Mt. Rubidoux

Every time my mom comes out to visit we go on a hike. Last year we decided to go up Mt. Rubidoux. I have always wondered what the castle looking structure was and I wanted to get a close up look at the giant cross that is up there. The hike turned out to be fairly easy because there is a 2.25 mile paved path that leads to the top. Of course we ventured off the path to explore things that caught our eye. At one point we encountered a vicious wild squirrel that my mom decided to taunt by calling it a dirty rat. Mental note: never call a squirrel a dirty rat. They don't like it. Next we came to the castle which I was most excited to see. As it turns out it is not a castle but a peace tower and a friendship bridge. Once we reached the top we were surprised with a spectacular sight. The cross towers high into the sky. I was not expecting it to be that big. There are also some interesting plaques all around the area. Some are set right into carved sections of stone. It is immediately obvious that there is a lot of history up there. I highly recommend going up there if you have never been. If nothing else you get a little exercise and a great view of the surrounding area. Follow this link for an interesting article about the mountain http://www.mt-rubidoux.org/NewsletterPDF/Drysdale_letter.pdf.