Harris Ranch

150 miles to home.  Harris Ranch at sunset.

 

 

Update:  Harris Ranch is one of those traveler's oases that offer respite in what is essentially the middle of nowhere (though it is certainly not as remote as some places I’ve been on this trip).  The address is listed as Coalinga, but the property is well outside of the town proper, about 13 miles away by road.  Coalinga itself is a small town with a bunch of interesting facts attached to it, like the etymology of its name, which evolved from the Southern Pacific Railroad’s designation of the spot as “Coaling Station A,” from which the word Coalinga was coined.  If you aren’t from around here, you might be interested to know that the first “a” is pronounced, so that it goes CO-ah-LING-ah, emphasis on the third syllable, and said with a hard “g”.  Who knows how these things get decided.   Probably some out of towner took a stab at saying the word out loud and it stuck.

The legendary California bandit Joaquin Murrietta  had his hideout nearby, where he was killed.  The town is an interesting footnote in the history of reverse osmosis systems for drinking water.  The local water was so bad that everybody had three taps, hot, cold, and potable, for the drinking water that had to be trucked in until they pioneered one of the first practical large-scale uses of reverse osmosis to get the water decently drinkable in the sixties.  There are other interesting things about this little place that might make it worth a visit, but I didn’t go into town.  I just pulled off Highway 5 to the Shell station that serves as the fueling point for the travel center part of Harris Ranch.

Harris Ranch is supposedly the biggest producer of beef in the state.  It is astonishing how much meat flows out of this place.  They do it all, from feedlot to slaughterhouse to neatly packaged parcels sold to In-N-Out Burgers and many grocery stores.  They grow crops there too, and raise Thoroughbreds.  In the seventies a restaurant was opened, and it grew because of the demand from travelers on busy Highway 5.  A fancy hotel was added in the eighties, and now there is the hotel, a substantial gift shop, the gas station with convenience store (that also has a few gifty items), car wash, and the restaurant.

I overnighted in the lot last year on my way south, and had breakfast at the restaurant.  As you might expect, the menu features beef.  It was good, I thought the price was reasonable if not cheap, and the service was excellent.  The handsome restaurant has a great western-themed décor.



I took pictures of an enormous painting that I fell in love with, but it would have required a huge house to showcase it.

The gift shop was nice, with knick-knacks, stuffed cows, housewares, and a nice selection of thoughtful toys that impressed me.  It was Christmas at the time, and they had a huge, lighted gingerbread house and many beautifully decorated Christmas trees.

In some ways Harris Ranch reminds me of Little America, but it is not quite as elaborate in terms of number of guest-oriented amenities.   Harris Ranch is a more diverse operation and not as entirely focused on being a travel stop as Little America is.  This is a view of the hacienda-style hotel.  It's actually much fancier than this limited view shows.

I’m not aware of any official policy on overnighting there (other than at the fancy hotel), but we did it and had no trouble.  The generous sized lots and 24-hour gas station, convenience store and clean restrooms make it an appealing alternative to a regular truck stop if you are on the road and looking for a place to crash on the cheap (or with an RV).

The smell of the feedlot can get pretty strong at times, depending on how the wind is blowing.  If you absolutely hate that smell, this is probably not the ideal stop for you, or perhaps you’ll want to restrict your visit to a quick gas-snack-and-potty break.  But I do recommend the restaurant if you want a nice meal on your travels as a changeup from the usual truck stop and fast food fare.

This time I just gassed up and got a coffee and an ice cream to boost me along on the last 150 miles home.  Made a call to the Home Office to update them on my location and ETA, then hit the road for the very last leg home.