Wood Caboose
Fresno visitors enjoy driving the Fruit Trail
When people think of California, they first think of beaches, theme parks and movie stars and often one of the most important aspects of this state is overlooked - the agriculture that provides so many of our basic necessities. With farmlands to rival anything you'll see in the Midwest, California's vast San Joaquin Valley is dotted with small towns that exist mainly to service those who work in the agriculture industry.
For Big City types, it can be enlightening to stop and visit a few of these communities, if only to get a glimpse of a slower, quieter life where the word "commute" is not in the local dictionary. Local residents might as well bike or walk to work in these Main Street shops - although most do drive. Picture-perfect old-growth trees usually provide plenty of shade for the downtown business areas, while stately, historic homes adorn some of the main routes in and out of town. Traffic is just about nil, and people use their local parks to sit on a bench and just think about what all of this means.
In between the towns are the farmlands, neatly marked off in square or rectangular parcels, each devoted to a particular vegetable or crop. Old farmhouses are spaced every half mile or mile - although some of them are quite modern and palatial - and the seemingly endless two-lane roads are usually straight as can be. Not too many SUV's or sports cars out here - about nine out of every 10 vehicles is a pickup truck, some so old they're still living past lives.
For the family traveling through these agricultural lands, there is an opportunity to put things in perspective. City kids who figure that produce just magically appears at the local supermarket will be astonished to see their vegetables coming out of this region's rich soil. For adults, it's a chance to get some of these things fresh and cheap - buying fruit and produce in these parts really is cutting out the middle man.
All of this is played out over the hundreds of miles between Northern and Southern California, but one place where local city fathers have made it a bit easier for visitors is Fresno. While the city itself bustles with traffic and is hardly the "Mayberry" you're looking for, the area south and east of Fresno is made up of several small towns with names like Sanger, Selma, Kingsburg and Orange Cove. Local tourism officials have created what they call the Fresno County Fruit Trail that will take you to three dozen or so farms, shops or unique attractions that will give you a taste, quite literally, of what this region has to offer.
Timing is everything on this trip. We drove the 100-plus miles around the loop just a tad bit before the fruit was ready - worthwhile, but a little disappointing in the number of seasonal markets that were not yet up and running. Visitors taking the loop beginning in early June won't have that problem. Most fruit stands opened in May with peaches and nectarines. Cherries and apricots follow. Traditionally mid-April through July is best for berries, while mid-May through September will find the best of stone fruit - several varieties of peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots. From mid-June through September, visitors can see the famous Fresno raisins drying in the sun.
While we didn't taste much fresh fruit on our drive, we did find some fascinating locations on the Fruit Trail. We began by getting a copy of the Fruit Trail map from the Fresno County Office of Tourism (contact info is below). The map gives a great overall perspective to where things are located, although some of the specific directions were a little hard to follow. We must admit we ultimately cheated -- using our GPS navigation system - but getting a good local map to complement the Fruit Trail map should clear up any confusion.
Most of the Fruit Trail points of interest were seven to 10 miles apart, although there were several clusters with multiple stops near each other. You'll definitely want to stay in Fresno for the night, as this outing will take you the better part of a day to do it right. We can recommend the Courtyard by Marriott - a little getaway unto itself with a large pool and Jacuzzi and spacious, comfortable rooms.
Among the Fruit Trail stops we found most interesting:
Simonian Farms - This is a one-of-a-kind store located just on the outskirts of Fresno and is fascinating to browse through. The first thing you notice outside is the old farm equipment - a 1925 orchard sprayer, a 1936 Massey-Harris tractor, a 1906 Steam Engine tractor - as well as assorted other items such as a Santa Fe railroad caboose and eight-foot-high windmill (for sale for $98). This is just the picnic area outside the store and, once you approach the store, you see old wood stoves, antique gas pumps, dozens of old gas signs, several wooden birdhouses for sale - $10 a pop - and a huge selection of bells. The produce is inside the store - fruits, dates, nuts, such unusual items as Cajun-spiced home-cured olives and strawberry-coated Thompson raisins. Hanging from the ceilings are several antique bicycles and the store's walls are plastered with old-time photographs. Along a couple of walls are hundreds of dusty historical artifacts such as old typewriters and turn-of-the-century grocery containers. All-and-all, this store is quite a shopping experience.
