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T. R U B I D O U X |
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May your trails be crooked, winding,
lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your
mountains rise into and above the clouds --Edward Abbey |
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Mt. Rubidoux (Peace Tower &
Friendship Bridge), Riverside,
California |
explored by:
Shady
& Lobo,
September 2005 (photos by Shady) While Lobo and I were out
on a trip to Riverside, California, he volunteered to take me on a
hike/tour of the rugged and mysterious Mt. Rubidoux (and to the
amazing Peace Tower/Friendship Bridge atop it), and as I'd wanted to
explore it for quite some time, of course I couldn't resist... |
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After stopping to explore the odd
man-made
'grotto' decorated with the visage
of a saint at the bottom of Mt. Rubidoux, we started the hike.
I soon discovered that climbing to the top of this enormous
granite hill (peaking at 1364
feet above sea level) was no easy feat... I literally felt
like I was going to DIE of dehydration/exhaustion along the way,
heh. In fact, I guzzled all of my water- and then all of Lobo's-
as we hiked (I'd never make it on one of those survival
shows!!)... thanks, Lobo! *wink* |
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We saw a whole bunch of
cool-looking lizards as we climbed the trail, sunning themselves
on the rocks and slithering all around being all lizard-y. At
some points the
trail literally skirted the very edge of the mountain, and
more than once we stopped to take in the breathtaking view (and to
catch our breath!) From the high vantage point we could see the
city of Riverside... the winding Santa
Ana River... even a large,
old cemetery... |
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Finally, after miles of hiking,
the majestic spire of the medieval-esque Peace Tower with it's
attached Friendship Bridge came into view at the mountain's peak,
and it was even more awesome than I had imagined. One of the
mountain's legends says that inhuman 'little people' or 'elves'
inhabit Mt. Rubidoux, and can sometimes be seen playing, running,
and hiding amongst the boulders in groups of three. It is even
said that they might throw rocks in your direction, or pile small
mounds of stones right in the path you are taking... |
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...however, the only little
person we encountered during our exploration was... well... me.
Ha. The Tower was beautiful, though... even if there was no way to
get inside (but we did stick our arms in to shoot some pics, so
you can kinda see what the
interior looks like) |
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At the other end of the bridge
sits a tiny turret
with a barred window... of course I got thrown into it and locked
away for some offense- I think it was showing my ankles or
something archaic- ha ha ha. Luckily Lobo was around to bust me out of
my prison, so I didn't have to braid an escape ladder out of my hair,
or anything (damn I have a dorky imagination, lol) After exploring the
mountaintop a bit more, Lobo performed some unearthly
rites at a magic altar (ok ok it was the old flagpole base, and he
was just checking it out heh), before we made our descent back down to
Earth. Still no 'little people' on the way down, but it was a
fascinating exploration just the same, and I'm so glad Lobo took me to
see it all... *smile*
...oh, and incidentally (above), here's a pic
of Lobo hanging out at the Tower (he sent it to me a few years before we
actually got to explore it together)... and then a pic of Lobo and I hanging on
his Mom's porch swing during the 2005 Riverside trip (during which we
climbed Mt. Rubidoux, *whew*!)...and finally, a close-up of the
inscribed plaque that is set above the Tower's door
Mt. Rubidoux has a very intriguing
history (way too much for me to post here)- including tales of
sun-worshipping cults, various strange paintings and carvings, a pair
of mystery goats, a secret tunnel, several eerie suicides, a bizarre
bongo player, and much much more. To learn more about these stories-
as well as the history of this fascinating mountain and it's
monuments- visit the Friends
Of Mount Rubidoux website
Do you have any background information or stories to tell about this
mysterious site?
Want
to purchase one of these, or any of my other photos...?
O W N A P I E C
E O F L O S T H I S T O R Y:
All
of my pics are available for purchase as
high-quality prints on Kodak glossy paper, in 5x7 or 8x10 size; framing
is available. Click
here to order!
+OUT OF STATE,
OUT OF MIND+
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