Z is for. . .

Zip! Zap! Zee!

The challenge is done. No more thinking in ABC. Hooray!

Tomorrow, we shall be back to regular programming. Which is uhm I dunno.

By the way, there are still a few windmills around Hollister. This one is at the Suncoast Organic Farm on Southside Road, where the Husband and I stopped to buy a pint of yummy lemon gelato. Talk about a zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay taste!

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Y is for. . .

Year.  And, that year was 1965!

Why 1965? Because I found the Polk's Hollister City Directory on the reference shelf at the local library.  So, here we go into the way back machine.

The estimated population in April, 1965
Hollister: 8,000
San Benito County: 19,700

Weather in April, 1965
Average temperature: 58.7 degrees    Range: 44.7 degrees to 72.5 degrees
Rainfall: 1 inch

Protective Services
• Hollister Police Department employed 11 policemen and 1 matron.
• Hollister Fire Department employed 5 full-time firefighters and had 19 volunteer firefighters and 5 fire trucks.

Churches: 13 of them

Schools: 1 junior college, 1 high school, and 3 public K-12 schools (within Hollister)

Public Transportation: Greyhound station and Southern Pacific depot

Health Services
• 12 physicians
• 4 pharmacies
• 2 hospitals
• 1 veterinary hospital

Businesses
• Bank of America was the only bank in town.
• 2 loan companies
• 17 grocery stores
• 14 restaurants
• 10 taverns
• 16 gas stations
• 2 jewelers
• 9 clothing shops
• 3 department stores (J.C. Penney, Baughman Department Store, and Schulze's Department Store)
• 3 furniture dealers and 2 used furniture stores
• 11 apartment buildings

Personal Services
• 10 barbershops
• 11 beauty shops 

Entertainment: 2 movie theaters, 2 parks, 1 bowling alley, and 1 family billiard room

Lodging: 5 hotels and 3 motels

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X is for. . .

Xeriscaping. This is a type of landscaping that conserves the use of water. A good example of xeriscaping is the grounds of the new county courthouse on Fourth Street.

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W is for. . .

April 2015, Cienega Road

Water. More specifically, the lack of water.  Essentially, drought!

California officials mark the beginning of our drought as 2012. They report that Winter 2015 has been the driest year in the state's recorded history.  It's very evident when you see the hills and mountains surrounding Hollister. If it weren't for the cooler temperatures, I'd think it was August.

Check out how Hollister has looked in April over the past few years.

April 2014, Southside Road

 

 

April 2013, Brigantino Park

April 2012, intersection of Highway 25 and Highway 156

April 2011, San Benito River by Nash Road

April 2010, Cienega Road

For information about water conservation tips, visit the Water Resources Association of San Benito County website.

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A Sunday at the Pinnacles National Park

We are so fortunate to have a national park in our backyard. The Husband and I met up with friends last Sunday at the Pinnacles National Park. The east side, of course. By 10 a.m., the parking lot at the Bear Gulch Nature Center was full, so we took the free shuttle from the Visitor's Center. Too bad, there isn't a shuttle or a bus from Hollister. It would be a great way to enjoy the gorgeous scenery to and from the park.

Here are a few photos of Pinnacles National Park from our hike. Enjoy!

V is for. . .

Veterans!

Veterans Memorial Building

Veterans Day Parade

Veterans' Mural

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U is for. . .

Utility boxes.

Last December, the City of Hollister funded a project to paint murals on five plain utility boxes throughout Downtown Hollister. The murals, painted by Joel Esqueda and Rolan Resendiz, local artists, depict various cultural aspects of Hollister and San Benito County.

The mural on the utility box at the northwest corner of South and San Benito Streets celebrates cowboys and the annual rodeo.

At the northwest corner of North and San Felipe Streets is another utility box with a colorful mural. It honors the Ballet Folklorico, a traditional Mexican dance performed at local festivities.

On this utility box is a poem by local award-winning poet Rachelle Linda Escamilla. It reads:

"Our hands, like water, 

shape the land. 

Our bodies split 

the grassland; 

this valley 

a labor of love."

~ Rachelle Escamilla 

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T is for. . .

Tractors. Vintage ones, too.

The tractors on this page can be seen around the grounds of Casa de Fruta, a roadside orchard resort several miles northeast of Downtown Hollister. Along with having an amazing display of old-time tractors and other farm equipment, Casa de Fruta has a great produce stand, wine tasting, restaurant, carousel, mini-train, and more.

