A New View of the Palm and the Pine-

The Two Trees to be Replaced by 30 trees in Caltrans Plan

The Palm and the Pine to the left will eventually be taken out of the median on Highway 99 and will be placed with 30 trees west of the roadway. Photo: Steve Newvine

The center of California, the midpoint between the Mexican and the Oregon border, is the Palm and the Pine, on California Highway 99 south of Madera.

Those two trees signify to drivers that they are crossing from the palm trees of southern California to the pine trees of the north.

The trees were planted decades ago. However, with no solid record of how they started, there have been stories about whose idea it was to create this symbol of the state's center.

One version follows the line of two college students planting trees. Another version points to a store owner who may have planted them to promote his business.

In addition to the stories about the trees' planting, there was also a country song, Northern California (Where the Palm Tree Meets the Pine).

California Gold host Huell Howser featured the trees in one of his episodes from the 1990s.  

This column has discussed the palm and Pine several times over the past twelve years. I have also been interviewed by broadcast stations in Los Angeles and Sacramento about the trees and their meaning to the region.

This photo from Google Earth is about as close as anyone can get to the trees safely now.  

Something new is coming along to give the Palm and the Pine the treatment they deserve in signifying the center of the state. Caltrans is expanding that section of Highway 99 beginning in 2025. The two trees will be removed, but in their place will be a new presentation that no one should miss.

The plan calls for planting 15 pine and 15 palm trees along the west side of Highway 99, a short distance south of the current spot. Caltrans believes the 15 new trees will give motorists passing seventy miles per hour a better view of the Palm and the Pine.

Many have shared stories of driving by the two trees for years without realizing they are the famed Palm and Pine.

Some, including me, stressed that transportation planners and local government leaders might have missed an opportunity to do something special to promote this unique landmark.

There is currently no artist's conception of the new display of palms and pines. This is the road architecture plan from Caltrans showing where the new trees will be placed.  

It may have taken the state a while to figure out a better way to show off the center of the state, but with highway expansion a necessity, the time was right.

According to the Caltrans plan for the new Palm and Pine designation, the spot will be an upgraded regional landmark symbolizing the center of California.

The Caltrans plan states, “’Where the Palm Meets the Pine’ landmark trees add to the visual character of the project corridor.”

Caltrans considered two other options when it became clear this portion of Highway 99 was ready for expansion.

Both rejected options would have kept the location of the trees in an expanded median. Both were dropped as it impacted the width of the shoulders of the road, restricted maintenance access, and posed safety concerns.

This is the anticipated new home for the Palm and the Pine along Highway 99. Photo: Steve Newvine

According to Caltrans Public Information Officer Larry Johnson, “With the added lanes, one in each direction, and the new center divider, the trees had to come out.”

When finished, this section of Highway 99 will have six lanes of traffic. The roadway has been in a seemingly perpetual state of expansion over the past decade, including widening projects here in Merced County over the past few years.

Some have expressed concerns over the plan. The Marketing Director for the Madera County tourism agency reached out to the state for consideration of a designated rest area where people can pull off the highway.

Another idea was to move the presentation north near the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County.

The exact location on Highway 99 is of little concern, given that the actual geographical center of the state is about forty miles due east from the roadway in North Fork, Madera County.

Regardless of those concerns, the plan to replace the two trees with thirty and move the whole presentation to the western side of the highway is in the works.

The old trees will be removed in 2025, and the new trees—all thirty of them—will be planted by early 2026.

Despite any concerns others may have, everyone likely agrees that the future home for the Land of the Palm and the Pine will be upgraded from the current location.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He is filling in for host Roger Wood on KYOS Community Conversations on Saturday, July 20. One of his guests will be the regional spokesperson for Caltrans, who will discuss the Palm and the Pine.

Steve’s book, Rocket Reporter, is available at ROCKET REPORTER (lulu.com). His California books are available locally from the Merced Courthouse Museum Gift Shop.

Yosemite Via Trains, Buses and Bikes-

Northern California Pair Make the Journey Using Only Public Transportation

Russ and Paula Sunn are waiting for their northbound Amtrak at the Merced train station. Photo: Steve Newvine

It has been said the journey is often more important than the destination.

A married couple from Chico traveled to Merced and then on to Yosemite National Park recently.

Their story is unique because of how they got there.

Russ and Paula Sunn took their four-day vacation to Yosemite using only public transportation and their bicycles.

The journey started with a three-a.m. wake-up alarm in their northern California home. From Chico, they took a bus to Sacramento. Later in the day, they were on a train from the capital city to Merced.

From there, they took the YARTS bus (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) straight into the Park, where they camped for a few days before heading back using public transportation.

Russ Sunn in front of a pristine view inside Yosemite Park. Photo: Russ and Paula Sunn.

The Sunns have foldable bicycles and are packed creatively for their adventure.

“For us, the whole idea is to do a trip like this using only public transportation,” Paula told me as the couple waited to catch the afternoon northbound train for Sacramento.

The pair has considerable experience using public transportation to get around California.  

They pack tight and pack light.

They must not be overwhelmed moving around train stations with lots of stuff they feel they don’t need.

“We each had our bikes, a bag that attaches to the front of the bike, and a day pack that held our camping equipment, clothing, cooking equipment, and most of our food,” Paula said. “Schlepping it on and off trains and buses worked out just fine.”

Russ and Paula Sunn on a memorable vacation in Yosemite National Park. Photo: Russ and Paula Sunn

The couple was among the many families that lost their homes during the devastating wildfires that wiped out the community of Paradise in northern California a few years ago.

“After losing nearly all of our possessions in the Camp Fire, we had to rethink what we would replace,” Paula said. “We've realized that there are some things we could just rent when we needed them instead of making investments in things that we only used occasionally.”

Traveling by public transportation is common in the Sunn household. Russ says they have grown comfortable using buses and trains to get around.

“Paula takes a combination of bus and train to visit our daughter’s family in Santa Cruz every month,” Russ says. “She has the logistics down and makes the trip regularly.”

Using the YARTS bus takes a lot of frustration out of trying to get into the Park especially in the busy summer season.

The Sunns carried their bags and two foldable bikes and could sit back and enjoy the ride as passengers.

The Sunns felt a true sense of accomplishment traveling from Chico to Yosemite using nothing but public transportation and their foldable bicycles. Photo: Steve Newvine

Once inside Yosemite, the Sunns headed to the campground where a site they had reserved online was ready. Soon, the bikes came out as they saw many sites within cycling distance.

 Upon returning from their trip, the Sunns realized that making the journey this way was more satisfying than driving their car.

“Musing over our trip afterward, we realized that by not traveling by car, we met far more people in our travels.” 

The Sunns shared a sense of accomplishment over their journey to Yosemite using public transportation.

They have experienced a lot in recent years and have learned much about being reliant on too many things that families acquire over the years.  

Paula sums it up with a thought about the danger of acquiring too much.

“There's also the knowledge that you can lose everything in the blink of an eye, so there's more reluctance to get too attached to things.” 

Their destination was Yosemite, and they had a memorable visit inside the iconic national park.

But their journey, relying on public transportation and their bikes, made this vacation stand out as something special.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.

He thanks the members of the Merced-AARP for inviting him to talk about his books and the people he meets when writing his twice-monthly column on MercedCountyEvents.

If your organization would like to have him present a program, you can reach him at SteveNewvine@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book, Beaten Paths and Back Roads, is available at the Merced County Courthouse Museum gift shop or online at https://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-newvine/beaten-paths-and-back-roads/paperback/product-emmv6r.html?q=beaten+paths+steve+newvine&page=1&pageSize=4