Sculptures in Southern California - Southwest USA 2018 - 3
Saturday, 2018-04-28 - Sculptures in Southern California
Again, I leave the hotel around 7 am. Today is mainly a driving day down to the south with the final destination in Borrego Springs. But the first stop is already in Garden Grove near Santa Ana. The former Crystal Cathedral has been bought by the Catholic Church some years ago and is still under renovation. Originally announced for 2016 the reopening will now be only mid of 2019.
Given that and that it is 7:30 on a Saturday morning the parking lot is nearly empty. I take some pictures of the spire in the morning light and some of the figures showing scenes from the bible. As there isn't more to see, I'm back on the road within 30 minutes.
The traffic in the greater area of Los Angeles is crazy. Ok, not early Saturday morning, but I'm driving freeways with 6 lines in every direction that have been extended by two additional speed lines you have to pay for. On the way, I make a brief stop at a Walmart in the middle of nowhere to buy the basic stuff I will need the next days. Bärbel, our Garmin GPS, is directing me via backcountry roads to the southeast.
My next stop is directly at the CA-79. Ricardo Breceda is an artist who creates huge metal sculptures. You can find quite some of them near Borrego Springs, the main reason why this is my destination today. When I planned the details of the route I found out that he has a Gallery where you can find more sculptures and have the chance to buy them.
They are looking great, but aside from the fact that transport to Germany would cost a fortune, they wouldn't make it long in our could and humid weather. Anyhow: It's a great place and for sure worth a stop.
It's 2 pm when I reach the motel in Borrego Springs. I'm going to take a break until the light is not that harsh anymore and then I'll search the dinosaurs 🌝.
At 4 I'm ready to go. I've downloaded a map with the locations, but that wasn’t necessary - just follow the crowds. There is not a lot to do here, so whoever comes to this place is going to visit the sculptures. It's not really bad, therefore this place is still too remote, but if you think you’re going to be alone, forget it.
It took me roughly two hours to see most of the sculptures. For sure I've missed some because not all of them are near the roads. They also differ in size: Some are 10 feet (3 meter) tall, but some might have only 1.5 (50 cm).
Dinner today is at a small Mexican Restaurant (not the one recommended by TripAdvisor, but the other one right across the street). Much better than the Thai yesterday and portions are so big that I ask if this is really for one person only.
