Caleb is ready to dry our clothes that are still damp from hanging all night but Gert wants to surprise Caleb in the lobby at 630, so we have to wait. I wasn’t expecting balloons in front of the door and Gert was hoping to arrange them to fall in on us, but we will kick and toss the red, yellow, and three shades of blue into the room.

Gert and Anouska have been inflating balloons and visiting Kohnen’s Country Bakery, a charming German shop open early, to pick up thick iced brownies to put candles in, along with plates and a banner, while half the group sleeps. Trailer Park will wake them so we can serenade the birthday boy and drink coffee to help digest the rich chocolate breakfast.

I ask the guy at the front desk if he’d like to stomp our balloons (he does seem the type), but Caleb is already taking care of the ones from the table and the pile in our room. With the first part of the festivities over, we return to chores and find the coin-operated dryer at the other end of the hotel. I’ve never seen a quarter split before but the machine won’t take it. I looked up things to do and there aren’t many options in the area.

The Tehachapi Loop is one of the seven wonders of the railroad world and was finished in 1876. It is definitely worth a visit, especially when one of the 36 freight trains, that pass through on average, is using the track. We chose to visit the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument instead and learn about a different aspect of local history.

The garden is green but the recent history here will dampen any caring person’s mood. There are handwritten accounts of kids talking about the effects on three generations of farm workers vs the government, earning a fair wage, and dealing with pesticide exposure in the 80s. Their leader was born in Arizona, served in WWII, and encouraged non-violent strikes (and a 36-day fast for himself) as a path for change towards a better future for their children.

Cesar passed in 1993 and his wife remained in their home until joining him in 2016, even as the park was established in 2012. His chain-link security fence became her privacy marker. Gert and Anouska will drive to Los Angeles to continue their vacation and we return to Lyric’s room, since he’s staying another night, to have lunch. Those hiking agreed we would start early if the afternoon temperature was 80°F or less.

Caleb drives us to Cameron Rd. where Tatyana from Australia is waiting in the sun for the Kern Regional Transit bus to drive her into town. Caleb says bye to us for a couple of days and I offer her a ride, which she gladly accepts, but she wasn’t going to ask for. The trail goes along Highway 58, so the three of us (Trailer Park, Rachel, and I) will attempt, in vain, to get a passing semi to honk their horn (like they did when we were kids).

We hit elevation and two hours later appear to be almost in the same spot in relation to the road. I have a snack, listen to the jets pass, and then continue uphill (without taking a shortcut thanks to the arrow Rachel drew in the sand). On the other side of the hills, we are met with a strong breeze, a bit aggressive, and I feel myself bracing in different directions as the path zigzags in its usual manner.

Rachel is still ahead of us, so dinner will be me and Trailer Park in the shade of a bush with pointy leaves that poke me through my clothes. I will get passed by Umi at 630 pm and then catch up to him and Trailer Park at ten miles hiked for the day. We’re on a rough ATV path and I’m done at 715, so I set up my borrowed one-person tent (that Jessi used once in a museum-like setting) and struggle to fall asleep.