barstow born and raised Kris Watson, 11 years ago. “I started it right after the Barstow Route 66 Museum opened,” says Watson. “I wanted to find a way to support the museum and provide more exposure to Route 66 and its history.”

Traditionally the event has been held in Barstow, however this year the pageant will take place during the International Route 66 Festival in Victorville.

Winners of the national pageant represent the entire Route 66 for a year. For categories that don’t “graduate”, winners can compete in the same category again after three years. In 2008, both Britanny Wagner and her mother Candace Foster, won in their categories of Miss and Ms. Classic respectively. Winning brings lifetime opportunity to be a part of Route 66. “Once you are a title-holder, you are always a part of that family, and can always do events and be an ambassador” says Wagner.

Interested in competing? Entrants can register now. Applications are available online at www.route66pageant.com. While anyone can enter at the time of the event, categories may fill up early, so registration is recommended.

The California Route 66 Museum in Victorville, California is visited by over 10,000 people per year, including thousands of tourists from around the globe. In the 5,000 square-foot building, not an inch of space goes to waste. From old gas pumps that once peppered the Mother Road to rail signs, jukeboxes and vintage diner seats, there’s something for everyone to see at this Route 66 treasure.

16825 South D Street, Victorville, CA 92395

(760) 951-0436

Barstow Route 66 Museum

It’s history buff heaven. The Barstow Route 66 Museum, housed in the historic Harvey House, and the Rail Road Museum can all be found in the same location in Barstow, California. The museum includes a collection of historic photographs, artifacts, and displays of Route 66 from early pioneer trails, railroads, automotive history and more. The Harvey House was built during the heyday of rail passenger services, and offered an unparalleled standard of food service to the traveler of the day.

681 North 1st Avenue, Barstow, CA 92311
(760) 255-1890