Circle K Ranch - This store has everything raisin one can imagine. There are chocolate covered raisins, yogurt coated raisins, jumbo raspberry raisins and gift boxes that combine these and other varieties into one package. You'll also find walnuts, peanuts, dried pears, dried pineapples and dried plums.
Seasons - This little shop, located basically at someone's house, is named Seasons because it carries seasonal gifts, such as Christmas ornaments, year-round. As clerk Deborah Sappington pointed out, the owners know all of the shop's suppliers. You'll find many organic vegetable items including a soap made with loofah. Just for good measure, there's a tractor museum and display of antique tools, all right there in the backyard.
California Olive Oil Manufacturing Company - If you're not careful you'll miss the non-descript building and tiny office, but it's well worth stopping here for the award-winning olive oil. The oil has been produced by the Ugaste family for more than 60 years.
Kingsburg - This Mayberry-style town is trying really hard to be a Swedish theme village although about half the buildings along Main Street haven't quite gotten with the program. But no matter. The small-town charm is worth the visit and you'll enjoy browsing through such antique shops as My Sister's Closet and the Apple Dumplin', or dining at Gino's or enjoying a fresh brew at the Cappacino Courtyard. It's only fitting that this small piece of Americana has not one, but two 50's shops - the 50's Shop and the Rockin' 50's Shop, both stocked full of 50's memorabilia. Be sure and check out City Hall, a historic pillared building that looks like it was created for a Smalltown USA movie set.
AT A GLANCE
WHERE: Fresno is located in the San Juaquin Valley, between Bakersfield and Sacramento and easily reached by the 99 freeway. The Fruit Trail is just southeast of Fresno.
WHAT: Fresno is located in one of the state's top-producing agricultural areas and the relatively large city of Fresno serves as a gateway to a region of small towns, villages, farms and orchards.
WHEN: In general, the Fruit Trail is best to travel in the late spring and summer months, although you are at the mercy of Mother Nature for any given crop. Farming, obviously, is seasonal but even in the off-season there are many year-round highlights on this tour.
WHY: Anyone who loves the taste and smell of fresh fruit and vegetables will enjoy the tour, not to mention those who find it interesting to visit historic buildings, small towns and shop for unusual products and artifacts.
HOW: The Freno County Office of Tourism is glad to supply a Fruit Trail map if you call them at 559-262-4271.
About the Author
Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of Getaway Media Corp, which publishes websites focused on regional getaway travel. Among the sites currently offered by GMC are http://www.californiaweekend.com, covering California spa vacations and other Golden State destinations, and http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com, covering NW beach vacation ideas as well as other Pacific Northwest travel destinations.
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Midnight Pass Debuts Three New Items in Early 2008
Midnight Pass, a direct marketer and online retailer with corporate headquarters in Marshfield, Mass., produces problem solving products that enable consumers to safely travel with their pets in autos, trains, boats, airplanes or while pedaling bikes. Innovative pet gifts include Pet Cruiser®, Wicker Cruiser™, Pooch Caboose™, Sport Cruiser™, Auto Cruiser™, Portfolio Cruiser™, Pet Pilot® and the Pet Murphy Bed™ line of stow-away pet beds.
“Midnight Pass has enlarged its existing outdoor pet product base to include new and improved pet travel gear”, said Brad White, founder and president of Midnight Pass, Inc. “The company is enjoying an upsurge in wholesale orders, export demand, home shopping and retail sales as a result of our thoughtfully designed, rugged quality Pet Cruiser® line of products. By Summer 2008, nearly 600,000 paws will have stepped into a Midnight Pass Pet Product,” White added. The company was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal for offering the latest in auto pet restraint technology as well in Pet Business Magazine, Pet Age Magazine and the San Diego Tribune for recent product innovations.
“Midnight Pass is working towards being the leader in the pet containment and transportation field said a recent New York retail customer who owns every product that Midnight Pass creates.
New products in 2008 include, a new swinging pet gate developed jointly with two of the area’s elite product development MBA programs in the nation, Babson College and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with professors from MIT (MA Institute of Technology) to co-create breakthrough new technology in home pet containment which is scheduled to be introduced in 2008.
Midnight Pass, Inc. was the first to burst onto the pet industry scene in 2001 as the original marketer and distributor of Pet Strollers, as well as outdoor portable cat/dog containment products, shipping over 100,000 portable pet containment products world wide while racking up numerous awards for customer service, innovation and product quality along the way. Midnight Pass, Inc. currently offers the following proprietary pet products as a direct marketer and online retailer:
The Wicker Cruiser™ and Sport Cruiser™ pet bicycle baskets are part of the Pet Cruiser® line of travel solutions for your pet. They are for cyclists that want to enjoy the outdoors with their small dog and range from $80 to $90 retail. New colors and designs, including the Pooch Caboose™, are being introduced in 2008 and major catalogers have already placed orders White said.
