| Back on the highway, continue your trek north.
Opportunities galore to make very interesting side trips. Ghost towns with mysterious
sounding names like Goler and Garlock, west of the 395, they all have a story to tell.
After passing cities like Ridgecrest, China Lake and Inyokern you will come to the town of
No matter how much of a hurry you are in, this is your last and only chance to see the largest collection of hub caps in the world. This is where Her Majesty Lucy Pearson, Queen of Hub Caps holds court. It all began in the early 1960s when Andy and Lucy Pearson together with their children Don and Jan moved to this part of the desert and started a towing, garage and wrecking business. Their first building was a 12x12 shed. No electricity of course. They used kerosene lamps and an old wood stove. Water was hauled from Inyokern some 13 miles to the south and for groceries they had to go all the way to Ridgecrest. Lucy started to collect hub caps as a side line and now she sells them to people all over the U.S. by mail order. You can place your order via the Internet. Her Web site is www.hubcapqueen.com and her phone number is (760) 377-5446. She also sells another item that is very helpful to someone who is planning a trip along Hi-way 395, it is a book titled "Guide to HIGHWAY 395 Los Angeles to Reno" by Ginny Clark. It is yours for $16.95 plus S&H and worth every penny of it. When you stop by Lucy’s place please tell her that Desert Dutch & Desert Dog Dutchess said "Hi!" We have become very good friends. 
A small park with water and some shade is part of her property and you are welcome to spend the night there. No charge of course, it is FREE!
FOSSIL FALLS 
Did you ever dream of camping on the moon but because you don't
have NASA's money you thought it would never happen? Well, dream
no more! Here, between Pearsonville and Coso Junction just north
of Little Lake, you'll find the next best thing. A barren land-
scape of red and black lava gives this area an eerie feeling and
although the BLM hand-out says that "thousands of people" visit
Forrest Falls every year, during my one and only visit I had the
place to myself. Located less than one mile east of Highway 395
via a hard-packed dirt road is this very unique campground with
a dozen spaces. With not a single tree to protect you from the
elements, the camping spaces are a bare minimum; a picnic table
and a fire-ring, that's all. A short (.025 mile) trail, which
leads to the edge of a 40 foot sculpted and polished dry water-
fall begins at the parking lot and isn't difficult. Do, however,
wear sturdy shoes because of the uneven terrain and the sharp
rocks you encounter on the path. Somewhere in the middle of all
this is a bulletin board and an iron ranger where you can deposit
the $6.00 p/night that it costs to camp here. No water, no trash
container but there is a pit toilet. For more information please
contact the BLM's Ridgecrest Field Office. Phone (760) 384-5400
|
