James Dean died in September 1955; he was just 24 years old. He was on his way from L.A. to Salinas to compete in an auto race. The car was supposed to be taken up on a trailer but it was felt that the engine needed more break-in time before it got tested on the track so James and his mechanic hopped into the Porsche 550 Spider “Little Bastard” and headed north. Hoping to escape Mr. Dean’s fate, Robin and I hopped on the motorcycle intent on following (roughly) the route that sent this young actor straight into immortality.
It was a beautiful day here and although there are many things that I do not like about California, the weather isn’t one of them. It’s still too cold to take some of the less traveled routes over the mountains (motorcycles don’t last long on icy roads) so after taking the back roads through Fillmore, we got on the Interstate for a few miles. Between Bakersfield and Los Angeles the Golden State Freeway climbs sharply over the Tehachapi Mountains; maximum elevation at the Tejon Pass is 4,185 feet. This steep climb is called “The Grapevine” not for the steep winding road, but because of the canyon it passes through has wild grapes that still grow along the original road. Before the road was straightened and widened, The Grapevine was the bane truckers due to the high accident rate and challenging driving conditions caused by steep grades on both sides of the mountain.
All of that twisty roads stuff is just music to a motorcycle riders ear though so other than being down right cold at the top, we cruised up and down that 40 mile stretch of road with no problem at all. We left the interstate just after we got down the grade and headed down hwy 166 to Taft. This area is mostly citrus orchards and you can tell it’s spring time out here – those trees are fragrant!! It reminded me of our house in Phoenix, we had 3 citrus trees in the back yard and when those things bloomed – your nose knew it.
At Taft we headed north on hwy 33 (mostly oil wells on this stretch of road) and stopped at Blackwell’s Corner at the intersection of hwy 33 and hwy 46. This corner gas station and store is reported to be James Dean’s last stop, fuel and a little something to eat before getting back on the road. Today, Blackwell’s Corner is a gas station, store and fifties style diner that is a makeshift memorial/museum to Dean and a couple more celebrities that died before their time. There are several murals painted on the walls; one includes Dean, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Ritchie Valens – out of respect to those people I am not sharing a picture of the mural….cough, cough. We got there close to lunch time and based on the line to order food, the fare at the Forever Young restaurant is quite good. On our way out, we successfully resisted the temptations offered at the East of Eden homemade fudge counter, and were headed for our next stop, 26 miles down the Paso Robles Highway – James Dean Memorial Junction.
On exhibit at Blackwell’s Corner. A truck from the dust bowl in the 1930’s.
Where the Spider came to rest after the accident.
These days, a call box is conveniently located near the intersection, just in case…
The intersection of Hwy 46 and Hwy 41 is a Y intersection. The other vehicle involved in the accident, a 1950 Ford Tudor, was driven by Donald Turnupseed. This accident has been the subject of many independent investigations and research studies over the years. The generally accepted conclusion is that Turnupseed did not see the oncoming low profile Porsche, and when he turned in front of Dean there was no time for either driver to prevent the impact; no charges were ever filed.
The James Dean Memorial Tree located in Cholame, CA, just west of the intersection.
Talk about legends living on after death, according to Forbes Magazine, James Dean’s estate still earns $5,000,000 annually.
Okay – we all hope James is resting in peace but it’s time for the rest of us to get down the road. On the way home, on a whim, I turned left down Shell Creek Road and we didn’t see another person for 30 minutes. I really enjoy these little “wonder where this road goes” excursions; good road or bad – they are always (almost) an enjoyable adventure. AND – the ones that aren’t an enjoyable adventure will definitely leave you with a story to tell. No story here though, just a nice quite ride down a tranquil road that for the most part looked like they just laid the asphalt on top of the existing land.
This remote road must have been resurfaced in the last couple years. Note – no center line.
These flowers were all along the road & added a trace of sweet perfume to the air.
Our next stop was a leg stretcher at the Madona Inn. For those of you that have no idea, the Madona Inn is a landmark resort hotel that opened in 1958. The original hotel rooms burned to the ground in 1966. It reopened a year later, and by the end of the decade, all of the rooms had been rebuilt in the unique and ornate style they are known for today.
The 110 rooms at the Madona Inn are “themed” for lack of a better term. Many of them are quite interesting while others are more traditional with a little twist. Here is a link to the best 25 Madona Inn Rooms. Robin’s favorite is Pick and Shovel, mine is Cave Man. We vowed to someday go back and spend a couple nights. After enjoying a beverage and sharing a delicious piece of cake from their popular bakery, we were back on the bike.
It had already been a long day so we took a more direct route home from San Louis Obispo. I was hoping that the flowers would be out on the hills around Los Olivos and I could get a shot like this one, but there weren’t any flowers yet. I don’t think we’re going to get enough rain this year for the flower show.
We haven’t really had much of a winter this year which would be great news for many of you out there but winter is when Southern California gets the vast majority of it’s rain and snow. Without that, we end up hurting for water & that’s been the way of things for the past 3 or 4 years in a row. Sure would be nice if someone could figure out how to send us some of moisture that’s been plaguing the folks east of the Mississippi. So, that’s your homework – figure out how to economically send us a few Ka-billion gallons of water.