I Remember Desert Center When

[stephenkatsea]

No doubt that restroom at DC was one of the most gross ever. But having blown a boat trailer tire between Chiriaco and DC, pulled over and removed the tire and ratchet strapped the forward axel. Continued on to the station in DC. The guy sold and mounted a decent tire to me for $30. Paid him the 30 and tipped him another $30. He was so thankful you would have thought it was $100. We were both happy.

 

[Ziggy]

Back when you only passed one car at a time on Rice Rd.

"when you only could pass one"

 

[coz]

I miss paradise cafe . The food was good . The AC sucked! Haha . What is Tommy doing with his boat out there weathering away ?

He's a good chef and I don't know the story of the boat, been a while since I've seen Tommy. Those are great memories back then. The original Blue Bar at the entrance of my street. Parker Dam Deli was called Tinys'. No gas station or storage next to Mc's and all kinds of sundance memories. Oh and to stay on thread the gas station at DC was half way decent back then and that little snack shack had some good food for sure and always stopped there.

 

[TrollerDave]

Water slide on the Island ?

Next to Crazy Horse, right?

 

[grumpy88]

Desert center will always be a great memmory. The burger joint . Warm nights getting a chance to stretch the legs .

 

[stephenkatsea]

This is a vin. All those tall palm trees once around DC were reportedly planted by the owner/developer to attract . . . . . Aliens. Well, some might say it has worked. But, these individuals are not from outer space.

 

[TCHB]

Cell coverage? I don't follow.

My first time pulling our boat out in 1979! Stopped there hotter than hell, bugs around the lights and rest rooms that were filthy. My wife looked at me and said I hope we never break down here!
No services! The gas station was not good.

 

[Bakotrash]

Sounds so good back then! Wish I was born a decade or so earlier.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Wasnt there a big loop de loop in the road right at the gas station? I know what I mean. Lol

I drove thru there about 35 years ago with my son hanging out in the bed of the truck with a portable TV on for him. He is now almost 40….WTF

It was an adventure trip full of anticipation ending at cattail and wild nights

 

[76 Hondo]

Some of my first River trips we went through 29 Palms, got a burger, stopped outside of town and uncorked the headers on the 63’ Impala, 409, drove all the way into Parker and all around town that way all weekend!

 

[Sharp Shooter]

Some of my first River trips we went through 29 Palms, got a burger, stopped outside of town and uncorked the headers on the 63’ Impala, 409, drove all the way into Parker and all around town that way all weekend!

My Dad regularly towed (‘57 T-Bird w/427) all the way from LaMirada to Parker uncorked on wrinkle walls and spinning 4.56 gears. That sounds crazy even to me.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Not DC but I miss the A&W in Parker.

 

[Willie B]

… Only stopped at Desert Center once for fuel… Somebody went into the bathroom and checked it out… We never stopped there again..: probably the Summer Of Love 1967…
…I seriously doubt that there is anybody on the forum that was at Parker during the Summer Of Love… You will never know what you missed???…Yeoza…

 

[Blackmagic94]

Here’s some trivia …occasionally stopped in Chiriaco Summit in the 70s and could hear a generator running. They didn’t have electricity from the grid until 1999.

They are about to launch a rocket there

 

[OCMerrill]

Desert center will always be a great memmory. The burger joint . Warm nights getting a chance to stretch the legs .

The BUGS flying around the burger joint the size of 747's. Best shake I remember as a kid in the early 70's.
Even when the Texaco was open the bathrooms were still pretty bad.

My Dad loved Cadillac's because nothing had a bigger engine. Back in 73 or 74 we overheated towing that massive 24' Schaida just about Rice. We were in that station (76) for hours and the dude would not give my dad water. My Dad asking if anyone who came in had any....crickets.

So my dad bought every coke bottle out of the old school coke bottle machine and one by one poured them into the radiator of the Caddy. I remember the gas station dude wanting the bottles back and my Dad laughing at him. With the Red light blazing away on the dash we drove to Vidal.

Vidal used to have a mechanic and was a very traditional gas station. He and my dad got it all going and we were pulling the travel trailer out of back storage at Echo Lodge as the sun was coming up. Traveling Rice Road or to the river in general back in the day was not for cry babies or people that couldn't fix anything.

 

[coolchange]

My buddy and I stopped for gas one time at Desert Center, maybe in 81 or 82. I remember the town of Rice, well basically a gas station and a few single story buildings.

Just past the Parker T wasn’t there a bar called the Winner’s Circle on the California side of Parker between the swamplands at the south and Bluewater to the north?

You can’t forget the concrete grandstands at Bluewater or the concrete cabanas either.

It was the river rat saloon on the ca side for a while I think. A buddy quit drinking there for life when we were there for njba or UBR. It took about 15 years before he told me what happened!

