Stopping at Hollister , on a quiet Sunday...

The Whiskey Creek Saloon, On 5th...up a block from San Benito

As I mentioned in the previous post, been traveling through this area for close to 20 years, since my sister and her family moved to Marina (near Monterey))...and my parents later to Castroville (also near Monterey and Salinas...Steinbeck country as Hermit said...). Note: to 'Whitey' Williams...on the road to Monterey from Hollister there is a stand of Eucalyptus, that at certain times of the year, and with windows rolled down, treat the nostrils to their unique vapors...Also know of a grove in Folsom California, and one night when lost in the Berkeley/Oakland hills.....remember seeing and smelling some. Probably planted by wayfaring Aussies...remember someone telling me it was done as an experiment to use them commercially somehow...but it didn't work out...

Entrance to said drinkin' establishment. Didn't imbibe, but did chat up a local, name of Louie that had grown up round these parts. We talked about 'The great quake of '89'...1989 that is. I noticed that an older building up the street looked like it had been re-faced with new brick, and some of the cast vents were reproductions of originals. He confirmed that it indeed had been restored after the '89 quake. I remember driving through Hollister after the quake to see how my family had fared, and seeing some of the houses, that had fallen off their foundations, that I had seen on the news casts...

Mural painted on the side of the Saloon

I believe... a depiction of Wino Willie, of the Booze Fighters. Years ago, (before blogs) a friend and I used to hang out at a local MacD's. We'd have some great conversations with some of the local War veterans. For some reason they took a shine to us, probably because we rode motorcycles and seemed to be interested in their stories. One of the guys was a WW2 Navy veteran that survived Pearl Harbor. When he got back to southern California after the war...he bought a Knucklehead and used to hang out with the Booze Fighters. After surviving Hell and high water, he was sadly killed by a drunken driver. Remember he said his mother was born on the Isle of Man...

About a block away from the Saloon is 'Johnny's Bar and Grill'

Mural on the side of 'Johnny's'...depicting Wino Willie, Brando as Johnny and those fellas from Easy Rider...

According to the Wikipedia article (link in previous post...) this block, 5th off of San Benito was where most of the arrests occurred in 1947. I was happy to see that this part of Hollister has not changed much from 1947.

Have always had a fascination with hatch-doors in sidewalks...(there is a whole 'nother world going on below us...)

The original builders plate was still there,,,wonder if this company is still around...? Next time I'm through I should make a 'rubbing'...

A little musical interlude...."Hermit" and "Whitie" got me thinking of the Dead's cover of this Kristofferson tune.

Johnny

and again...

Be back with more Hollister....(can't seem to locate a bunch of pics I e-mailed myself and down loaded to the puter...off to see if I can locate them....