East Kern weather

Fall has arrived in all of Eastern Kern and of course Tehachapi, where the morning temperatures are a bit cooler than say, Ridgecrest.

I was looking for stories about weather and actually found two articles that my mother Marion Deaver had written about desert weather. Of course we all know by now from reading my column that my mother never thought to include a date on anything she cut out to save.

I believe the first article was from the early ‘60s as the community of Mojave sought to grow after the U.S. Marines pulled out of the base there and moved to Yuma.

In the first article, my mother noted “If sunshine and clear, smog-free air could be bottled and sold; Eastern Kern would have a product that could find a ready market on both a national and worldwide scale.” But that was not possible so the “city fathers” were doing everything they could to advertise to tourists about the wonderful weather and things to do around the area.

The smog-free air and dry climate were a great attraction for industry, they added. The article noted that at that time there were over 9,000 cars traveling through Mojave, along with 1,000 trucks per day.

Travelers could take advantage of nine motels in the town and a number of restaurants and service stations. (No mention was made about the rather significant number of bars in town at that time.)

Mojave has always been a crossroad to other areas. Those who developed the ways to attract tourists said that Mojave was a popular stop for skiers, fishermen, and rock hounds.

Mojave has been and still is a site for shooting many movies, including Big Country (Red Rock Canyon.) More recently film makers have used the Mojave Spaceport for shooting all types of movies. Such activities have brought in money for the local economy for restaurants and motels.

Now we will move on to the opposite type of weather. Some of you have read my column when I have referred to the “blizzard of ‘62. I was almost 12 when it hit in January, I think. (Again, there were no dates on the clipping!)

I remember a lot of it, but I never really left the house during and after the big snow and wind event, and this article has given me more information. I knew that they opened the Mojave veterans Building for travelers and that the motels were full, but I didn’t realize the entire extent of the impact of the storm.

My mom’s article began with “They slept – or stayed awake –all over Mojave last night, all 1,600 of them who had no intention of doing more than slowing down as they passed through.”

Those who were stuck in town after all the roads closed around them even spent the night with residents who “opened their hearts and homes and kept the coffee pot streaming for the cold, weary and hungry travelers” who had nowhere else to go.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Co. also opened its dormitory housing to 40 persons for the night. The Mojave Hospital, which had been closed for more than a year at the time, opened its doors and people were able to sleep in the beds there.

The storm was referred to the “most unusual weather since 1937.” Many were rescued by chain equipped trucks driving up and down the highways by Kern County Sherriff’s Deputies, leaving the highways clogged with both snow and vehicles.

For those that no one was able to rescue, jeeps and trucks went out the next morning to bring them into town.

Since then I can remember a brutal snow storm that closed roads in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s. The storm was followed by an extreme temperature inversion and I did not go to work at Rockwell in Palmdale for several days.

Then there was what my brother refers to as the blizzard of 2008, which was not as extreme as some in the past. Also, no one can forget the “1,000 year flood” that happened last year and trapped dozens of cars and occupants on the 58 near Cameron Canyon overnight before they were rescued.

Global warming – don’t know. Drought yes, but the flood occurred right in the middle of the drought last year. Never underestimate what God has in store for the weather. Keep that umbrella and boots by the door!