 

[NicPaus]

I miss paradise cafe . The food was good . The AC sucked! Haha . What is Tommy doing with his boat out there weathering away ?

Barracudas and Prime rib with a prawn on top!

I think last time we were there was 2003. Can't believe it's been 20 years. We were at the red house that trip. Buddy has since built one by old Tommy's location and that's probably been over 10 years already. Have to ask him about the boat next time out. 2 weeks.

 

[Wheeler]

The BUGS flying around the burger joint the size of 747's. Best shake I remember as a kid in the early 70's.
Even when the Texaco was open the bathrooms were still pretty bad.

My Dad loved Cadillac's because nothing had a bigger engine. Back in 73 or 74 we overheated towing that massive 24' Schaida just about Rice. We were in that station (76) for hours and the dude would not give my dad water. My Dad asking if anyone who came in had any....crickets.

So my dad bought every coke bottle out of the old school coke bottle machine and one by one poured them into the radiator of the Caddy. I remember the gas station dude wanting the bottles back and my Dad laughing at him. With the Red light blazing away on the dash we drove to Vidal.

Vidal used to have a mechanic and was a very traditional gas station. He and my dad got it all going and we were pulling the travel trailer out of back storage at Echo Lodge as the sun was coming up. Traveling Rice Road or to the river in general back in the day was not for cry babies or people that couldn't fix anything.

First trip to Parker for me was '61 or '62 and I will always remember the mess the restrooms were in and all the water bugs in the urinal. We stayed at River Lodge and fished with water dogs. The sound them puppies made when put on a hook still haunts me today.

 

[rivermobster]

you calling me a liar?!

I remember it vividly as well as the broken condom machine at McGoo's teenagers best friend

Well I'll tell you what...

You sure as fuck don't LOOK old enough to remember that shit!

Now @Wheeler ? He looks old enough to have done all the drywall in Desert Center!

 

[done]

Next to Crazy Horse, right?

Yes, kind of where the the dirt track is I think .

 

[Taboma]

They are about to launch a rocket there

Say What ???

 

[Blackmagic94]

Say What ???

Yes

 

[76 Hondo]

… Only stopped at Desert Center once for fuel… Somebody went into the bathroom and checked it out… We never stopped there again..: probably the Summer Of Love 1967…
…I seriously doubt that there is anybody on the forum that was at Parker during the Summer Of Love… You will never know what you missed???…Yeoza…

Challenge accepted!

 

[Willie B]

Challenge accepted!

… Where did you stay???…

 

[RIVERMANBEN]

I remember a little museum in Desert Center. Stuff about Patton training the troops there before WWII and they had photographs and some military equipment, including an old Harley Davison

 

[76 Hondo]

… Where did you stay???…

Polynesian Resort up River

 

[RVRKID]

The BUGS flying around the burger joint the size of 747's. Best shake I remember as a kid in the early 70's.
Even when the Texaco was open the bathrooms were still pretty bad.

My Dad loved Cadillac's because nothing had a bigger engine. Back in 73 or 74 we overheated towing that massive 24' Schaida just about Rice. We were in that station (76) for hours and the dude would not give my dad water. My Dad asking if anyone who came in had any....crickets.

So my dad bought every coke bottle out of the old school coke bottle machine and one by one poured them into the radiator of the Caddy. I remember the gas station dude wanting the bottles back and my Dad laughing at him. With the Red light blazing away on the dash we drove to Vidal.

Vidal used to have a mechanic and was a very traditional gas station. He and my dad got it all going and we were pulling the travel trailer out of back storage at Echo Lodge as the sun was coming up. Traveling Rice Road or to the river in general back in the day was not for cry babies or people that couldn't fix anything.

Funny my Grandpa had 2 Cadillacs and he put a hitch on his and would drive it out there, think they were 74's. Going to have to see if I have some old pics this weekend of stopping at Desert Center but always had to in the 70's.

 

[Willie B]

Polynesian Resort up River

… Wouldn’t that be crazy if I knew you… Because that’s where we stayed exclusively… We always had the cabanas on the south side of the bar…, quite a few of us from Shadow Hills, California and LaTuna, Canyon, California

 

[rivermobster]

My first stop in DS was 73 I think? I was a junior in HS.

The bathrooms were usable at that point. They got Nasty as the years went by.

The place to eat across the street was still there, but we had an Igloo full of jungle juice on the front seat, and we were Way too wasted to eat by the time we got there.

Ah the good ol days. I have no clue why I'm still alive...

 

[RVRKID]

My first stop in DS was 73 I think? I was a junior in HS.

The bathrooms were usable at that point. They got Nasty as the years went by.

The place to eat across the street was still there, but we had an Igloo full of jungle juice on the front seat, and we were Way too wasted to eat by the time we got there.

