San Jacinto Valley from Hwy 74
Story & photos by Perry and Cindy Mack
It’s 9:16 pm and the slight cloud cover glowing behind the well-landscaped and lit palms enhances the light of a full moon. It’s still 27°C (80°F) on a late September evening at Golden Village Palms Resort (GVP) in Hemet, CA. I’m soaking in the hot tub with an icy Corona and a twist of lime trying to decide where to begin. Like all good tales, perhaps I’ll start at the beginning.
It’s 5 am, which means I’ve slept in a half an hour. Through some genetic flaw I’ve never been able to lie in bed longer than 5 hours unless I’m under anaesthesia (which has happened a half dozen times). As usual, I start the day with coffee and check my emails, answering subscriber inquiries and replying to readers. The pools open at 6 am so by 6:15 I’m in the water for a swim and a hot tub - a really good start to the day. I’ve promised my wife, Cindy, that I would take her shopping tomorrow. Hemet is a small city in the San Jacinto Valley of southern California, and while every convenience necessary for a fulfilling life is within walking distance, an extravagant shopping expedition requires a car.
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Diamond Valley Lake
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Diamond Valley Lake
Today however, we’ll visit Diamond Valley Lake (DVL), a 13-minute drive south from the resort. We discovered you could rent bikes or hike around one of southern California’s most important water projects in recent history (which is also the largest earthwork project in the history of the United States). The 38.6 km (24 mi) route will take you around a lake that cost 2 billion dollars to build and is a crucial part of southern California’s water management system. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is responsible for providing 16 million people with water – roughly the equivalent of half of Canada’s population.
At DVL, you can rent a boat or launch your own, to go fishing or take a cruise. Interestingly, this is a ‘no body contact’ body of water. No swimming, jet skiing, water skiing, or any activity that would involve your body coming into direct contact with the water. While this seems unusual for most Canadians, having a lake in such close proximity while you’re enjoying desert sunshine and an average January high of 20°C (68.7°F), makes it a relatively small hardship.
Western Science Centre
After this little outing I coerced her into visiting the Western Science Center, located at the entrance to DVL . The main attractions are the dinosaur bones unearthed during Diamond Valley Lake’s 40 million cubic yards of foundation excavation. Like Trix – this is for kids. It is attached to the Western Center Academy, a 6-8 grade school and not worth the $8US/person to get in. The museum might entertain sixth graders but as adults, we sauntered and doddled at the exhibits, and were still happy to vacate the premises in 22 minutes. The saving grace was the visitor centre next door. Admission is free and it was entertainingly educational. The friendly docent on staff was a walking encyclopaedia of information. As Canada is a country with tens of thousands of freshwater lakes, it was a real eye-opener to see the billion dollar water projects, which southern Californians have built and must maintain in order to flourish.
From here we traveled south to for a quick visit to Temecula Wine Country. Wine tasting is best done on a tour when someone else is driving, so naturally Cindy suggested I drive. If you have a limited amount of time as we did, I suggest you travel down Rancho California Road in Temecula where you can visit nine wineries on a single route.
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Temecula Old Town
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Temecula Old Town
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Temecula Old Town
Then it was off to Old Town Temecula, a.k.a. Front Street. The shops, restaurants and galleries have an offbeat Old West flavour that makes it fun to stroll down the avenue. We had lunch at Soro’s, a restaurant with an eclectic mix of styles that reflected the vibe in Old Town. The owner is Armenian, who cooks a predominantly Greek menu, and decorates the restaurant playing off his names’ resemblance to Zorro, and his wife’s resemblance to Marilyn Munroe. We loved it - great service and great food at a reasonable price. You can sit indoors, or on the outdoor patio and people watch – one of my favourite past times.
Ricardo Breceda Gallery and Sculpture Garden
A hidden gem lies just off Front street. It’s the Ricardo Breceda Gallery and Sculpture Garden. It’s an open-air gallery and there is no admission fee. His unique, and often larger than life metal work sculptures are jaw-droppingly good. It may inspire you to visit Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs, CA, a 1.5-hour drive southeast of Temecula. Rising from the desert sand in primordial stances are more than a hundred installations featuring present day animals, prehistoric dinosaurs, gargantuan insects, and mythological creatures. It is a photographer’s paradise, especially at night.
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Golden Village Palms RV Resort
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Golden Village Palms RV Resort
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Golden Village Palms RV Resort
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Golden Village Palms RV Resort
It had been a full day of exploring and was time to return home to Golden Village Palms RV Resort. GVP is a full amenity, pet friendly resort that offers over 100 weekly activities. There are very affordable monthly and seasonal rates (or by the day or week) and you’ll love the location with the wilderness of the San Bernardino National Forest to the north, the Santo Rosa and San Jacinto (pronounced ha-seen-toe) Mountains to the east, metropolitan Los Angeles a 1.5 hour drive west, and San Diego and Mexico a 2 hour drive south.
If you walk across the street from the resort you’ll find yourself in the Hemet Valley Shopping Centre complete with a dentist, restaurants, car rental, grocery and department stores including a Target and a 99 Cents Only Store.
But there is so much to explore inside California’s largest luxury RV Resort. Choose from over 1,000 fully serviced sites, swim in three different outdoor pools and two spas, play on sports courts, get fit in the fitness centre, take mans best friend to the gated dog runs, enjoy poolside beverages during happy hours, take in resort concerts by tribute bands and enjoy featured holiday celebrations (try saying that in one breath).
I was completely enamoured by the resort and it’s location. It’s well worth considering their cottages as an affordable vacation property purchase. These 399 sq ft park models are brand new, with well-designed floor plans and a location in the park that provides quick and easy access to the major amenities (pool, clubhouse, fitness centre, shuffleboard pavilion and pickleball courts). We viewed the Mirage Model, which is offered at $59,995 (at the time of writing).
It’s now 9:59 pm and time to vacate the hot tub, as it closes at 10. Tomorrow will provide a true test of endurance. A half hour drive southeast of Hemet is Cabazon, CA. Home to the 180 outlet stores at the Desert Hills Premium Outlet mall and another 20 at the Cabazon Outlet next door. Tomorrow I have a promise to keep. But tonight there’s time for one more Corona.
- Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center, 2325 Searl Parkway, Hemet, CA, (951) 765-2612 - www.dvlake.com
- Old Town Temecula, Front Street, Temecula, CA - www.oldtowntemecula.com
- Ricardo Breceda Gallery and Sculpture Garden, 42061 Main Street, Temecula CA, (888) 328-3559 - www.ricardogallery.com
- Golden Village Palms RV Resort, 3600 West Florida Ave, Hemet, CA, (866) 477-6154 - www.goldenvillagepalms.com