No, this is not a political rant, rather a telling of a quirkier bit of a tourist attraction I encountered. I was on my way north, heading towards Death Valley. My stop for a few days was Baker, where I would encounter a few surprises. While I wasn’t abducted by aliens, I at least got to try some of their delicious jerky. Read on for my alien experience.
I headed north on California Highway 247, following the San Bernardino Mountains around to west, then turning north at Lucerne Valley to stay on the 247. The area was sparsely populated, but not empty. Following the 247 north to Barstow kept me out of the more populated areas north of San Bernardino, which suited me just fine. The scenery wasn’t particularly spectacular, but the road was empty – I’ll take that trade. Barstow was a stop for groceries. I didn’t look around town much but it seems like a pretty basic small city to me. The wind was ferocious as I left my rig. I lost a plastic wrapper out of my garbage I was getting rid of. There was no chasing it across the parking lot at the speed the wind was taking it. So even I occasionally contribute to the plastic mess that is out in the desert. At least I collect way more than I leave behind.
I turn up Interstate 15 – my route back to my hometown if I chose to drive north three straight days. But I was only going an hour up the road to Baker, where I had seen some promising boondocking on the googles aerial map. I am on one of the busier Interstates here – this is the road between LA and Vegas – such a popular route that a private company has decided a high speed rail service would be viable. Construction was just about to start when I went by. We will see if this railroad gets finished someday, unlike the California High Speed Rail between LA and SF which at this point might open partially in my lifetime.
My first stop was a Dairy Queen for lunch – a little treat for me before I go hunting for boondocking. I’m right beside a Tesla charging station. I’ve never stopped by one of the larger ones before. This thing is powered by solar and batteries, which works quite well in the desert. The solar doubles as roof shade for the cars. I don’t think this site has enough solar and batteries to power it’s chargers without having grid power, but the new largest (Lost Hills) charging station does!
Sated, I drive off the pavement north of Baker, following a cart path to a little level spot against the hills. But the road continues up the hill to what might be a spot. I decide to walk the road first, as it’s not far to check out. Sure enough, there is a level pad up there made out of the tailings of an old mine. The road is tricky, but short, so I give it a go. I’m close to scraping my front bike rack a few times over the dips and humps, but make it up on the pad. It is dead level, and has had someone camping on it before. I do have a bit of a view of the edges of Baker, but the main part of town is blocked by a little hill I’ve driven around. So I’m somewhat exposed with a view. I’ll take that trade too.
66F as I wander around the desert near Baker
The main street of Baker
I was only a short walk away to explore Baker, which primarily exists these days as a tourist stop along the way from LA to Vegas. It’s not exactly a thriving stop, but there is a bit of life to the area. It was a grey and dull day, so you get grey and dull pictures, sorry. The town serves as a starting off point to explore Death Valley to the north, as well as being plugged into the “aliens in the desert” mystic. So your themes in this town are going to be desert heat and aliens. If you expect some quirky things as a result, you would not be dissapointed.
Mad Greek statues
I wandered down the main street of the town, which is a business offshoot of Interstate 15. You have your standard mix of gas stations and food places. One of the disappointing things about travelling is you quickly realise the franchise model of business has resulted in a homogenous retail experience across most of America, in fact most of the western world is permeated by a version of this. If you like consistency, you will be happy with this sameness. Chances are, you will find at least one of Subway, Starbucks, and/or McDonald’s – the current top three fast food joints by number of locations in the USA. It’s the same with the gas stations and motels. It is little wonder tourists crave the old and abandoned sometimes – at least it is something unique in a world of “more of the same” retail.
Baker has at least one unique dining experience: The Mad Greek Cafe, there since 1974, still run by the third generation of family. I was tempted to try it, but one, I wasn’t hungry, and two, greek food isn’t really my thing. But I give them full marks for creating an interesting unique stop in the center of town. I may still try it someday if I come with an appetite. They really are a Greek-American-Mexican restaurant judging by the menu.
62F currently, not so hot
I continued down the street, arriving at my first tourist destination: the world’s tallest thermometer. I have to say, this is more useful than having a town clock in these parts. If you are anywhere in the area you can always look in the direction of Baker to get a temperature reading. The thermometer is a three sided pole so you always can read it from whatever direction you are in. Temperatures are marked in 10F increments, with the digital temperature down to a digit listed at the 10F mark reached or exceeded by the column. Even way out in the desert, I can at least read the rough temperature if I can count the markings in 10F increments. Of course, the thermometer celebrates the heat of Death Valley, with the hottest temperature ever recorded at 134F being the top display. I hope they never get to 140F or else the thermometer will blow its top. That’s a joke, for those of you who don’t know the workings of an analog alcohol thermometer.
Why a money wall in a thermometer gift shop?
I visited the gift shop beside the thermometer, which was your standard selection of souvenirs for the most part. A couple of people came in while I was wandering about, but it wasn’t exactly busy. I was looking for a magnetic working miniature version of the outside thermometer for my magnet collection. Sad to say, that combination was not available. It seems like a pretty obvious thing to have – perhaps they were just out of stock. Overall the souvenirs were pretty uninspired here, along with the bored staff member.
I continued down the street to the Alien Fresh Jerky store, which was busier. Jerky is their thing, but there is so much more here. They have dialed the “aliens in the desert” kitch up to eleven here, with alien statues, and several $1 fortune telling aliens in glass boxes. You also have alien souvenirs and a huge selection of other snacks and drinks. I spent way more time than I expected wandering around in there. I do like jerky, and the prices were not too bad, so I indulged in a couple of different flavors. The jerky is actually quite good. I would stop here just to buy it again if I’m passing through the area. My favorite touristy thing in here was the Alien Trump, whose fortunes are sure to make you great again, bigly.
Just a shell right now, but a hotel someday
But there is more! You need to spend a bit of time wandering around the outside of this place. The business has greater ambitions than just being a local snack/alien tourist kitsch shop. They have the beginnings built of what looks to be a theme park. But only a bit of it is finished. The big UFO is supposed to be a hotel you can stay at someday. Currently, it’s just a shell, not finished on the inside. There is an alien food vendor that is currently closed. Perhaps they open it on busier days. The company needs more capital to finish developing the area. They’re going to need to sell a lot of jerky and alien pretzels! But in the meanwhile, you can at least see the done bits from the outside, and perhaps buy an alien pretzel.
While I did a bit of hiking to some mines in the area, Baker was definitely the main attraction to see here. It would make a good lunch stop in your travels between LA and Vegas. I gingerly drove off my hill, leaving to meet up with a friend on the edge of Death Valley. See you there next time!
