Page 154 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2021 REDISCOVERING CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST

where Charles Manson was arraigned. At the time street, to dig into pulled pork tacos and corn bread.
we were there, new owners had just started on the Thus pleasingly full, we toured the Shoshone
Winnedumah’s much-needed upgrades and restora- Museum (www.shoshonemuseum.org), a treasure
tion. Behind the hotel, the Eastern California Mu- trove of local Native American history and the his-
seum (www.inyocountry.us/ecmuseum) showcased tory of the Amargosa and Death Valley regions.
the multicultural and natural heritage of the Owens A family emergency forced us to return home a
Valley and the Eastern Sierra since 1928. The Slim day earlier than planned. Retracing our path along
Princess, a restored steam engine, is a magnet for HI395 to San Diego late on a Sunday morning
railway buffs. proved a breeze, giving us time to enjoy the stark
Only one restaurant graces Independence’s main beauty of Owens Valley and the ancient Owens
street. Patrons come from miles around to linger Lake bed, bled dry of the life-giving Owens River.
over tender cubes of boeuf bourguignon and au- By 1913, it was turned into an aqueduct to quench
thentic Lyon-style onion soup at the French-owned the ever-increasing thirst of the City of Los Ange-
Still Life Café (www.facebook.com/StillLifeCafe). les, destroying hundreds of family farms in the
Hours of operation vary, so be sure to call ahead, process.
especially in times of COVID19. Here and there, a few clumps of aspen trees
The next day brought different fare in Bishop, a survived the destruction, painting distant hills and
jumping off point for the slopes of Mammoth and meadows in touches of gold and copper — striking
the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. beacons of HI395’s ever-changing history.
Bishop’s beloved Erick Schat’s Bakkery (sic) NOTE: Be sure to check the websites of all sites
(www.schatsbakery.com) draws busloads of visitors mentioned to find out if they remained open dur-
daily. We preferred the quieter Holy Smoke Texas ing the pandemic.
BBQ (holysmoketexasstylebbq.com) across the

154 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2021