April 3, 2005: Sunday morning my mom and I headed on out to Cholame, Ca set on our James Dean road trip. It's about a 3 and a half hour drive from my house to Cholame. After about an hour my mom and I stopped to get a bite to eat which knocked off about 30 minutes. Once we finished eating and filled up the car with some gas we set back out on our road trip. Finally after two and a half hours we arrived in Cholame. The weather was nice it's wasn't cold and it wasn't hot the weather was just right. Being we set out on our journey early in the morning it was nice getting to check out the view of things especially being the first trip we took out there we arrived at night and couldn't see anything at all. Which is why we passed up the Jack Ranch Cafe and other sites. It was way too dark to see anything which is the main reason we took this second trip.

Our first stop was the Jack Ranch Cafe once we arrived there I took out my digital camera and snapped a few pictures of the monument that is around an Oleander tree given by Seita Onishi a Japanese businessman and fan. The monument was damaged by vandalizim either by idiot people or fans from around the world who have come to this spot and wanted to take something back as a momento. Either way it shouldn't have been done out of respect for James Dean himself as well as Seita Onishi and other fans around the world. Once I took pictures another fan got out of her car with her son and they were taking pictures as well. She smiled and said Hi and we talked about how sad it was that people have vandalized the monument. After a few minutes she asked me if I knew where the spot was in which the accident accured and I said I was on my way to look for it and she mentioned it was by a rest stop. I said thanks and headed into the Jack Ranch Cafe.

My mom and I walked in and had a seat. We looked around at posters of James Dean on the wall and in the middle of the Cafe there was a set up of a newspaper on James Dean. It was his obituary and a story about him. We didn't get up to look around just yet we just sat there and took it in. We watched the waitress pretty much take care of the customers, run to the register, get the food all by herself being she was the only waitress there with about 12 people there including us. Finally after five minutes passed she walked up to us and greeted us and asked us what she could get for us. I orderd a rootbeer float and my mom orderd coffee and a pie. I asked her if it would be okay if I took pictures of the James Dean stuff and she said 'Sure!'. So after we ate we got up and looked around at the posters, the newspaper article, some photos, and I walked on over to the items for purchased and bought postcards, a t-shirt, a book, and the newspaper article so I could have as a part of my James Dean collection. Again we waited about 15 minutes this time till she could get to the register and help us. She looked at me and said 'Big James Dean fan huh?' and smiled and I said 'Yup!'. I ended up spending $55 there and then I took more pictures and then we left back outside.

Once I got outside I spotted two guys by the monument. I started taking more pictures and then they busted out their cameras and took pictures as well. I should have asked them if they knew where the accident spot was but I figured I'd find it on my own. So my mom and I left to try and find it. It was not easy at all. All we could do is guess and try to figure out where exactly. So after about an hour of trying to figure it out we came to the rest stop and sat there thinking and trying to figure out the whole thing. The accident accured about a mile from the Jack Ranch Cafe so there we were trying to figure it all out. Finally I told my mom I guess we'll come back another time and try to figure it out being it was already starting to get late and we still had a 3 and a half hour drive back home.

My mom and I headed back on Route 46 and as we were driving all we talked about was of course James Dean and how we couldn't find the exact spot. Then my mom says they should have a big picture of him like that one and she pointed and just before she pointed I noticed it and I yelled STOP! It's James Dean! So my mom pulled over and I jumped out of the car and took pictures of a huge picture of him next to a gas station. As I did my mom said she didn't even know that was him on the picture...lol. My mom is still getting use to certain pictures of him...hehe. So anyway there was a sign on the back of the picture and I read it and it said "James Dean... made his last stop at this corner on Sept 30th, 1955. The young actor died in a car crash a short time later while enroute to Salinas for an auto race. Although he appeared in only 3 films, James Dean remains a legend." I yelled to my mom 'I told you he stopped at a gas station at Blackwell's Corner!!!'. I just knew there was another spot and I have found it. In fact on our first trip I seen it and told my mom that this place had to be it but it was closed and it was dark outside so we weren't exactly sure the first time. How ever during this second trip we confirmed it.

We then went into the store to check it out and we walked around looking at some pictures they had of Jimmy hanging up. I seen some pictures I never seen before which was cool. They had some pictures of the owner of the store and there was a story but I couldn't read it because they had boxes in the way. They also had a picture of Jimmy in his Porche waving on the day he passed away I believe it was taken at 7:55am that day. I'll have to double check on my next trip and see if I can get a copy some how... it's worth a try. Anyway my mom bought chips and as we were about to leave my mom yelled 'Erin there's some James Dean stuff here' so I came back and said great now I'm gonna spend more money...lol. So I ended up buying two 8 x 10 pictures of Jimmy and my mom asked a boy that was working there who had to be my age if he knew where the spot was and he said 'yeah' and directed us. We told him where we were and he said we were right and told us what to look for and we insisted we couldn't see it..lol. So we figured we will attempt it again on our next road trip out there. He started telling me about when James Dean came to that store and about the accident in which I already knew the story but just let him tell me it anyway being hey I might learn something new.

We then left the store and filled up on gas and headed home talking about what we would do next time we went out there. We will probably go again sometime soon or just wait till September 30th being there is a rumor of a gathering going on this year for his 50th Anniversary. Oh yeah I told my mom that the Jack Ranch Cafe was suppose to have the speeding ticket Jimmy got before the accident and I asked her if she seen it when we were there and she said no so I called the Jack Ranch Cafe and asked the lady and she said they do in fact have it but not today. She told me to keep calling back to check when they get it back. I asked her if she knew when they would get it back and she said maybe in a week but to check. I said thanks and figured on the next road trip I'll be back to take a picture of it so I can show everyone who is unable to go to Cholame their self to see it. Also the monument at the Jack Ranch Cafe has a seperate monument on the ground that has a little story on Jimmy. I didn't write it down this time but I will on the next trip out there. Anyway below is all the pictures I took while out in Cholame, Ca.

By the way the monument at Jack Ranch Cafe is not where the accident happend. I knew it wasn't but I wanted to clear it up for others that are being told it is when it's not. The accident accured about a mile from the Cafe. Also I didn't take any pictures of the accident spot being I didn't wanna get the wrong spot so on the next trip I will get the correct spot confirmed and pictures will be taken. Okay that is all enjoy the pictures below.

Photographs were taken by Erin.