Hello all my readers out there. I have to say, I ended up being pleasantly surprised with my discoveries over the weekend in Fresno, California. What am I doing in Fresno? Well, let’s just say it was a fairly last minute decision. When I first arrived, Fresno wasn’t looking like much more than strip shopping centers and apartment complexes. Reminded me a bit of Orlando. However, I came across one particular landmark, a historic landmark no less, that still has me in awe of one man’s determination to live his dream.
The place I’m talking about is Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno. When I think of this amazing place, I’m reminded of a quote by Henry Ford who said, “If you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you’re right.” No one man proved that quote to be true better than Baldassare Forestiere as far as I’m concerned. I apologize in advance for not having images of this fascinating landscape. I’ve had issues with adding high resolution photos to my posts, but please look up Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno if you’re interested in learning more, and I encourage everyone who can to pay a visit and take the tour.
Baldassare Forestiere was a Sicilian immigrant who came to America in 1901 to pursue his dreams of becoming a citrus farmer (that’s straight off the website, www.undergroundgardens.com. I try not to plagiarize). He first arrived in Boston, only to find out there’s not a lot of citrus farming there. After moving to California, he bought 80 acres of land at one dollar per acre, which was every dime he had at the time.
Ready to get started farming, Baldassare dug into the ground, only to find out that about four feet under the surface he hit hardpan sedimentary rock, which is not exactly an ideal situation for growing citrus trees. I can’t imagine what would be going through my head at that time. I probably would have thought, “Well, I’m screwed” and started scheming to sell the land after calling myself a complete idiot for a few days. What did Baldassare do? He went to work with a pick axe, a shovel and a wheelbarrow, and chipped away at solid hardpan for 40 years, and he did that after working his day job of digging tunnels. That’s right, he worked all day digging tunnels, saved whatever scrap materials he could find, and then dug away on his own land and used those scraps where he could, for 40 years.
What he ended up with is an amazing network of underground tunnels that he made into underground gardens, as well as his living room, bedroom and kitchen. So in the end, he did become a citrus grower after all. Once he succeeded at citrus growing, he decided to turn the area into a resort. Think about that. Baldassare Forestiere went from having nothing but a pick axe, shovel and wheelbarrow, and land that was nothing but dirt and rock, to a fully functioning resort, with no money.
When I was on the tour of the gardens over the weekend, with sheer amazement I asked the guide, “This was all done with a pick axe?” to which the guide responded yes. I had only seen the very first room we entered when I asked the question. It would be impressive for a team of people with heavy machinery to have done what this one man did, all by himself, with simple farm tools. As if that isn’t amazing enough, he did it with no drawn out plans or blueprints of any kind. He just used his imagination.
After seeing the underground gardens, I moved on to the vineyards in Fresno, which was another great discovery, at least for me. As I went on to check out these wineries, taste some wine and chat with the patrons there, I couldn’t stop thinking about the incredible determination that man must have had to do what he did, for as long as he did, with nothing but a few farm implements.
So what did I learn from this leg of my journey? First of all, you never know what you’re going to come across out there when you start exploring. I wasn’t sure what to think of Fresno when I first came here, but I came across the best example I think I’ve ever seen as to how important mind power can be. Second, you really can make anything happen if you have the determination and drive. I’ve heard those words said time and time again, and if I’ve ever needed a reminder that those words are true, I sure got one, thanks to the man himself, Baldassare Forestiere.