Chiriaco Summit – An Oasis In The Desert

When we arrived in California, we stopped at Chiriaco Summit Dry Camp. It is a lovely campground with mountain views all around, yet conveniently close to the highway.

Within walking distance is the Chiriaco Summit truckstop, which we quickly learned was an oasis in the desert. With the closest gas stations 56 miles to the east and 28 miles to the west, Chiriaco Summit is a welcome stopping point for weary travelers.

A Legacy

Chiriaco Summit is the legacy of Joe and Ruth Chiriaco, Italian and Norwegian immigrants, who moved to the desert and founded Chiriaco Summit in the 1930s, intending to be a desert oasis between Phoenix and Los Angeles. Their dream expanded. They died only months apart in 1996, but their dream lives on through their children’s efforts.

Amenities

The gas station is not cheap, but also not the highest prices we saw while in the area. The convenience store is kind enough to allow campers to use the facilities and even allowed us to fill our water jugs at their outdoor spigot.

The store offers typical convenience store items, souvenirs, auto supplies, beer, wine, and a Nathan’s Hot Dog stand with various food items. Their prices are high, with an $11 bundle of firewood and a $3 gallon of spring water. Being the only store in 28 miles, that is not surprising.

There are several electric vehicle charging stations, as well as an Amazon Hub Locker behind the store. We needed to order supplies, so the locker was convenient.

Across the parking lot, there is a small garage where it appears they rebuild antique vehicles, a gift store/tourist center with a post office annex, and a restaurant/coffee shop with a lovely outdoor patio. We could sit on the patio or outside the tourist center to charge our devices, which was convenient.

Besides food and coffee, the restaurant also sells souvenirs, hot sauces, soaps, and lotions. Inside, the photos from the early days adorn the walls, which I found fascinating. The prices weren’t bad, and the food was good. I enjoyed the spectacular carrot cake.

Thanksgiving at Chiriaco Summit

We were at Chiriaco Summit for Thanksgiving and decided to order the Thanksgiving Platter. We were impressed with the amount of food on our plates for $14.95. The meal included white and dark meat turkey with skin, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, candied yams, and delicious stuffing, as well as a dinner roll and a slice of lemon poppy seed cake. There were also other a la carte dessert options, including a delicious apple pie. It was a fantastic way for us to celebrate our first Thanksgiving on the road.

Behind the restaurant is a neighborhood for the Chiriaco family and employees, complete with a water treatment plant, goats, and chickens. The area is full of birds and beautiful plants. The property is well maintained.

General Patton Memorial Museum

Beside the truck stop is General Patton Memorial Museum, complete with WWII era tanks. There is also a tank graveyard of sorts behind the museum. What originally started as a tribute to General Patton in 1945 later became a museum honoring all veterans in 1988, mainly due to the Chiriaco’s daughter’s efforts.

Appalling Behavior

The store is kept clean, or at least as much as the travelers allow. I was horrified at how the women using the restrooms behaved, throwing toilet paper and paper towels on the floor instead of in the trash can. Someone even stuffed a can into one of the toilets. The rudeness abounded. At one point, no fewer than six women jumped in front of me while I waited for a sink to wash my hands. Over the holiday weekend, there was always a long line for the restroom. I stopped counting how many women attempted to skip the line and jump to the front.

The restroom was thoroughly cleaned several times throughout the day to keep up, but that only garnered anger and complaints from the travelers. At one point, I even heard a man complaining about the use of cleaning fluids to his small children.

Watching the comings and goings of travelers over two weeks was an eye-opening experience. We were almost run over on several occasions by impatient drivers. Few people were courteous, often letting the doors slam into people behind them. We watched so many people in the parking lot drop their trash on the ground, despite being only steps away from the trash can. It was disheartening to see the overall societal horrible behavior.

I can only wonder if these people behave this way regularly or because they are in an environment where no one knows them. I was becoming demoralized by what I saw, but then someone held the door for a line of people, and someone turned the crank on the paper towels so I wouldn’t have to touch it after washing my hands. Maybe all hope is not lost after all.

Either way, the people at Chiriaco Summit have met the original goal established by Joe and Ruth all those years ago. They have genuinely fulfilled the promise to serve the world on wheels.