Barstow<-->Tejon Ranch: Is there anything to SEE along that route?

We drove that stretch (from Tejon to Barstow) earlier this month.

the only thing of interest is the old airplane parking lot just past the wind farms... Otherwise very desolate...

On the one hand, it would be easy to say @zbb is overstating what there is to see, i.e. less than that. On the other hand, some of it is a little like a painted desert, and it kind of grows on you.

This is place is worth a stop. Visitor Center

Visitor CenterDiscover Hidden Treasure
Buried deep in the Mojave Desert is one of the biggest and richest deposits of borax on the planet. You will also find the Borax Visitor Center, one of the best kept secrets of the Southern California desert. Built in 1997, it had more than 126,845 visitors as of the end of 2010.

Been stopping here since I was a kid to get a shake or a snack since I was a kid (if its not too crowded) isn't a very exciting route.

Charlie Brown Farms

Lump said:

Been stopping here since I was a kid to get a shake or a snack since I was a kid (if its not too crowded) isn't a very exciting route.

Charlie Brown Farms

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My wife's cousin worked there. The pickles in the big barrel are amazing!

DennisLevitt said:

On the one hand, it would be easy to say @zbb is overstating what there is to see, i.e. less than that. On the other hand, some of it is a little like a painted desert, and it kind of grows on you.

Click to expand...

Hey -- I'm an Arizona Native. The Painted Desert is fascinating to look at. The Mojave much less so...

pharmacydave said:

This is place is worth a stop. Visitor Center

Visitor CenterDiscover Hidden Treasure
Buried deep in the Mojave Desert is one of the biggest and richest deposits of borax on the planet. You will also find the Borax Visitor Center, one of the best kept secrets of the Southern California desert. Built in 1997, it had more than 126,845 visitors as of the end of 2010.

Click to expand...

I almost mentioned the Borax mines. Didn't realize there was a visitors center (we were towards the end of a 3 week road trip and focused on getting home...) That actually might be kind of interesting...

In Spring, I'd recommend detouring a little to see the California Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. It's quite beautiful if there's been enough precipitation and all of the poppies are in bloom. (Hopefully this winter won't be as dry as the last two.)

Driven mostly along that route several times (from Big Bear to Tejon actually). There are lots of historical markers along the way. Lots of history relating to the creation of the railroads, Native American (Cowboys and Indians) battles, exploration of California during spanish times, etc...

Check out these apps. Love them for making drives like that a lot more interesting, especially if you are into history:
Historical Markers on the App Store on iTunes
Roadside America on the App Store on iTunes

If you aren't on an iphone, I apologize. Maybe there are equivalent Android versions.