Tag: Tehachapi

  • Gloomy Afternoon

    Gloomy Afternoon

    I was out walking to clear my head, or to find peace, or to have a break from the chaos around me. I had a lot on my mind and, well, as they say solvitur ambulando.

    He was in the hospital. Had been for three weeks. He was not doing well, refusing either to get worse or better. The options for tomorrow were bad and bad. Prioritizing his health denied his freedom and autonomy. Respecting his wishes ensured an agonizing end, for everybody, and put others at risk. There was no good solution, just versions of bad. All made worse by an inversion of traditional roles. I needed to grab my camera and go for a walk. The afternoon made manifest the murkiness of my own thoughts.

    Landscape #241230 is a narrow photo of a tree in heavy fog, the sun a small bright spot to the left of the tree. The hillside cuts across the frame at an angle.
    Landscape #241230.

    I walked for miles that afternoon. By the time I arrived back at the house, I had decided on a way forward. Lurking somewhere in the recesses of my mind, however, was the fear that this would go all wrong. The fog obscured both the landscape that afternoon and the particular contours of my fear. Now four months later, the fog has cleared, revealing my fears.

  • Tehachapi Blvd

    Tehachapi Blvd

    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.

    Urban #250207.0. A color photo of the Burger Spot sign.
    Urban #250207.0.

    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.

    Urban #250207.2. A color photograph of Kelcy’s Restaurant in Tehachapi.
    Urban #250207.2.

    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.

    Urban #250207.3. A color photograph of the Tehachapi Arts Center, in Tehachapi.
    Urban #250207.3.

    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.

  • Packing List

    Packing List

    The trains pass slowly through town. I could probably run alongside and climb on. I wonder where I would end up. Years ago, when a freight line still ran through the local town, I did climb on. Hours later it stopped outside some dusty town. I got off and went in search of a phone. Today I resisted the urge to go for a ride. Instead, I watched and imagined where this train loaded with freight was headed.

    Photo “Urban #250207.1.” A color photo of a line of military vehicles being shipped somewhere on rail cars.
    Urban #250207.1.

    Flatcar after flatcar each carrying two combat vehicles. Hundreds of them rumbled slowly by. Millions of dollars of sophisticated military equipment. And yet, how banal: a “packing list” duck-taped to each one, as if they are nothing more than typical Amazon packages.

    Photo “Urban #250207.2.” A color photo of a cammoflage military vehicle on a train car.
    Urban #250207.2.

    I wonder if there’s a return shipping label inside too?