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S is for. . .

The former home of John and Almira Steinbeck on Monterey Street

The Steinbecks. 

John and Almira Steinbeck, to be precise. They were the grandparents of author John Steinbeck, who was born in Salinas and lived there until he graduated from Stanford. 

John and Almira Steinbeck were originally from Prussia. They first moved to Palestine before migrating to the United States. They settled in Hollister around 1874. They owned a dairy on  Line Street, which back then was in the country. When they retired from farming, they moved into town, purchasing a house on Monterey Street. 

As a child, John Steinbeck and his family, from what I understand, visited their grandparents in Hollister by driving a surrey over the Gabilan foothills via the Old Stage Coach Road. Part of the road is known today as the Anza Trail. Something to think about the next time you hike that trail. 

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R is for. . .

Rally. Motorcycle Rally. The Hollister Freedom Rally!

This year, thousands upon thousands bikers from all over the United States will trek to Hollister on the Fourth of July weekend to take part in the annual motorcycle rally that celebrates "The Birthplace of the American Biker". This event has been held officially, and unofficially, since 1997. The city of Hollister held the first rally to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a biker's incident that happened in Hollister over the Fourth of July weekend in 1947, upon which the movie The Wild One, starring Marlon Brando, was based.

I've written about the 1974 incident, as well as the history of the rally event, in an earlier post. If you're interested, check out this page.

This year's free motorcycle rally will be a three-day celebration, taking place on July 3, 4, and 5. In addition to lots and lots of bikes, there'll be live music, contests, and biker games throughout the event. A few of the major highlights are:

• The Touring Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on display from July 3 to July 6 at Dunne Park
• Thunderbirds concert on July 3
• The Guess Who concert on July 4
• Sons of Anarchy stars Tommy Flanagan and Mark Boone, Jr. sign autographs on July 4
• July 4 Fireworks

For more details about the 2015 Hollister Freedom Rally, visit its official website.

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Q is for. . .

Running along this hillside is the San Andreas Fault. This is below Mission San Juan Bautista, about seven miles east of Hollister.

Quake quips.

What did the San Andreas Fault say to the Calaveras Fault?

Answer: "What's shaking?"

Hollister is smack in the middle of earthquake country. It sits on and near two active faults that do their shaking thing nearly every day. Someone told me that we have earthquakes every day, but most are so slight you can't feel them. I don't get concerned until the house starts rocking or I see the trees rolling during an earthquake wave.

The infamous San Andreas Fault runs about nine miles southwest of the Hollister. Geologists say you can see evidence of it as you head up Cienega Road to the wineries and Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area. This fault also runs behind Mission San Juan Bautista, about seven miles west of Hollister.

The Calaveras Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault, starts somewhere south of Hollister and actually runs through town. You can especially see it at Dunne Park between Sixth and Seventh Streets.

This bend was caused by the Calaveras Fault.
It's on Sixth Street across from Dunne Park.

If you want to learn more about the San Andreas and Calaveras Faults, check out these links:

• The Calaveras and San Andreas Faults in and Around Hollister by Deborah R. Harden, Heidi Stenner, and Imogene Blatz
• Geology Cafe.com: San Andreas Fault in the Cienega Valley, Wine Tour Route in San Benito County
• Geology Cafe.com: Calaveras Fault in Hollister, California

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A Different View of Downtown Hollister

Just when I think I've photographed everything under the sun in downtown Hollister, I see this view. Don't you think that if the banner wasn't there, the photo could be of somewhere in Southern California? 

By the way, that's the tower of the Porter House on Monterey and Sixth Streets.

P is for. . .

Parades!

Sometimes I wonder if Hollister may have the most parades of any small city in the United States. Not complaining, mind you. It's just amazing how many cool parades we have throughout the year. And, most of them go through Downtown Hollister.

Portuguese Festival Parade

Coming: Saturday, June 6, 2015

San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade

Coming: Thursday, June 25, 2015

Fourth of July Kiddie Parade

Coming: Saturday, July 4, 2015

Mexican Independence Day Parade

Coming: Sunday, September 13, 2015

San Benito High School Homecoming Parade

Coming: Friday, October 23, 2015

Veterans Day Parade

Coming: Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lights On Celebration Parade

Coming: Saturday, November 28, 2015

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