I had just finish breakfast at Kelcy’s and looked to avoid the day’s tasks. So I walked along Tehachapi Blvd. Just a couple of blocks, the downtown section. It has a dated feel. Not like the retro-revival main streets in so many upscale cities — Tehachapi doesn’t have the wealth to support or the culture to put up with retro-revival. No. Tehachapi is more honest with itself and visitors.
I have long found the signs along here interesting. I have taken countless pictures of “The Burger Spot,” its simple, faded design often stands out against the blue sky. The burgers and fries are tasty. Today, I enjoyed the person standing outside the liquor store, having just exited carrying the morning’s beverage.
Kelcy’s is all the rage in the summer months, when “hikers” fill the booths and take up much of the counter space. Tehachapi used to be a significant stop on the railroad, as the local museum will tell you. Today, trains slow as they pass through town but don’t stop. Hikers, however, seem to fill the town, telling stories of their adventures along the PCT. They seem more devoted to talking about hiking than about hiking.
Businesses that don’t cater to the hikers passing through have a tougher time of it. This building has been an auto parts store, a secondhand shop, and an arts center. I suspect it won’t be long before the arts center becomes something else.
That February morning I felt Tehachapi’s fatigue.