Road Trip

Mike had to work this past weekend, so I decided to do a short road trip to Hemet, CA. I went to the Western Center for Archaeology & Paleontology. It was quite a nice drive there, being about 36 miles or so away from us. Since Mike couldn't go, I took Gertrude Priscilla Schlitterbahn with me... her initials are GPS! She was the most excellent navigator!

Once I arrived, the sign in the parking lot gave me pause before I would actually get out of the car... you see, it had an outline of a snake on it and the following, "Rattlesnakes are a common sight in Riverside County and this area is no exception. Everyone is advised not to touch or disturb any wildlife." Encouraging for someone that doesn't particulary care for snakes!

Overcoming my fear, I stepped out of the car and carefully made my way to the museum. It was worth the trip! The museum was created basically because of Diamond Valley Lake. The lake was started back in 1995 and finished in 1999. In that time, they discovered several thousand fossils and bones of prehistoric animals. They found parts of remains of mammoth, saber tooth cats, dire wolves, horses, bear, "yesterday's" camel, and American lions. All these have been brought to this museum and are on display.

They really did do a wonderful job of displaying them!

When I finished at this museum, I walked across the courtyard (being very careful to look for snakes on the way) to the Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center. This visitor's center is dedicated to the use of water, the conservation of water and education for everyone on everything water. It was much more interesting than I thought it would be! I took many photos there and enjoyed talking with the docents about how water is brought to southern California.

When I was ready to leave, one of the docents asked me if I had ever been out to the lake. I said, "no", and was encouraged to at least go visit the overlook viewing point on the lake that gave a great view of the lake. Pointing it out to me on the map, I made my way to the viewing point since it was on the way back home. I'm so glad I did! The view was fantastic and I enjoyed the walk up to the hilltop viewing area.

If you're ever in the area, make the time to stop and visit these museums and visitor's center.