How does relaxing among 9,000 acres of natural California chaparral and ancient, shady oaks sound? Or perhaps a round or two of miniature golf? Or maybe a little horseback riding? Or a hike on miles of available trails (also open to biking), followed by a nice swim in your choice of two pools?
If we haven't sufficiently tempted you yet, there's more:
- a country store
- a deli
- an ice cream parlor
- a bar
- horseshoe pits
- a basketball court
- an arcade
- a fishing pond
Why, there's even good birding and wildlife watching! And wonder of wonders, there's free WiFi in the Village!
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And finally, there's shore fishing at the privately owned Vail Lake. To access the lake for both fishing and recreation, an annual membership must be purchased. But caravaners can obtain a day license ($10 per day) from the resort's store to fish from the shore. The lake is located just a couple of miles from the Arroyo Seco Campground and is known by local fisherfolk as one of Southern California's premier trout and catfish lakes. There's also bass, crappie, and bluegill. |
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If any of the above piques your interest, then please join us at Vail Lake Resort, located just ten miles from Old Town Temecula.
And for additional information about Vail Lake Resort, you may want to visit their website.
Additional Information About This Caravan
We will have exclusive use of the upper "Arroyo Seco" area, which consists of 112 sites, each with full hook-ups: 30 AMP electrical service, water and sewer. We will also have use of 16 sites in lower "Arroyo Seco" (according to the resort's website, these sites have water and sewer). In addition, we will have access to restrooms with showers.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE #1: Please note that the campsites you first see as you enter the Arroyo Seco Campground are reserved for the Host Tent, for members of the Past Tents who are hosting our March caravan and for the coffee. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE #2: We will have Tuesday-to-Sunday rates of $25.00 per night per rig. Folks arriving BEFORE Tuesday, March 16th, will have to pay Vail Lake Resort's regular camping rates, which currently range from $50.00 to $65.00 per night, depending on location and if you are camping during either the weekend before or the weekend after our caravan. In addition, any early arrivals will need to check in at the Host Tent on Tuesday, March 16th, between 3:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE #3: There are fire rings scattered throughout the Arroyo Seco area (roughly every third campsite) and fires in proper containers (e.g. metal washtubs) are okay. There are very few picnic tables so we are encouraged to bring our own.
Hey, Weatherman!
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Thanks to the wonderful world of technology
- and our weatherman Steve Tivy -
click here for the current conditions and forecast for
Arroyo Seco Campground at Vail Lake Resort.
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Things To Do Around Vail Lake Resort and Temecula
As mentioned above, there's no shortage of things to do right at Vail Lake Resort. But if you start to get antsy, you might want to consider some of the following options: wine tasting, exploring Old Town Temecula, golfing, the many restaurants in Temecula, the Pechanga Casino and - for those of us who are Bluegrass fans - the Old Town Temecula Bluegrass Festival! Scroll down for a few details on all of the above.
Wine Tasting!
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Temecula Valley's vineyards currently supply over 25 wineries in the area. In addition to producing award-winning Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, Temecula wineries are known for Mediterranean varietals such as Viognier, Syrah and Pinot Gris. The hard working folks of the Temecula Valley Wine Growers Association have brought recognition to the Temecula Valley as a world-class wine growing region.
Guess what that means, dear Caravaners? It means there just might be some good wine out there in Temecula Valley! |
Click here to visit the association's informative website, and click here to download a map to all the wineries.
Did you know that you can find some very interesting bits of Temecula Trivia when you combine a love of history with a love of wine? For example, in early 1964, the Vail Ranch (see optional history lesson below) hired Richard Break, a University of California trained specialist in agriculture and viniculture, to conduct a crop feasibility study on the east side of Vail Ranch to determine the range of acreage that could be planted in citrus. Break's study found that the land's growing conditions were more suited for wine grapes! And in 1969 (after Vail Ranch had been sold), Rancho California's first commercial harvest of premium wine grapes was harvested by Brookside Vineyard Company.
Old Town Temecula
Located in the heart of Temecula is the cultural and historic focus of the community. Flanked by stone and ironwork archways that depict life in the Old West, Old Town Temecula mainstains its historic past and invites visitors to wander along the timber-planked sidewalks and explore 150 year old buildings that still hold stories of old Temecula.
