Day 34 – May 7, 2022

Today is day one of my unscheduled double zero in Tehachapi, CA! I was supposed to arrive in the afternoon, but made it a day early after crushing 40+ miles yesterday.

Mountain views aside, Tehachapi is as bland, uninspiring, and boring as possible—the epitome of the American suburban nightmare. The town center boasts a Walmart supercenter, every fast food chain under the sun, and a few cookie-cutter hotels. The nearby Edwards Air Force Base, Mojave Air and Space Port, Chevron refineries, and wind farms draw enough business to sustain several hotels and a burgeoning dining scene.

Christie, Joe, and Michael joined me fresh off their night at the airport campground. We took care of laundry and other town chores. Christie and I enjoyed witnessing Joe and Michael’s first Wal-Mart experience, and I had a kick out of depositing cash at an ATM without my debit card (thus saving approximately 5 grams, ha!)

After a quick lunch with Michael, I went to Starbucks for a couple hours to reconnect with real life.

Tehachapi is so spread out that I ended up walking a few miles while carrying shopping bags. Joe was lucky, a friendly local lady spotted him walking along the deserted highway and offered a ride.

In the evening, we went to a Thai restaurant with other hikers. The company made up for the underwhelming cuisine!