February 20, 2026 - Go to Los Angeles

 

 Title: February 20, 2026 - Go to Los Angeles

Hike Info : Description : Background

 

Hike Info:

Type:Car

From Google Maps:

Mileage: 255 miles
Drive Time: 4:14

Description:

California Historical Landmark

Last night Sherri asked when we should leave today. I said an hour and a half after she gets up. Today she got up at 8; I got up at 7. We did our final preparations and left at 10 with Sherri driving. The plan for today is to visit Fort Tejon State Historical Park, then the Chatsworth Public Library to renew our Los Angeles Library cards. If we have enough time, we will stop by Mission San Fernando.

Sherri drove to Bakersfield, which is her usual. We filled up with gas at Costco and then went on. We got to Fort Tejon State Historical Park and stopped there. It is a bit cool: 38 degrees. But in the sun, it is pleasant enough, as long as you have enough covering. There is an admission charge, but we have a Limited Senior Pass to State Parks and use it. We found a picnic table in the sun to have our lunch-the usual, peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches.

Sherri exiting the barracks

The park has a self-guided audio tour which we got through a QR code. We followed the route it described. First, it talks about the Park in general and how it was used as an outpost before the Civil War. Around 300 men were stationed here, along with some wives of men. They even had a “band”, at least someone who could play the bugle various signals, such as calls to formation, reveille, and calls to the mess. Then we went to the barracks, where there were displays of the various armaments, uniforms and artifacts of the Fort. After the tour, Sherri and I wandered the grounds for a bit before returning to the car.

By the time we started up, it is 1:40. It is close to an hour to San Fernando. Since it closed at 4:00, we decided to stop there before going to the library. We get to Mission San Fernando del Rey a bit before 3. We went inside the mission entrance and found it would be $10 a piece. We decided that for the $20 it will cost us to be there for an hour, we should come back another day when we can spend some more time. As a note, when we did Capture California, we visited the mission, but did not go in. The note I had was that it was the least inviting mission we had visited.

We left and went to the Chatsworth Library to renew my Los Angeles library card. It was a short 20 minute drive to the library. There, we went in and the librarian there quickly renewed my card, asking about the contact information. Sherri tried to get her card renewed, but it did not need it. Is it because she is a better person? Obviously. But that was not the reason for the difference. Apparently my email address was mucked up on their system and hers was not. So she got automatically renewed and I was not.

The actual library is spacious, but seems a bit minimal as far as books are concerned. After getting out of the library, we spent a few minutes trying to figure out where to sleep tonight. We are looking at someplace between Chatsworth and Ventura. There were some nice places along the beach in Ventura, but we really do not need the beach after all it will be dark soon. I found a Quality Inn at Camarillo along Highway 101.

Chatsworth Library

Google feels like it is taking us along all the backroads it can find, not that I mind. We pass by several nurseries which makes Sherri’s day. The Quality Inn is pretty presentable, so we go with it. The check-in clerk is friendly and when Sherri asks about eating places, she gives some thoughts. The only two things which I can complain about is that the window in our room really needs to be cleaned better-they looked like they had some pretty bad water stains. The other is that the bed is a bit small for a couple of big, older people. But we can live with it-guess we will be a bit cozy.

We take up the clerk’s recommendation for dinner. We go to Yolanda

Storefront by Yolands's

’s, about a mile away. Parking is a bit of an issue, but we found a place. The restaurant is popular and we wait about 20 minutes for a seat. Not bad. Sherri has enchilada al comal, along with a margarita, while I have a combination of a chili relleno and cheese enchilada. The relleno is pretty much most other one Mexican places. My preference is like the relleno that Casa Quentero’s used to make before they changed their recipe. This is more like the new one. Still, I have a lot of food and do not finish the plate.

We got back to the room about 7, pretty tired. We just rested for the rest of the evening, going to sleep around 10.

Background

Other places when we saw included the jail, guardhouse, officers quarters. There were vacant areas designated where buildings used to stand, such as the kitchen, another officer’s building. Also there is a cemetery plot for Peter Lebec. I had wondered how the town got its name. Now to dig a bit more into him.

Trip Advisor Review:

Yolanda’s. The first sign that we might be in for something good is that the parking lot was full. The next was we had a 20 minute wait to be seated. The question always is, is the place worth it? It was. My wife had the enchilada al comal which she raved over. I had a combination plate of an enchilada and chile relleno. On my part, it was about average-but then a combo plate is almost always middle of the road. Our serve was friendly and served us well.