Old Highway 395

Roadside Oddities and Weird Tourist Attractions

A roadtrip up the section of Old HIghway 395 north of Escondido to Rainbow was not the original plan.

But that's how adventures happen.

Sometimes they're planned out in minute detail. But mostly, mostly they just have the glimmer of an idea somewhere....

This roadtrip started out by going to Escondido to get a battery pack for the metal detector. It had absolutely nothing to do with driving up a section of Old HIghway 395.

No, the plan was to get the battery pack and on the way back to Temecula, take a little side trip to that place in Fallbrook that has the fake mine tunnel.

It turned out to be a day of going places I don’t normally go.

Like nurseries.

I never go to nurseries. Plants are just not my thing. The only plant I can even halfway keep alive is an aloe vera.



Or jewelry stores.

The morning is overcast, fog blankets the hills. The air is cool and brisk. A great day for a little Southern California roadtrip!

Hopping into my trusty little MR2, I head for the freeway. I have directions to the place in Escondido. I'll be able to get there, no problem.

In Escondido I promptly get lost. The guy didn't say anything at all about 2nd Street...

That same guy assures me getting back to the freeway is a lot easier. Left at the corner, left at the light, follow it to the 15.

Okay. I can handle this.

And there, at the light, standing proud and tall, holding a muffler in his outstretched hands, is the Joor Muffler Man.

Muffler Men are great roadside oddities. So do I get a picture?

And the stop light is long enough. Probably long enough for 8 pictures.

(The Joor Muffler Man is at the corner of East Valley Parkway and Juniper Street, Escondido CA)

So, passing up a great roadside oddities photo op, I continue on my quest.

It's Old Highway 395 to Reche Road to Live Oak Park Road to The Collector to take pictures of the fake mine tunnel.

See, on the way down the freeway, I saw signs for Old Highway 395. So it just kind of got added in to the adventure.

I take the Old Highway 395 exit north of Escondido. At this point, it mostly parallels I-15.

Highway 395 used to be THE road from San Diego to Washington. There are parts of it still left while other parts have been absorbed into the freeways.

Well, Reche Road is a lot further up Old Highway 395 than I realized. But that's okay. It's a slower paced, adventurous day. I'll get there eventually.

And there's the sign for Reche Road!

Down Reche Road a ways, a tall metal giraffe catches my eye.

Gotta take a picture!

An adventure!

Nurseries are not high on my list of places to visit. But hey. I'm already here and besides, that giraffe is pretty cool.

There’s all sorts of things to look at beside plants at this nursery.

Of course, there’s ponds and fountains. Lots of nurseries have ponds and fountains.

Well, this one has a water wheel, too.

A teepee.

I really doubt that I found them all!

(Myrtle Creek Nursery is at the corner of Reche Rd and Via Vista.)

Back on Reche, I continue on to Live Oak Park Road and The Collector. That’s the jewelry store with the fake mine tunnel. Pulling into the parking lot, I’m sidetracked by signs to “Hidden Forest”.

Whazzat? A Hidden Forest?

Hmmmm. Well, I’m already here…..

It’s kind of confusing to get into. I go in an aviary door. A lady comes out to ask if I have an appointment.

Uh, no. I’m thinking, what am I doing here, anyway?

Not only are nurseries not my thing, neither are art galleries.

And like the earlier nursery, I found this art gallery to be just a bit different. It's got an aviary for butterflies!

There were no butterflies flitting about because it's a cool, overcast day. They like warm days.

There's also a bunch of birds in big cages near the aviary. And reptiles in the gallery. Yes, there are paintings, too! Cool wildlife paintings.

(Hidden Forest and Nature Center is just across the creek from The Collector on Live Oak Park Road. There is a $3 donation to look around their nature center.)

Gee, is she ever going to get to the fake mine tunnel, you're asking?

Hang on! Hang on!

When you walk in the door of The Collector, your eyes are immedietly drawn to the tunnel. It's so...different than the rest of the store.

There are displays in the tunnel, like a crystal pocket and other gems and fossils.

There’s also old mining items.

My absolute favorite is an old mechanical display jewelers used to put in their store windows to grab people’s attention.

Come see!

Come in and buy something!

Flip the switch on and watch the figures move, like there's a guy pulling on a rope to hoist a huge rock. Way cool!

(The Collector Fine Jewelry is at 912 South Live Oak Park Road.)

At The Collector, I asked the lady if she knows of any weird or different things to see around the area. She comes up with “the Koi Farm on Gird”.

I go back to Gird and take it almost as far as I can, avidly watching for Koi Farm signs the whole way. Nothing.

Okay. I must have missed it. I turn around and head back.

And there it is!

And there is no way in heck I am going to take my little car down their road. It's dirt plus I see a huge dip up ahead. So I don’t know if you can go in there and look at the Koi or what. That's an adventure for someone else!

Back to Old HIghway 395. My sights are set on Rainbow and the café there. I am HUNGRY!

The burger I order at The Oaks of Rainbow Restaurant, better known as simply Rainbow Oaks, is delicious.

I ask the waitress if there’s anything weird or different to see in Rainbow.

She points to her coworker and says, “She is!”

We all laugh. The “weird” coworker included.

“I mean a weird tourist attractions,” I explain. “Something everybody can go see.”

“Oh.” She thinks a while. "There’s a river behind us. Maybe. If it hasn’t dried up. And what about the antique store next door?"

Antique store. Those two words make me cringe.

Well, I'm already here...

Besides, I saw their piles of stuff (and stuff and stuff) when I drove by on Old Highway 395. And I gotta admit, it all looked very intruiging...

What a cool antique store. If you can even really call it that. Sure, there's lots of antiques and yes, they're for sale. So I guess if that's what makes an antique store an antique store, then that's what the Silverado Trading Post is.

Yet it's so much more.

They have tons of stuff. Positively TONS!

It is really a fun different place to walk around. There's so much to look at!

There are antiques grouped together to make themed displays throughout the grounds.

Like here's washday at the Silverado Trading Post.

See the river behind the fence? It isn't dried up!

They even have outhouses for sale!

(Silverado Trading Post is at 4811 5th Street, Rainbow, California.)

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