24 October ‘06
Bruce and Peggy picked us up this morning for a drive out to China Ranch. China Ranch is a family owned and operated small farm, with lush greenery amidst the Mojave Desert. Imagine towering cottonwoods and willows by a wandering stream, date palms and abundant wildlife, all hidden away in some of the most spectacular scenery the desert has to offer. The Ranch is also rich in history. The Old Spanish Trail is within walking distance, as is the historic Tonopah & Tidewater railroad bed. You can hike to nearby abandoned mines if you wish, or just relax and browse through our store having one of the best shakes I have ever had…a “Date Shake”. I mean it, this shake was absolutely “the best”, although I did get the small one and 4 spoons to share it…nice of me right? We took a long walk through the date trees and along a small stream that flows through the property. It was harvest time in the orchard, so we were able to get a little education on dates today as well. One thing that was really interesting to us was they had found that wrapping the dates in paper wrapping to protect them from the birds and hasten the ripening just wasn’t working to well. The paper would blow away, melt in the rain (if and when it might rain), and the birds could find their way in easily. Then someone at the ranch/date farm came up with the idea of wrapping the date pods with a dress or large shirt…it lasts much longer, doesn’t blow off as easily, the birds don’t like the feel and movement, and the longevity of the cloth is much longer…not to mention the “coloring of the orchard”. The drive down into the small valley known as China Ranch is beautiful. It is a gravel road that does get washed out every rainstorm, winds and twists through the hills of sand and light porous rock. We saw several mine openings that have been cut into this rock, but they were all boarded up for safety. I know I wouldn’t want to venture into one of them…weak walls and ceilings, no large planks to hold up the tunnel, and snakes….
Bruce and Peggy picked us up this morning for a drive out to China Ranch. China Ranch is a family owned and operated small farm, with lush greenery amidst the Mojave Desert. Imagine towering cottonwoods and willows by a wandering stream, date palms and abundant wildlife, all hidden away in some of the most spectacular scenery the desert has to offer. The Ranch is also rich in history. The Old Spanish Trail is within walking distance, as is the historic Tonopah & Tidewater railroad bed. You can hike to nearby abandoned mines if you wish, or just relax and browse through our store having one of the best shakes I have ever had…a “Date Shake”. I mean it, this shake was absolutely “the best”, although I did get the small one and 4 spoons to share it…nice of me right? We took a long walk through the date trees and along a small stream that flows through the property. It was harvest time in the orchard, so we were able to get a little education on dates today as well. One thing that was really interesting to us was they had found that wrapping the dates in paper wrapping to protect them from the birds and hasten the ripening just wasn’t working to well. The paper would blow away, melt in the rain (if and when it might rain), and the birds could find their way in easily. Then someone at the ranch/date farm came up with the idea of wrapping the date pods with a dress or large shirt…it lasts much longer, doesn’t blow off as easily, the birds don’t like the feel and movement, and the longevity of the cloth is much longer…not to mention the “coloring of the orchard”. The drive down into the small valley known as China Ranch is beautiful. It is a gravel road that does get washed out every rainstorm, winds and twists through the hills of sand and light porous rock. We saw several mine openings that have been cut into this rock, but they were all boarded up for safety. I know I wouldn’t want to venture into one of them…weak walls and ceilings, no large planks to hold up the tunnel, and snakes….