Exploring Visalia, California

Today was our first full day in Visalia, California, which is the gateway to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.  It is also the county seat of Tulare County and a hub for farming operations nearby in the great San Joaquin Valley.  We decided to use this day to get oriented, to plan our trips to the national parks, and so on.

After some thought and investigation, we determined to rent a car to travel into the parks because of the steep, winding roads and the threat of snow.  We also decided we'd like to take a bicycle ride today.  So we combined the two into one big bicycle trip into downtown Visalia, where we located the rental car office and made final arrangements for our car rental.  We also walked around Main Street.

Near our campground, the ambience is decidedly rural with an industrial flair.  Here's an example of one of the homes near our park.  Note the donkey munching the non-grass.  He was being protected by two search-and-destroy chihuahuas, who, as soon as they saw us passing, came tearing out into the road, nipping at our heels as we pedaled our bikes as fast as we could past this small estate:

The center of town, itself, seems to be thriving.  Most of the buildings appear to date from the 1950's and 1960's, but almost all the storefronts are occupied by interesting small retail businesses.  A number of the businesses were creative.  For some reason (perhaps because there is no other city in the area other than Fresno), Visalia boasts a number of good restaurants.  We found a nice little brewpub - Brewbaker's - on Main Steet.  They serve really good pub food (NOTABLY THE GARLIC FRIES), with lots of avocado, and, of course, their own beers.  We weren't overly impressed with the beer, but found it quaffable and refreshing after the 75F daytime sun we cycled through.  Here's David posing with his garlic fries and large sandwich:

Walking further down Main Street, David couldn't help but snap a photo of this Philly Cheesesteak restaurant - genuine right down to the details of the little shack and the stools and bar inside.  The sign out front reads, "The Best Food West of the East," and we believed it must be so.  If we can find time after sampling what looks like some great Mexican cuisine over the next few days, we might test out Philly's to see if it's the real deal.

The most notable building in town is the old Fox theater.  The various organizations in town have saved two theaters.  One is used by the local opera company for real opera, as well as children's programming.  This one, the Fox, stages country-western singers, as well as art films.  We didn't learn much about its history, but it certainly is the most remarkable building in town.

You can find more facts about Visalia at this Wikipedia page, but here is a paraphrase of a pertinent part of the Wikipedia article:

"When California achieved statehood in 1850, Tulare County, the present county in which Visalia is located, did not exist. The land that is now Tulare County was part of the huge County of Mariposa. In 1852, some pioneers settled in the area, then called Four Creeks. The area got its name from the many watershed creeks and rivers flowing from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. All the water resulted in a widespread swampy area with a magnificent oak forest. The industrious group of settlers petitioned the state legislature for county status and on July 10, 1852, Tulare County became a reality.  One of the first inhabitants of a fort built by the settlers was Nathaniel Vise, an entrepreneur with his fingers in many different activities, including fur trading as far away as San Francisco.  He was involved in the surveying of the town, and he named it after Visalia, Kentucky, which had been settled by his ancestors."

So, there you have it.  Tomorrow will be our first full day in the park.  Stay tuned.