A Little History At Chiriaco Summit

On a recent Sunday, the weather was perfect for flying. So, my family and I climbed into our Cessna 182, departed Torrance (TOA) and headed almost due East towards the inland desert. Our route took us just south of Disneyland, north of the old El Toro Marine Base, over Lake Elsinore and south of Idyllwild. The view of Mt. San Jacinto and the surrounding mountains was exceptional! Crossing the ridgeline, Palm Springs came into view just to the north and the Salton Sea spread out to the south. Just ahead was our destination - Chiriaco Summit.

What is Chiriaco Summit? It's a welcome rest-stop along the I-10 between Indio and Blythe. It's also the home of the General George S. Patton War Museum and a well-maintained airstrip (L77) - perfect for fly-in lunches with the family. The flight took just over 1 hour. We found a couple of other planes tied down when we arrived, but plenty of space remained on the ramp. A short walk and we were in the general store/restaurant.

The story of Chiriaco Summit is interesting. The land was purchased by Joe Chiriaco in 1927. When he heard that Hwy 60 was to be built through the area, he made plans to open a gas station and general store on August 15, 1933 - the day traffic first flowed on the new highway. In 1942, General Patton decided to use the desert around Chiriaco to train his troops for the upcoming campaign in the Sahara during WWII. After Patton died, the Chiriacos established a memorial to him, which was later expanded into the present-day museum.

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the museum. It includes a massive relief map of the entire region used by Patton and his troops, a video presentation and many displays of the WWII era. Outside, lie an interesting assortment of tanks and other vehicles from the period. It's a fine tribute to a corner of American military history with which I suspect few are familiar.

Lunch was typical "diner" fare, but quite tasty. The adjoining store offers typical nick-nacks, but the collection of early cash registers is interesting. After a soft-serve at the adjoining Tasty Freeze counter, we returned to N21508 and headed back across the desert - this time, chasing the sunset. As we cleared Santiago Peak and entered the greater L.A. basin, the sun sank into the Pacific just off the west end of Catalina Island. The entire coast from Laguna Beach to Pt. Dume was bathed in the pale glow of waning daylight. Tiny Santa Barbara Island and 80-mile-distant San Nicolas Island were visible on the horizon. It was another breathtaking aerial portrait of the paradise we call Southern California! We touched down at Torrance just before dark. It was a perfect ending to yet another delightful day-trip, made possible by the magic of personal flight!