Peggy Barthel got her Master's in Geology on almost the same day as she and Tony bought the Featherbed Railroad. While she had worked for Earth Tech on the project of cleaning up Edwards Air Force Base, today she enjoys meeting wonderful people like yourself. Peggy also is a big fan of the desert and did her Master's Thesis on the source of the groundwater in Zzyzx. At Zzyzx, there is a small groundwater pond about as big as a Jacuzzi tub in a Featherbed Railroad suite and there are native Mohave Tui Chub fish there. Why the water remains at the same level and at almost the same temperature year-round is what Peggy figured out.
Tony Barthel has published the Curbside Car Show Calendar and Website since 1996. Tony's a huge computer nerd so you might talk tech with him, or talk cars. Or trains. Tony's syndicated newspaper column about cars reached up to 280 newspapers when they were still popular and, today, he still loves anything that burns gasoline, diesel fuel, coal, oil and all those things. Some think that Tony has motor oil instead of blood.
Why It Looks So Good Here - Jim Gee
We get lots and lots of comments about how good the grounds look. Tony and Peggy have nothing to do with that, you can credit Jim Gee, our groundskeeper for that. He's here at least once a day, often twice, taking care of the grounds. He's a great guy who's former Air Force and is truly a blessing to Tony & Peggy.
Trina
Since Trina came aboard, guests have been so happy with how clean the rooms are. Using all green cleaning supplies, Trina is so great at keeping the cabooses ship shape. But she also might be found checking you in, rebuilding a room, painting and so much more.
Jessica
Jessica is Tony and Peggy's 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Van. Jessica isn't bad, she just drives that way. On occasional weekend outings, you might see this unusual and completely restored machine roaming the streets of Lake County getting a fair amount of attention. People love her or don't. You can be sure that Jessica won't be voting for Ralph Nader, although she is Unsafe at Any Speed. Peggy recently got her own Corvair, a 1962 Corvair Wagon that Tony's in the process of restoring, or so he says.
The Four-Legged Staff
There are two dogs on the property at any given time. Zora and Ginger are thoroughly entertained by the local squirrel population. Then there are T-Bird and Brenda, Jim, our most excellent groundskeeper's dogs. They usually just follow Jim around. Lastly, Stella moseys over from next door. To obey our own rules and for your comfort, none of these pets is allowed in our suites. You can also bring your own dogs to the Featherbed Railroad - check out our poochie policy.
In addition to dogs, there is also a desert tortoise on property - Pippin.