Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2019/2020

2019-2020 Scenic 395 39 Bishop Get It Until It’s Gone! 772 N. Main St., Bishop, CA 760-872-4227 www.HolySmokeTexasStyleBBQ.com DINE IN • TAKE OUT • CATERING MEATS Brisket Tri Tip Ribs Pulled Pork Sausage SIDEKICKS Potato Salad Mac N Cheese Smokehouse Beans Cornbread Baked Potato Side Salad SWEET TOOTH Country Apple Crisp • Banana Pudding ALL HOMEMADE Borax wagons back at home at Laws Railroad Museum T he instantly recognizable Borax 20- Mule TeamWagons took a bit of a roundabout route to their new home in an impressive, brand new barn at the Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Village. The first leg of that journey involved nearly a decade of research and work and fundrais- ing that eventually resulted in the construc- tion of the huge, historically accurate wagons and the gear needed to hitch 20 mules to the two big freight wagons and the water tank rolling behind them. Once the wagons were ready to roll in 2016, they were re-introduced to the public by rolling down some pretty impressive boule- vards. First came the Pasadena Rose Parade, a California New Year’s Day tradition known around the world. Then the wagons and mules ventured through Washington, D.C. to help celebrate Independence Day on the Na- tional Mall in the nation’s capital. While those parades have their fans and carry a tad of prestige in the world’s eyes, in the Eastern Sierra the crowning achievement of the 20-Mule Team Borax Wagons came when the whole outfit starred as one of the crowd favorites during several trips down Bishop’s Main Street during the annual Mule Days Parade. The local pride came from two sources. First was the familiar face of longtime East- ern Sierra packer and teamster Bobby Tanner who helped bring the wagons back to life and personally maneuvers the huge wagons pulled by 20 mules, working two abreast, down the parade route. Second, the 20-Mule Team and Borax are both local products and local leg- ends that contributed mightily to the notori- ety and ongoing mystique of the Death Valley region, Inyo County’s premiere tourist attrac- tion. Finally, after dazzling yet another Mule Days crowd this year, the wagons headed for their new permanent home. On Memorial Day, May 28, a crowd of about 100 came to Laws to help dedicate the new, Borax 20- Mule TeamWagon Barn. The big wagons were in the barn and, even without a cadre of mules, dazzled the crowd. The big, back wheels are 7-feet high. The wag- on box towers above the big wheels. The wag- ons are made of a beautiful, lightly stained wood. In contrast, dozens of black bolts dot the wagon boxes in a testament to the authen- tic wagon-building trades that created the rolling historical replicas. The barn itself is first-class. The skylights in the roof send splashes of sunshine on the wagons. Long, white walls await additional photos and ex- planatory text. Those final touches will be added as time goes on, thanks to a collabora- tion between Laws and the Bishop-based American Mule Museum. Besides those two local groups, the non- profit Death Valley Conservancy and Rio Tin- to Borates (formerly Pacific Coast Borax), also Continued on Page 40 SUBMITTED PHOTO A huge Borax 20-Mule Team Wagon is shown at the new wagon barn at the Laws Railroad Museum.