West Antelope Valley, CA

Highway 138 is the thread that holds the West Antelope Valley together, a two-lane run across the far western corner of Los Angeles County from the last of Lancaster's farm grid to Interstate 5. Along the way it passes far more fence posts and Joshua trees than front doors, and that ratio sets the tone for everything else. The land shifts as the highway heads west. The middle belongs to Neenach, an 1870s farm settlement that now amounts to a cafe, scattered ranches and a school building that closed years ago. Farther on, the ground lifts toward Quail Lake and the mountain pass at Gorman. Expect farmhouses, older ranch homes and manufactured units set well back on parcels measured in acres, usually with a barn, a hay pile or horse pens nearby. There are no subdivisions yet, though the large Centennial plan on Tejon Ranch land near the freeway could bring thousands of houses if it moves ahead. Spring is when the outdoors takes over. The Ripley Desert Woodland protects older Joshua trees a few miles west, and out toward the freeway Pyramid Lake draws boaters while Hungry Valley draws dirt bikes. Eating out comes down to one counter. Neenach Cafe and Market cooks burgers and pizza to order, makes espresso and sells fuel and groceries, and it doubles as a resupply stop for Pacific Crest Trail hikers passing through. Near Gorman, a roadside diner and the fast food exits handle freeway traffic. The cost of all that space is distance from routine errands. Neenach is over 30 miles from Lancaster, so a pharmacy pickup, a dentist visit or a full grocery run can take most of a morning. After dark, with almost nothing lit between here and there, the city shows up as a faint glow on the eastern horizon.