Ah the good ol days. I have no clue why I'm still alive...

Funny as I tell my stories of my younger years to my girlfriend she says the same thing to me.

 

[caribbean20]

Ah the good ol days. I have no clue why I'm still alive...

We are the same age. Substitute locations, for us it was dragging dirt bikes and a Hondo flatty to the pristine lakes of Northern MI, and the stories are the same. We would arrive hammered!

Just wish someone would have rung a bell telling us “hey moron, you are living in the good ‘ol days.”

 

[Wheeler]

Well I'll tell you what...

You sure as fuck don't LOOK old enough to remember that shit!

Now @Wheeler ? He looks old enough to have done all the drywall in Desert Center!

We Plastered that Town!

 

[76 Hondo]

… Wouldn’t that be crazy if I knew you… Because that’s where we stayed exclusively… We always had the cabanas on the south side of the bar…, quite a few of us from Shadow Hills, California and LaTuna, Canyon, California

The most epic trip to Polynesian Village was Easter week 1968, 15-20 of us from the City of Orange, senior in HS. Buddies of our came in with his pick bed loaded with Coors packed in snow from Colorado!
Biker gang came through looking for trouble burned a few tents, when they came the whole place was ready! Then the Yuma County Sheriff came in I was standing outside the bar with 2 of my Buddies all with beers in our hands, they asked if we were drinking in the bar, no sir,
took my 2 buddies to jail left me alone, I was 6’2” 195, the other guy were short, so I guess they figured I was legal(19) then.
Later that night 3 of us were across the road sleeping in the back of a pick up (not gay), someone grabbed my buddy and he jumped up and took a swing, 300# Yuma County Sheriff hit the ground, they pulled Dave out and beat him with the night sticks mostly on the legs, thought they just hurt him bad, told to leave Arizona now and don’t come back!! Sure hope they have forgotten or forgave

 

[Bobby V]

I remember a little museum in Desert Center. Stuff about Patton training the troops there before WWII and they had photographs and some military equipment, including an old Harley Davison

They have a Patton Museum at Chiriaco Summit now. Been there for years.

 

[rivermobster]

We are the same age. Substitute locations, for us it was dragging dirt bikes and a Hondo flatty to the pristine lakes of Northern MI, and the stories are the same. We would arrive hammered!

Just wish someone would have rung a bell telling us “hey moron, you are living in the good ‘ol days.”

They did. We just didn't listen...

Pretty sure we knew Everything back in those days.

Great memories for sure.

 

[FreeBird236]

As bad as that restroom was, I have to admit staying a little longer than necessary just to read the walls.

 

[Yldboyz]

The last standing gas station on the left just as you crossed over the 10 fwy. Usually would stop there to stretch the legs and to buy some road snacks.

As a kid I remember the town faintly.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I used those restrooms once. Pulling over on the side of the road was much less of hazmat condition.

 

[Bugginout]

My first stop in DS was 73 I think? I was a junior in HS.

The bathrooms were usable at that point. They got Nasty as the years went by.

The place to eat across the street was still there, but we had an Igloo full of jungle juice on the front seat, and we were Way too wasted to eat by the time we got there.

Ah the good ol days. I have no clue why I'm still alive...

Damn your old

 

[rivermobster]

Damn your old

Old And retired retired.

 

[Bugginout]

Old And retired retired.

View attachment 1287371

Hell yeah!!

 

[Wheeler]

Old And retired retired.

View attachment 1287371

Other than that old Ford truck the place looks sterile! What's the name of your retirement park, Menopause Prairie?

 

[Bugginout]

Echo lodge?

 

[Bugginout]

My buddy and his brother had places in there for years

 

[grumpy88]

Looks more like big bend

 

[rivermobster]

Looks more like big bend

Yep

Other than that old Ford truck the place looks sterile! What's the name of your retirement park, Menopause Prairie?

And that's just how I like it...

 

[Bugginout]

Oh damn looked like the echo playground and store. I heard they cleaned big bend up quite a bit.

 

[Your ad here]

Usually just drove through Desert Center. Late 2000's and early 2010's. One evening on the way to the river we stop in DC to piss. Buddy is peeing on a bush... turns out he was unknowingly peeing on someone sleeping in the bush.

 

[rivermobster]

Oh damn looked like the echo playground and store. I heard they cleaned big bend up quite a bit.

They have. The place has changed dramatically over the years.

 

[NicPaus]

Oh damn looked like the echo playground and store. I heard they cleaned big bend up quite a bit.

And they let Echo go to shit. Battle with the owner and old lease at Buckskin. Said FU Buckskin i will pimp out big bend and you can take Buckskin back.

My Buddies Chic and her friends left big bend today. Should of had them go ruffle rivermobster feathers. Lol