A Southern California Institution

Coming back from Palm Springs Sunday afternoon on our trip to get more swag, Leslie and I decided to stop at Morongo to gas up and stop at Hadley's.

I bought gas there for $1.99 which might sound expensive to some of you but is real cheap for California.

Don't recall how long it's been since we've been under two bucks but it has been quite a while.

We drove over to Hadley and guess what, it wasn't there! Damn. I've been going to Hadley since I was a kid. I was bumming to see the old green building boarded up but Leslie espied the small sign that alerted us to a shiny new facility on the hill. We drove on over.

Place is pretty spiffy!

Hadley started in business in Pasadena in 1931. I have been going to the funky Cabazon location at least since 1971, when I was in boarding school at Desert Sun in nearby Idyllwild. Place is famous for their delicious date shakes.

The Hadley family had various locations, one long since closed in Carlsbad. Great place to buy dried fruit, nuts and trail mix, that sort of thing. Not cheap but great quality. Somewhere along the line the business was sold to the Morongo Indian Tribe, who had worked for the original family since its inception.

The place is almost too modern and clean inside now, like a Sprouts. Miss the funk a little bit. We both favor the date banana shake and bought a large one to share. Very thick, seriously yummy. I bought some succulent dried peaches and a couple other things. The cashier told me that they had been open since New Years. An interesting mix of bikers, gays, heartlanders and punk rockers in line and at the new, enlarged eating section. Even some normal muggle types like me.

Glad they're still in business.