Casa de Fruta

Waxing Gibbous Moon

On the way east over the Diablo Range on Pacheco Pass Highway, about fifteen miles from my camp on the edge of San Juan Bautista, is a former fruit and nut orchard that dates back to 1908. Operated by the Zanger family, Italian immigrants with a strong work ethic and boundless imaginations, the orchard grew from a humble cherry stand in the 1940s to a mixture of fruit-candy-nut market, gas station, roadside attraction, amusement center, restaurant, wine tasting venue, and outdoor farm implement museum. Today, it is a must-go fun stop for both travelers and local recreation buffs.

On a January weekday, I found it uncrowded, peaceful, and fascinating to explore on foot. Oh by the way, I highly recommend the cherry pie in the bake shop. Perhaps the most interesting part of my walk was the juxtaposition of the Tesla charging stations with the collection of rusted farm junk vehicles from the early 20th century.

I am always captivated by old trucks, tractors, plows, disks, balers, etc. Here they line the back part of the property in rows. They are all on their way back to the Earth slowly but surely, having toiled and sputtered and been retired. Hmm, who else do I know like that?

There is much to do for kids, including a playground with a duck pond, a narrow gauge railroad, a Gold Rush era cascade sluice, and a handcrafted-in-Italy double-decker Venetian carousel.

About two million tourists visit Casa de Fruta annually, many heading home with a sampler of the fruits and nuts still grown by the Zanger family in the region. Everyone who ventures out on foot sooner or later encounters one or more of the regal peacocks that roam freely around the grounds.

One of my earliest childhood memories is driving to Knott's Berry Farm near our home in Anaheim to ride the ponies and walk among the fruit trees (it was MUCH smaller then!). I actually got to meet Hopalong Cassidy on one visit. He gave me a spent cartridge from his six-gun which I still have to this day. I didn't see anyone as cool as Hoppy on my trip to Casa de Fruta, but it was still memorable, relaxing, and fun. 

Peace, Love, and Peacocks,

Jim