School on a Hill

On the road down the hill from the abandoned school in Fort Bidwell is a Surprise Valley cowboy. "We sell lots of alfalfa, organic, some organic, people here don't like organic, all those tree-huggers and Greenpeace." He is a big man, silk scarf, cotton shirt, buttoned right up to the top button, chaps over jeans, and fancy reins. Flies cluster by the dozens on the eyes of his handsome horse. "My sons and I, we are ranchers. We winter here now. We used to winter the cattle in Chico and Willows, but fuel and freight ate us up. Bidwell is a great place to raise kids."

Wind Drift Farm

Imagine a northern California Disneyland gone to ruin. No, better, imagine that everybody just walked away from Knott's Berry Farm in 1955, never to return, except for the occasional curiosity seeker. Now, stop imagining and go to Wind Drift Farm just north (actually east) of Standish, which in turn is north (actually east) of Susanville, on Highway 395. Several signs say, "Don't Hurt the Nature," but they should read, "Don't Hurt the Culture," for nature here is doing fine. Wind Drift Farm is where nature planted the human imagination and let it go to seed. Seeds, as everyone knows, are quite nourishing.

Full Gospel Lighthouse

They say that a photograph is worth a thousand words. If that is true, and if you want to see what rural religion is like in America,then drive north of Doyle on Highway 395 and look for the Pentecostal Church of God's Full Gospel Lighthouse on the right. White sign, white clapboard, dark windows, darkened door, strange sky.

Glory Temple Church

South of Carson City, south of where Highway 395 is no longer a freeway, is the Glory Temple Church. It is an old house, whitewashed, with a white picket fence. Coming from the north, just before the church, a sign reads, "Glory T. C. Slow Down." They want you to slow down because of traffic coming to church. And because they don't want you to miss their church. And because they want your presence at church.

Religious Conversion

The building that used to be a church in Constantia is now in Doyle, on Highway 395 south of Honey Lake. It is owned by a local historical society. In 2006 it was under rehabilitation. Surely, now, in 2008, it is as good as new. "It's 150 to 200 years old," the painter who was painting it said. This claim has not been verified. The town of Doyle plans to use it for civic events. This is a good example of how Americans handle the separation of church and state on the local level. [This article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject. Please improve it.]

The Little Church by the 395 Way

A little green church sits on edge of California's Long Valley Caldera, where long ago a big explosion took take that scattered ash all across the American West. It's where Benton Crossing Road runs into Highway 395. This is just north of Lake Crowley. It's an almost picturesque little church. On a nice, white picket fence are two signs. One denotes ownership. The other forbids trespassing. Clearly, the Regency discourages entry. The question is, what kind of research goes on here?

Tom's Place

Tom's Place is trinitarian: a store, a bar, and a cafe. Tom's Place is on Highway 395 south of Mammoth Lakes and north of Bishop. Beer ads in neon light up the store. Bosoms and butts hang on the walls in the bar. Photos and TV fill the cafe. A history of the place is on the menu. Downstairs are the restrooms, "reserved" for those "with gas." Outside on the concrete deck people read on three wooden benches, one in front of each member of the trinity. A gazebo is attached, decorated with license plates and full of people communing. Beyond it Rock Creek flows by on its way to grace LA.