Hi mineralogical friends!
Due to access issues, the November Cajalco trip fell out of schedule. Instead, let’s see a much more visitor-friendly place in December: Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center is our next destination on Saturday, Dec 14, 2024. We will visit the Center and see the mineral collection introduced to us by the staff on Zoom during the pandemic.
We will meet on Saturday, the 14th, at 10:00 AM in Jurupa Valley, at the following address: 7621 Granite Hill Drive, Jurupa Valley. It’s 45 miles from Pasadena. The driving time is 45 min with normal traffic in the morning. Take I-60 toward Riverside, get off at the Pyrite St exit, go left under the freeway, then turn right on Granite Hill Drive, and continue for 3/4 mi to the Center entrance.
Here is the JMDC visit timeline, prepared by the Executive Director, Wes Andree:
-
Arrive by 10:00 am.
-
Pay a $10 Parking fee at the entrance Kiosk. Keep the Parking ticket with you.
If you decide to shop at JMDC you can get a $10 instant rebate with a single purchase of $40 in JMDC’s Gift Shop of Discoveries or Granite Hill Nursery. -
At 10:15 am, assemble in Sunken Garden for a brief introduction to JMDC and some key staff members.
-
At 10:30 am, you’ll tour the Museum of Discoveries with a JMDC Staff member will take 3/4 to 1 hour depending on Q&A.
-
At 11:30 am, you can choose from a few options to finish your visit to JMDC.
-
1) Staff lead you on a paid activity giving you an opportunity to see one of our programs that Student Explorers experience with a School Learning Expedition. The extra cost is $9.00 per person.
-
2) Explore the Gift Shop of Discoveries and Critter Corner.
-
3) Explore Granite Hill Nursery and speak with a Staff member about cactus, succulents, and plumeria.
-
4) Explore the 9 acres of the lower grounds where you can see half of our dinosaur sculptures and different gardens.
-
-
At 1:00 pm, you’ll all be ready for lunch. Sit in a reserved area and bring your own picnic lunches, or there are several restaurants within a 1/2 mile of JMDC if you want to bring food in for lunch, and a few that will deliver. The staff can get you a list if you’d like.
-
At 3:00 pm the gate closes to incoming visitors, and the crew clears the property by 3:30 pm so they can get ready for Sunday.
At 11:00 am JMDC will have the Claremont Ukelele Club playing holiday songs for a sing-along in the Gift Shop. They’ll be serving bottomless hot chocolate and s’mores while supplies last. You make your own s’more at one of our three s’more-making stations. They will play until about 12:30 pm. There is no charge, but a recommended donation of $5.00 is requested for hot chocolate and s’mores. The club will have a tip jar out.
Hope to see you all there,
MarekC