Of all the places I’ve ever been, one of my favorites is within 20 minutes of my house.

It’s a little known,  slightly secret,  train memorial called

Hill 582….

I’m not a huge train fan, (though Jeff is) but I love this place so much because (believe it or not), it’s  just so darn peaceful.

Hill 582 is not particularly easy to get to. It does require a high clearance vehicle and travel on dirt roads. It’s also necessary to drive a portion of the road directly next to the train tracks. The railroad will allow this right of way as long as people continue to be respectful.

Certain times of the year, the Cajon Pass, where the memorial is located, is the “wind capital of the world”.  Beginning around October 1st through the end of November the Santa Ana winds may blow and when they do…watch out!  They can be very strong.

Though hill 582,  is remote, it’s also very popular with people from all over the world.

Every time we’ve been there, we’ve made new friends.

This is the view from the top looking down the tracks with the memorial on the left.

 

The back side of the memorial has some signs and pieces of an old tunnel that was torn out when the tracks were widened.

But the best part of all, is this bench on the front side.

 From here you have a view of multiple train tracks, all snaking their way down the Cajon Pass.

As if that wasn’t enough, the caretakers have added a bird feeder where hundreds of birds of all shapes and sizes come to feed.

Next to the bench is a little collection of memorials to former train workers.

The excitement really begins when a train comes by.  You can either watch peacefully from the bench for a view like this…

…or you can walk to the edge of the hill and look directly down on the track for views like these…

Downhill…

Or Uphill…

Either way,  Hill 582 is a gorgeous place to pass the time…