Road Trip Attractions

This past week we made a quick trip to So Cal to deliver a bed to Jana. It's about a 7 hour or 400 mile drive. It took us closer to 9 hours. However, as I'm always reading in my art books, "it's all about the journey..." I've come to agree with that thought as it relates to road trips as well as art. We travel Highway 99; it's slower than the 5 freeway, but according to Verne, the 99 is more interesting than the 5. I've only found one thing of interest and it's the reason I don't complain about taking a slower, older highway that is in bad need of repair and, while it passes miles of beautiful farm land it also goes through the heart of a number of small and some large towns that are anything but quaint or charming. In fact, to stop would be risking your life. Literally! Back to the reason I don't object to traveling the 99...it's Bravo Farms.

We discovered Bravo Farms about ten years ago on a return trip from So Cal. There are no less than a dozen signs beginning about five miles from Exit 106 advertising the many attractions of Bravo Farms (it's located in Travers, near Visalia): cheese (handmade on the premises), a wine tasting bar, gifts galore, fresh produce, barbecue, and, recently added, a petting zoo and train ride. Yes, it may sound a bit commercial. It has grown over the past decade to offer something for everyone. When we first stopped, it was about a quarter the size it is today and it's main attraction was the cheese making room, which even today can be viewed from the gift shop. Both days we stopped this past week, cheese was being made and people gathered at the window watching the process.

Our personal favorites are Chipotle and Jalapeno Cheddar. All of their cheese is available to sample. Stop and choose your favorite. Or, just stand at the window and watch the fascinating process of cheese making.

Another interesting stop on the 99 is Sun-Maid Raisin in Selma, self-proclaimed as The Raisin Capital of the World. The city's claim to fame is probably accurate as 90% of U.S. raisins are grown/produced within 8 miles of Selma. Sun-Maid is a cooperative of raisin growers. We visited the processing/distribution center, which is just a mile off the 99 and about 5 miles from Bravo Farms, in December 2012. We were returning from spending a few days over the Christmas holiday with all of our family, except Scott, in So Cal. Jeff, Trish, and the boys were visiting from Connecticut and Lauren had flown in from Portland. A Spaghetti Factory dinner for birthdays and holidays has been a long-standing tradition for us, so we met up with the local girls (Jana, Lara, Raelin and families) and the out-of-towners and spent a memorable evening together. Lauren returned with us to Nor Cal the next day and it was on this return trip that we stopped at Sun-Maid.

I didn't realize until now that the Sun Maiden looks like she has her arm around Verne and Lauren. Cute! Their factory tour amounted to a 15 minute video on a small television set in the gift shop. A bit of a disappointment, but it was informative and worth the short detour (once, that is). The real highlight of the stop was laughing at Lauren as she entertained us with all of the Sun-Maid souvenirs in the gift shop. I've only included a couple of the dozen pictures I took as we walked around the shop, ate sample raisins, and laughed at her antics.

I'd say that's just about it for interesting stops on the 99 between Stockton and L.A. Now, I know people who swear by the 5 and love stopping at Harris Ranch...but, that would mean we'd miss an opportunity to visit Bravo Farms. I think we'll stick with the 99...it's possible that Bravo Farms has become a destination for us!