Rice, CA

Wow, talk about posting about nothing... if you type "Rice, CA" into Google maps, you will see Rice is truly in the middle of nowhere... roughly the halfway point between Joshua Tree and the Colorado River, it used to be a town, or more accurately, a gas station. Now it's nothing... just a couple cement slabs, a railroad track, and a skeleton of the old gas station. Some entrepreneur has taken the opportunity to climb up and post a sign that says "Fresh Jerky 36 Miles". I never did see any fresh jerky. There are also a few pair of hanging shoes, which for some reason is popular in the desert.

F/14, 1/60sec, ISO 200, 16mm wide angle

Here's an iPhone shot of the same thing... I really like the Instamatic feel, like a photo you might find that a family member took 40 years ago.

Rice, CA... not much here except huge open vistas and roads that go on forever!

But wait, there's more to Rice than meets the eye. Heading due south there's a sandy road that looks like it goes for miles and is well traveled. When I explored it on Google maps, it leads to a ghost town!! Perfect for a Jeep trip. The name of the town is Midland, and it was a company town owned by the U.S. Gypsum Company, manufacturer of gypsum sheetrock. The town existed from the 1920's to the 1960's and had about 1000 people living there! Isn't that amazing??! Here's a great website developed by a lady who grew up in Midland: http://www.designbycandy.com/stories/midland_ca.htm. Check out the section on Midland Through My Father's Camera Lens. Really interesting. Below is a shot from the internet of what it used to look like, including the school and baseball field!

Not much left of Midland today, mostly slabs and some old mines, but I also learned that Midland is a boondocking location. What's boondocking? Also called dry camping or coyote camping, it's isolated BLM land where people park their trailers or RVs to spend extended periods of time for free (or a small BLM permit fee). Isn't that amazing?? If you're interested, check out this web site... it lists boondocking locations in S CA and AZ (also referred to as Long Term Visitor Areas, LTVAs): http://telusplanet.net/public/waters/index.htm. So keep your eye out for a future post from Midland, CA. Hoping to make the trip with my sister and her husband over at Lap Dog Knits and their very cool little trailer and red Jeep!

Dedicated to Huell Howser, who loved the offbeat and unusual corners of California!