The Wall Street Journal reported in the Cars column in July 2007 that, “Pets roaming free in cars face the same dangers as passengers who don’t buckle up. Little dogs and cats will benefit from booster seats that are secured with straps and seat belts such as the Midnight Pass Inc’s Pet Cruiser Auto™ seat. Making pets comfortable is probably the first step toward stress-free travel as well as having one less distraction on the road,” reported Elva Ramirez, columnist for the WSJ.
Trumpeted in the Wall Street Journal as “the first step toward stress-free travel,” the Auto Cruiser™ is the Pet Cruiser® product that solves your pet-traveling needs: It’s a fully enclosed pet booster car seat with suitcase that doubles as a travel kit complete with personalized name tags, fleece pad, loads of storage areas, removable food and mesh toy bags that keep your pet’s toys and food secure. It’s a convenient pet carrier too. MSRP @ $129.95. The Auto Pet Cruiser™ attaches to an automobile’s seat belt while safely containing him/her.
Portfolio Pet Cruiser™ - a slimmer version of the Auto Pet Cruiser™ without the suitcase is also available for folks who desire a pet carrier that carries like a briefcase and pops up to a comfy patent pending pet carrier. Great for trains and planes too. Retail $99.95.
The Pet Murphy Bed™ is a folding hide-away pet bed that is great for small apartments, condos and even RV’s. It is made to be comfortable for dogs and stylish for owners. Solid, furniture-quality construction made from environmentally friendly reclaimed rubber wood in Thailand make this bed a big hit with urban dog owners. Recently featured in the New York Times, CBS This Morning and The Rachel Ray show. A stylish, compact version of the adult Murphy bed. The Pet Murphy Bed offers a cozy and chic space for your pet to lounge; Midnight Pass’ innovative Pet Murphy Bed is the ultimate in comfort and complements your home by easily blending in with existing décor. The Pet Murphy Bed is a smart patent pending sleeping solution for home and recreational vehicle owners, where pet space is limited. Available in Black, Mahogany and NEW sail cloth white in 2008. Holds up to 200lbs. Retail $279.95.
Pet Pilot™ by Creature Leisure® - Featured on NBC’s Today’s Show “Traveling with Your Dog” segment. Perfect for “jet-setters” around the globe, this chic, soft-sided rolling pet carrier doubles as a backpack. Pet Pilot is made from sturdy nylon construction. It holds pets or gear and greatly enhances your mobility. Retail $175.00. Midnight Pass also carries the full line of Creature Leisure® soft-sided crate systems.
Award Winning Service and Products
The company recently won five editors choice awards from Cat Fancy Magazine and Pet Business in 2003, ’05, ’06. Midnight Pass products were recently highlighted in 2008 in the same magazines for product innovation excellence. Additional recent press includes the NBC Today Show, ABC Good Morning America, CBS Evening news, CBS This Morning, House & Garden, Newsweek Japan, Elle Décor®, Town & Country, Metropolitan Home, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. For a preview of Midnight Pass’ pet products, visit www.midnightpass.com.
About the Author
About MidnightPass.com
Headquartered in Massachusetts, Midnight Pass is a direct marketer and online retailer since its inception in 1998. Founder Brad White, formerly the Director of Business Development at Sharper Image Corporation, envisioned something new by creating high quality products that make sense. White has taken years of product know-how and created a service that offers easy access to a wide range of innovative products and excellent customer service. Midnight Pass offers one-of-a-kind specialty gifts and accessories for pets, home, office, garden, recreation and travel that can be viewed and purchased online at www.MidnightPass.com or by calling toll free (877) 844-GIFT (4438). The wholesale hotline is (877) 897.7700.
Midnight Pass is a proud member of the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association, Inc. (APPMA), the non-profit trade association located in CT.
Sales & Distribution: Midnight Pass® Inc, 149 Old Main St, Suite 489, Marshfield Hills, MA 02051-0489. Email: care@MidnightPass.com. Website www.MidnightPass.com
© 1998 – 2008 Midnight Pass Inc. All Rights Reserved. Patents Pending.