Pearblossom Llano, CA

At the eastern end of Los Angeles County, Highway 138 runs through a long, quiet stretch of desert before Highway 18 peels off toward the Victor Valley. Pearblossom and Llano share that stretch, two small unincorporated places strung along the road with the San Gabriels on one side and open Mojave on the other. The western end, around Pearblossom, has the most houses and the closest thing to a town, with a county park and a scattering of homes and trailers on side streets off the highway. Past that, parcels get larger and emptier, and by Llano a house can sit alone on its lot with a clear view in every direction. The county runs Pearblossom Park for the community, and the road up to Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area climbs south into the foothills for trails and a county nature center. Out toward Llano, Crystalaire Country Club runs a golf course on Boca Raton Avenue. The old Huxley property near Llano is now Picture Ranch, used as a filming location. There is little to eat right on this stretch, so meals out mean heading west. Golden Star Vineyards on 106th Street East pours its estate wines on weekend afternoons, Littlerock Grill on the highway covers breakfast and pizza, and Charlie Brown Farms is the traditional stop for a date shake on the way home. What makes daily life here unusual is sitting on the county line. Pearblossom and Llano reward those who like a long drive with the mountains alongside, since almost every trip starts with one.