Jones Store - Beasore Meadow

Several weeks ago, we had read an article in the Fresno Bee about Jones Store at Beasore Meadow.  We thought it would be a fun day trip to take my parents on.  On Saturday, Wayne's birthday, we decided to make the run.  

 

The store is North above Bass Lake in eastern Madera County. There's no electricity. No phone reception. No TV. The original Jones Store was built in 1936 to serve the cattle ranchers in the Sierra. Winter snow buckled the store's roof. So, 50 feet away, another store -- larger and with a second floor -- was built with a corrugated roof in 1954.  It's still standing, and still the same.

Vern and Lois Black live upstairs above the store. He is 91 and does just about every chore on the property. She bakes the pies that the store sells. It costs $4.50.  Hamburgers cost $6.  The Blacks live in Pismo Beach. In June, they travel to Beasore Meadow to open the store and cabins. By the end of  September, with the usual start of snow, they start shutting down. By early October, the Blacks head back to Pismo.  This year they are shutting down Oct. 14

Inside the store, the same bar stools and countertops remain, fashioned out of Cedar trees cut down on the property.

My Mom ordered a chilli dog and had a shock when it was delivered.  The man that brought it out was surprised to seethat she had ordered it - he was expecting a big strapping teenage boy.  IT WAS HUMONGOUS!!  She ate about 1/4 of it.  It was open faced and even had a strip of Tri Tip on the top.  I think that the Tri Tip sandwiches were not moving very fast and they needed to get rid of it.

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Our lunch was wonderful and we had fun looking at all the old stuff in the little "store".  Actually, the only items we saw that looked like they could be for sale were a few canned goods lined up on shelves behind the counter.  They really only looked like they were there for decoration.  It was a beautiful day with great weather and made for a good ride.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/17/2956069/visiting-jones-store-in-madera.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

 

The double-door beer box dates to 1925. A vintage Servel refrigerator that holds sodas is 85 years old. There are actually several Servel's and a couple Whirlpools.  Loved the colors.

     

Outdoors, a Globe manual gas pump dates to the 1920s, believed to be the last still in operation in California. Customers fill the globe with the number of gallons of gasoline they desire, then press a handle that relies on gravity to fill their vehicle with the gas.  I had to have a picture taken of my father standing next to it since they are probably both 92 years old.

 





The Blacks also manage 12 rustic, two-room cabins in a clearing behind the store. Cost is $850 for three months or $7.50 a day. Vern Black has two rules: Don't do anything illegal in the cabins, and pitch in with chores if called upon. There's a waiting list of 20 people.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/17/2956069_p2/visiting-jones-store-in-madera.html#storylink=cpy

On our way home, since we were passing right by Yosimite Lakes, we decided to do a surprise visit to my brother.  We got to see the results of all his hard work over the past several months.  His house and yard are looking great and it was good to spend a little time with them.

I have decided that these little day trips are good for the soul.  If anyone has suggestions for some more of them in the Fresno area please let me know.