Color Tehachapi, Land of 4 Seasons

Jill von Ranson Davies.

Color Tehachapi, Land of 4 Seasons cover.

In 1997, we drove on 58 West toward our new home, Tehachapi. The tenor of the Mojave Desert seemed to follow us as we climbed along with stands of small Joshua trees striving to make it to higher elevation. On our left, colorful BNSF freight cars snaked along in hues of pullman green, ochre and iron red, while micro wind turbines resembling a child's Erector Set silhouetted the somber hills on either side.

Just before passing the beached "SS Minnow" boat near the exit to Sand Canyon, a wedge of deep blue that went all the way to San Jose appeared in western skies. On our right was the Lehigh cement plant, a backdrop for a herd of cattle chomping salt-meadow grass in the usually dry Proctor Lake.

Where were the trees? The land still seemed barren, reluctant to part with its connection to the desert below, or had it once been a shallow sea 25 million years ago. Or perhaps it had been stripped by waters of a retreating a glacier 10,000 years ago?

The railroad tracks led us a couple nondescript miles along Tehachapi Boulevard before we began to see signs of urban amenities – street trees and markers for historic downtown. As stark as the approach to Tehachapi from the east was, the town's charm made up for it. We passed the old library, weathered apple and potato packing sheds, the burned shell of the BeeKay Theater, a retired water tower for steam locomotives and Gallery 'N' Gifts on its strategic corner. Across the boulevard was the Union Pacific Railroad Depot – the original before it burned, and an antique shed and auction house that is now Kohnen's Country Bakery.

There was, of course, Burger Spot touting "good old honest cooking," and trains, and fiddlers fiddling down the tracks. Over and down the hill was Tehachapi Loop. The place had an aura of apples and donkeys, lilacs and Kelsey's corned beef hash – things I had been wanting. I remember Tucker Road was still country. The town had one traffic light.

When we drove deeper into the environs of Tehachapi the area abounded with beauty. Ancient blue oaks, angular uplifted boulders and stunning views graced the ridges and canyons in Bear Valley and Stallion Springs. Golden chapparal hugged the paths to Brite Lake. The back road winding to Keene was a delicious journey unto itself.

In 1997 we didn't detect a whiff of all that was to come – the musk of wine aging in casks, evenly disced rows of organic cabbage, mushrooms and microbrews, flower farms featuring the sweet pea, hothouse tomatoes, dried lavender, and an American icon, the pumpkin! Historical murals and memorial benches, Meadowbrook Dog Park and bike paths, fishing derbies and plein air art shows, Cerro Coso Community College, the Visitor Center and Railroad Park – at that time all were barely a conception in the minds of Tehachapi's social entrepreneurs.

This is to say, in 1997 Tehachapi was a cute town. I felt at home with the old-timey vibe. Over the past 28 years those things that were to come, came, thanks to creative hardworking townspeople. Today it is more colorful and every bit as cute. I have tried to capture these memories of time long past and recently come to be. Historic and new landmarks and events alike are depicted in 68 drawings in the handdrawn coloring book: "Color Tehachapi, Land of 4 Seasons." To purchase your copy please email [email protected].

Jill von Ranson Davies.

Illustration of Kelcy's Restaurant.