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60 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2024 We have now changed to our summer hours to help us avoid the hotter parts of the day. So we are now meeting at 8 am on Monday and Saturday mornings. I tried to notify everyone on my roster of the time change, but if you did not receive an email from me, then this can be your official notice of the earlier time change. A great way to start your day with getting some fresh air, exercise, and socialization is to come out and join our group for some shuff leboard. We play at the new courts at The Lodge behind the swimming pool and next to the paddle tennis courts. We enjoy our own quiet, somewhat shaded area in which we play. Shuff leboard is an easy game to learn and anyone can quickly become proficient at this activity. Our games usually last about an hour and we choose up different teams each time that we play. This allows us to keep the competition challenging and the games more interesting. We play for fun, but of course everyone likes to win. We have no losers, only non-winners. We have a great group of players who play regularly, but we are always looking for new players. So if anyone is interested in joining a fun activity with lots of friendly residents, please just show up on a Monday and/or Saturday morning before 8 am. We will give you an introduction to shuff leboard if you have never played, or a refresher, if needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. Otherwise, I hope to see you at the shuff leboard courts. ~ Marty Rotman, (310) 948-1693, mrtmj@aol.com Shuffleboard THE BRADSHAW TRAIL Our June 4x4 outing along the Bradshaw Trail was meaningful as it was June of 1862 when William Bradshaw gathered a party of adventurers and started traveling east from Los Angeles. They were headed to a rumored discovery of gold near the Colorado River in La Paz, Arizona (now called Ehrenburg). The trail they broke, (originally known as The Gold Road), has rightfully been named The Bradshaw Trail. It began in San Bernardino and wove its way through the Banning Plateau, on to Agua Caliente, and eventually to La Paz. Stagecoach stations were established every 15 to 20 miles and the trail became a vital route through the southwest desert. Where the trail encountered the mighty Colorado River, Bradshaw saw opportunity and built a ferry to shuttle gold miners and their wagons across. On Nov. 7, 1864, the territorial legislature permitted Bradshaw's ferry to charge for service across the river. Miners and fortune-seekers followed Bradshaw's trail, as did Wells Fargo Stagecoaches, the post office, leisure travelers and traders. Having no alternative once they reached the river, they were obliged to use Bradshaw's expensive ferry service to cross. By 1870, the gold at La Paz was exhausted, but the trail through the desert remained vital for trade and Bradshaw continued to earn money from his ferry service. The route, abandoned by the 20th century when the interstate highway was built through the area, remains today as a 70-mile recreational trail from Mecca to Blythe. It parallels the Chocolate Mountain Gunnery range to the south, which is still used by the USMC. The Eagle Mountain Railroad Trestle is a popular landmark on the trail. The railroad was built in 1946 and traveled for 51 miles. It was used until 1986 to haul iron ore from the Kaiser Eagle Mine to the Coachella Valley. The trestle was a nice spot for our group to stop for a lunch break. Current day motorists f lying down Interstate 10 are likely unaware of the original route through the area, and the fortitude and ingenuity it took for Bradshaw to create a trail through the desert. If you enjoy local history and off-roading, (or if you just want to get outdoors for some 4x4 adventures), join us! Our meetings are the second Tuesday of the month in the RCN Conference Room, and we usually schedule an outing on Thursday of the same week. We hope to see you. ~ Scott Snyder 4x4 Seasons e bombing range warning fence line Roy Ortiz scouting out the Bradshaw Trail Lunch under the Eagle Mountain Railroad Trestle e friendly shuffleboard group