A Mellow Yellow Topper

I think these are palm trees, but don't quote me on that. They called out to me to take a photo of them as I walked down the driveway at Four Winds Growers in Aromas earlier this year.

Today, I'm hanging out at Monday Mellow Yellows. I invite you to join me to check out mellow yellow posts from around the world.

Up on the Rooftop Helicopters Pause

CALSTAR stands for California Shock Trauma Air Rescue. Thank goodness for CALSTAR! It transports patients at Hazel Hawkins Hospital who require special treatment to hospitals in the Bay Area.

CALSTAR is a nonprofit air ambulance service that serves several regions in our states. San Benito County is part of the CALSTAR 5 area, which also serves the Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Northern San Luis Obispo counties. For more information, visit the CALSTAR website.

Lone Tree Road

There's nothing like a morning bicycle ride on a country road.

I'm hooking up at Weekend in Black & White. Come check out other black and white photos with me by clicking here.

A Downtown Reflection

 

As I was walking past the empty shop on San Benito Street, next to Wentz Alley, I noticed the  reflection in the shop's window. It's the biker mural on the side of the infamous Johnny's Bar & Grill. Click here to see how it looks first hand. A pretty cool mural, don't you agree?

Take 25 in Hollister is six years old today! Whoooo-hoooo! For the curious, here's the link to the first post, What a Cute Town! Hollister most certainly is.

I'm hanging out at Weekend Reflections today. To see other reflections from around the world, please click here.

Limekiln Monorail

 

Limekiln Monorail
Built in 1894 by J.J. Burt to carry "diamond brand" lime from Harlan Mt. to the S.P. Railroad at Tres Pinos.

The track was a single wooden rail. The locomotive was wood fueled steam operated. On its maiden voyage, the engine exploded while taking on water from Pescadero Creek thus ending the operation forever.  

So states this E Clampus Vitus plaque that stands towards the southern end of Cienega Road, which was erected on April 21, 1979 by Monterey Viejo Chapter 1846. 

Doesn't the idea of a monorail at the turn of the 19th century running all the way from Tres Pinos to Cienega Road just astound you? It does me. 

J.J. Burt was the owner of the Cienega Lime Works, which makes sense for the name of Limekiln Road off Cienega Road.

The New York Railroad Men reprinted an article about the monorail in its October 1891 issue, Vol. 5, No. 1, page 722. It begins: 

A curious little railroad train goes crawling up and down the mountain from Tres Pinos to Burt's lime kiln in the Gavilan range, San Benito county, every day. It is probably the strangest railroad that ever was seen; yet, thus far, not a word has ever been printed regarding it. The train moves on a curious single track and is drawn by an engine set low on it.

If you'd like to continue reading the article, click here. For a relatively more current article, check out this piece by David B. Simons Jr., that's posted at The Monorail Society website.