But there's more to Old Town Temecula than its history. There's shopping! And restaurants! And shopping! And the Temecula Valley Museum (okay, that's more history). But guess what? There's also...more shopping! In fact, according to the Temecula Valley's Convention and Visitors Bureau website, besides specialty boutiques and art galleries, there are over 640 antique stores!
Yes, 640 antique stores. Is that even possible?
A couple more notes on Old Town Temecula...there IS a walking map of Old Town on the internet (click here), but you might wish to begin your visit with a stop at the Old Town Visitor Center at 28690 Front Street and get yourself a fresh map.
One more recommendation for Old Town Temecula: the Temecula Valley Farmer's Market is held every Saturday from 8:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.
One of the ironwork archways that marks the entrance to Old Town Temecula.
The Pechanga Resort and Casino
Dear Caravaners, I'm thinking there's probably not much I need to tell you about the Pechanga Resort and Casino...it pretty much speaks for itself. But I will throw in a few bits of information...
- It's open all day, every day
- The 188,000 square foot casino features 3,000 slot and video machines and 132 table games and a separate 54-table poker room
- It has a state-of-the-art air filtration system and offers extensive non-smoking areas
- It is currently California's biggest casino
- There are eight restaurants and a hotel with 517 rooms
- You'll find all this fun and frivolity at 45000 Pechanga Parkway in Temecula
The Pechanga Resort and Casino has a very nice website that will give you much more information, including very helpful info on their restaurants (menus included) and on their RV Park. You'll find the website here.
Golfing in the Temecula Valley
For our fellow Lazy Daze Caravaners who are golfers, click here for a link to nearby golf courses. The photo above is of the Cross Creek Golf Club in Temecula.
Restaurants in the Temecula Valley
Recommending restaurants can be rather risky, so instead, I suggest that if you're interested in sampling some of Temecula Valley's food fare, click here for a comprehensive list of restaurants found in the area.
In addition, some of the area's wineries have restaurants right on the winery grounds. Click here for a list of restaurants recommended by the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association.
The photo at right is of the Vineyard Rose Restaurant at the South Coast Winery. |
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Old Town Temecula Bluegrass Festival
"Scotch bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'.
It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist.
It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound.
It's plain music that tells a good story.
It's played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you.
Bluegrass is music that matters."
---Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe was an American musician who - along with his band The Blue Grass Boys who he named for his home state of Kentucky - developed in the 1930s the music that came to be known as bluegrass. Bluegrass fans debate what particular instruments constitute a bluegrass band, but purists hold to the five instruments that Monroe's band played: the fiddle, the banjo, the mandolin, the acoustic guitar and the upright bass. These five instruments are often joined by the resonator guitar, also known as the Dobro (the trade name for a resonator guitar from the Gibson Guitar Corporation).
If you happen to wander into Old Town Temecula on the Saturday or Sunday of our caravan (March 20th and 21st), you are guaranteed to see lots of fiddles, banjos, mandolins, guitars and upright basses as the 10th Annual Old Town Temecula Bluegrass Festival gets under way. Many of the concerts (especially those held at the intersection of Front and Moreno Strees) are free.
Check the following websites for more information: City of Temecula and Temecula Wine, Music and Fun. |
Today's History Lesson: Temecula, California
Many of you are already aware of your webmaster's passion for history. If you share that passion, then you may be interested in the following...
According to "The Journal of San Diego History" (a publication of the San Diego Historical Society), one of the most interesting and dramatic eras in the history of Southern California is the nineteenth century. Since it encompasses periods of Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and American occupation, the nineteenth century saw the creation of many of Southern California's communities, including Temecula. Temecula has a very, very rich history...what follows is just a brief glimpse back into the past of this very interesting town.
The Luiseņo Indians were the first inhabitants of what we now call Temecula and it is believed they settled in the valley sometime between the eleventh and the fourteenth centuries on land approximately two miles south, south-east, of the present town of Temecula.
