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| Outhouse found on the top of Morton Peak Lookout in California | |||
Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Morton Peak Outhouse Photo contributed by C. Love Used by permission |
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Here is another great addition to The Outhouses of America Tour. I'll let the contributor's text provide you with a great description of how she was able to stay in this lookout at Morton Peak for a weekend. This is the way my story goes! I came across this site by accident (How many times have you heard that one?), and studiously went through the entire list of outhouses. I'm not sure if I'm more fascinated by the designs of outhouses ranging from historic to modern, or more fascinated by the fact that people are fascinated with outhouses. I noticed there were plenty in the list from my home state of Michigan, but very few from my current state of California. This is where my quest began. I sought out to find an outhouse to contribute to this site. I didn't think it would be difficult because my town, Redlands, takes pride in preserving its history. While I'm sure we have some outhouse gems, somewhere, we don't advertise them. I did, however, find an outhouse in the vicinity of Redlands, in the San Bernardino National Forest. What makes this one special is its location at Morton Peak, a fire lookout at 4,624 feet. I don't want to offer too much information about the Morton Peak Fire Lookout, because it is already available on the Internet, but it was built in the 1930s, burned down in 1960 (the irony), then rebuilt, eventually going out of commission due to a lack of funding, and being neglected and vandalized, only to be refurbished, again, in 2001, under a $5,000 government grant, and to this day is completely run by volunteers. It is one of seven fire lookouts run by the National Forest Association. Another special note about this location with its outhouse, is that it is open to overnight guests, year round, unlike the others which function solely as lookouts. When I discovered this, I made reservations for MLK Jr. weekend, 2010 as a birthday get away for my son and me, as our birthdays are on the 18th and 16th of January, respectively. To reserve an overnight stay at the lookout, I paid about $100 in advance through the Big Bear Lake Resort Association, and picked up keys to the road gate and the lookout from the Mill Creek Ranger Station on the day of our reservation. The dirt road was a narrow, rough and rocky 3 mi. to the peak, but when we arrived, we got a look at the lookout 30' above ground on stilts, and the composting outhouse in the back. Fires or barbecues are not allowed (for obvious reasons), and it is a "Bring Your Own" adventure, as they didn't have electricity or water. The enclosed 30 foot high cabin, with a twin trundle bed, literature and reading materials specific to topics about the area, a working telescope, and an amazing panoramic view, more than made up for a lack of necessities, that we had to bring ourselves. In the center of the cabin was a Firefinders' Osbourne. My son knew more about this expensive gadget than I did. From the lookout, cities in view were Yucaipa (portions of Calimesa), Redlands, and Highland (portions of San Bernardino). I found a point of reference and then was able, with the telescope, to find my friends' house and clearly saw them in their backyard as I spoke to them from the peak, 6 miles away. At nighttime, the cities below lit up like christmas trees. It was quite a sight. We were only 30 minutes from home, but felt detached from civilization. The area is home to abundant wildlife, including California's Black Bear, mountain lions, foxes, squirrels, and tarantulas, among others. Because it was Winter, and a storm hit the night we were there, we didn't have any company, other than an occasional hiker or cyclist. I took several pictures of the outhouse, inside and out, and immediately noticed how spacious the interior was. It had an odor, though not terribly bad, and this princess was unwilling to venture inside (I opted to tinkle behind some brush). My overall experience was incredibly enthusing, and a nice get away. Due to the enclosed structure, the night was much less cold than I anticipated, and we were quite comfortable with our own sleeping bags on the trundle bed, with battery operated lanterns for light, and an indoor safe, propane fueled space heater. We packed up in the morning and headed back down the peak, as I contemplated that it was a search for an outhouse that took me there. Enjoy the pictures!!! | |
| What else can you see in the images shown? Many times a photo is worth a thousand words and I've only elaborated with a few so why don't you add some "color commentary" to my collection. If your addition is worthy, you will find the quote added on the Comments to the Curator
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