Finishing up our stay in Santa Fe, Marcel and Sandi headed back home to Utah, while we visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. When we visited the museum a few years ago, it was all about her flower artwork – at least that is my recollection. This time it was about her life and her various phases of art evolution. Prominent was her relationship and marriage with New Yorker, Alfred Stieglitz. New York was her home base for many years, while spending some time each year during two decades in New Mexico. After Alfred’s death, she relocated to her New Mexico home base – the Ghost Ranch.
The three-day drive from Santa Fe was uneventful as we powered through familiar territory. In Arizona, we took a short detour through Holbrook, on our way to our overnight campsite in Williams. Holbrook, once known as “too tough for women and churches”, was a prominent stop along Route 66. After I-40 bypassed the city, the population remained at about 5,000 with tourism as the largest economic driver. Nearby attractions include the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, a Navajo Indian Reservation, a Hopi Indian Reservation, the Painted Desert, and the Petrified Forest National Park. It does not look economically healthy, with many buildings boarded up or abandoned. So why go there?
Wigwam Motel
The original sign is still there.
The Wigwam Motel office, store, and museum
Specifically we wanted to see the Wigwam Motel, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel Snack Stand in Disney California Adventure, as well as the Cozy Cone Motel in Radiator Springs in the animated films Cars and Cars II. (Thank you Jaqueline Kyle for the suggestion.) Parked in front of each wigwam was a vintage 1950s or 1960s car. I guess, if we ever want to move to Santa Fe, and needed a vintage car, this is the place to come. The office was closed during our stop, so we didn’t get a chance for a more detailed look. I can’t wait for my next trip to Disneyland, to taste the gourmet menu at the Cozy Cone Motel Snack Stand!
The Wigwam Motel rooms with great looking vintage cars.
Referring back to one of the first El Norte posts, recall that we discovered a glider airport in Tehachapi on our way out to Arizona. Since I’ve always wanted to fly in a glider, this seemed like a great opportunity, on our return trip thru Tehachapi. In fact we arranged for two of Roselie’s brothers and their wives to join us – everyone was up for taking a ride. When we arrived, they gave us the bad news! The airport would be shut down for three days for maintenance work on their runways. No rides! UGH!
The lonely (closed) glider runway!
We were already committed to staying an extra day. So what’s there to do or see in the area? A web search offered three sights: the Cesar Chavez National Center, the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, and the Tehachapi Loop (I mercifully decided to leave off another featured sight – an ostrich farm).
Yes, this WAS going to be my ride for the day! Grounded!
Roselie’s family was not encouraging about these ‘featured sights.’ Why do you want to see them? We decided to go! What’s there to lose – other than time? Finding our first destination, the National Cesar Chavez Center was a challenge – it’s actually in Keene, just a few miles away from Tehachapi. No clear signage, single lane, dirt roads – we finally followed another car that seemed to know where they were going. It was designated the National Chavez Center by Obama last year and is definitely a work in process. It covered very little about Chavez himself, and instead displayed photographs of other participants in the grape boycott. Why was it located here in Keene? Well, it seems that Chavez had an office in the area – now that’s a stretch since most of the activity was in the Bakersfield area. My best guess is that they wanted to give some financial aid to Keene.
The Cesar Chavez Center
Cesar Chavez Memorial Garden
On the way to Keene, we passed one of the other highlights, the Tehachapi Loop. What is it? Basically it is a three-quarter mile spiral railroad track that allows the trains to climb over the pass while limiting the track grade to 2%. It passes over itself as it rises about 80 feet at the crossover point. There is no View Point and very little to see unless you catch a train passing around the loop – waited 20 minutes, no train – moved on!
After Roselie’s family arrived, in place of the glider ride, we explored all three blocks of Old Town Tehachapi, including the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum. You guessed it! It was CLOSED! That’s it for Tehachapi. We’ll be back at some point for the glider ride. For now, it’s homeward bound.
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