The name "Temecula" comes originally from the Luiseņo Indians' legends of their origin. The Luiseņo say they came from the north to a place they named "Ekva Temeko," said to mean "the place where the sun breaks through and shines on the white mist." This name was then changed during the Spanish occupation of the area to Temecula.
According to the official website for the city of Temecula, Father Juan Norberto de Santiago, a Franciscan padre, was the first white man to enter the Temecula Valley (in October of 1797). He was on an expedition out of Mission San Juan Capistrano and was seeking a site for a new mission.
In 1798, Mission San Luis Rey was founded in Oceanside, and in the early 1800s, the Temecula Valley became a rancho of Mission San Luis Rey and the Luiseņo Indians were placed under the jurisdiction of the mission's padres. The rancho was used for grazing the mission's large herds of cattle and sheep and included a large granary.
In the 1830s, Mexico (having taken California from Spain 10 years earlier), secularized the missions and began giving what had been mission holdings to "political favorites". The 1840s marked the granting of the Pauba, Big Temecula and Little Temecula Ranchos. All played very important roles in the history of Temecula. The passing of the ranchos into private ownership ushered in the era of rancheros and vaqueros and contributed to the later dispersion of the Luiseņos who were forced to either accept the rule of the rancho owners or leave the area.
On February 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. In addition to ending the Mexican-American War, it also was the proverbial "beginning of the end" for the golden age of the ranchos. (As an interesting side note, the terms of the treaty called for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory (present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah) to the United States in exchange for fifteen million dollars in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican property).
On September 9, 1850, Calfornia was admitted into the union as the 31st state (Temecula, part of San Diego County at that time, joined Riverside County when it was established in 1893). In 1858, Temecula became a stop on the Butterfield Overland Stage Route and the stages brought new settlers to the area. The Temecula Valley began to grow...and grow...and grow. But then in 1888...
Oh, there's so much more history of the Temecula area that I could share, but time, space and practicality (I have been told that not everyone is as nuts about history as I am...imagine that!) prevent me from going into much depth here, so I encourage any fellow California history buffs out there to read about it on your own. Just Google any of the following words to discover more about the history of Temecula: Pablo Apis, Louis Wolf, the Treaty of Temecula, Pechanga, the California Southern Railroad, the Pauba Land and Water Company...that ought to get you going!
Having said all that, there is one more little tidbit I would like to share with you...the history of Vail Lake.
In 1905, Walter Vail, owner of the huge Empire Cattle Ranch near Tucson, began buying land in the Temecula Valley. Eventually, Vail and his family were the owners of approximately 87,500 acres, land that comprised the valley's four original Mexican land grants. The Vail Ranch turned the valley into one of the last great southwestern cattle ranches, and the economy of the Temecula Valley, through the 1960s, centered around the Vail Ranch by providing both employment for the residents and economic support for the businesses in the valley.
The cattle ranch operated until Mahlon Vail (Walter's son) sold the property to developers in December 1964. The developers renamed the ranch "Rancho California" and announced plans for a master-planned community they dubbed Rancho California. According to the city's website: "The last years of the 1960s and early 70s witnessed the beginnings of dramatic change in the Temecula Valley. Engineers, contractors, heavy-equipment operators and real estate agents quickly edged out the cowboys and Indians as the main customers at the local establishments. Pickup trucks towing horse trailers, trucks hauling cattle and tractors rigged with farm implements were replaced by cement mixers, lumber trucks and industrial grading equipment. Sales activity switched from cattle, hay and grain to subdivided real estate acreage." When Rancho California incorporated in December, 1989, the citizens voted to officially name their city "Temecula".
And the lake? For years, the Vail family had wanted to build a dam to catch the waters of Temecula Creek as it flowed through Vail Ranch. In 1948, at a cost of more than $1 million, the dam was completed and created Vail Lake.
Just a bit of Temecula Trivia for you to ponder while we camp at Vail Lake Resort...the population of Temecula is approaching 95,000 residents within the city limits and approximately 300,00 in the greater Temecula Valley. The projected population in 2015 is 150,000 city residents and 700,000 in the valley. When the Vail family sold their holdings in 1964, the entire population of the Temecula Valley was 250! |
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