California State Parks is beginning the spring tour season at Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park in Tehachapi. Although no structures remain on this Kawaiisu Native American village site, the area’s rich history comes alive through the trained volunteer tour guides.
Tomo-Kahni means “winter home” in Kawaiisu, and rock rings mark the locations of many of the kahni’s, or homes, that were built of juniper boughs. Hundreds of mortar holes in the park tell of a very active past. The tour also includes Medicine Cave, Nettle Spring and a cave with pictographs- a sacred place of the Kawaiisu.
Due to the extremely sensitive nature of the site, the only way to explore the park is through guided tours, which involve a moderately strenuous 3-hour hike. This spring’s tour season will begin Saturday April 12 and continue, weather permitting, through Saturday June 21. Activities begin with an orientation at the Tomo-Kahni Resource Center in Tehachapi at 9 am and last approximately 4 hours, which includes travel time to and from the park (transportation is not provided). Weather at the high-elevation park is variable, so layered clothing is recommended. Adequate drinking water, sun protection, and sturdy walking shoes are also necessary.
Tour fee is $4 for adults and $2 for children ages 6-16 (age 5 and under are free, but not recommended on tours). Tours are limited to 12 people and fill up fast so reservations are highly recommended, for an additional fee of $5 for 1-6 people and $10 for 7-12 people. To make a reservation or for more information, visit the California State Parks office at 43779 15th Street West in Lancaster or call (661) 942-0662, Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 4:30 pm.
Jean Scott, Interpreter I, California State Parks, Mojave Sector/Tehachapi District
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Signs needed for travelers
When I sat down to write directions to the Poppy Reserve for the article that ran in Antelope Valley Press’ Showcase last week, I was struck with the fact that we are lacking signs.
We don’t have a Welcome to the Antelope Valley, Palmdale, nor Lancaster.
There’s one sign for Lancaster City Hall after you get off the freeway at the Avenue K exit and cross over that very busy intersection at Avenue K. If you glance quickly over to your right, you’ll see the sign for Lancaster pointing to the right as if our city hall was in the parking lot for Toys R Us.
A visitor traveling on the 14 does not see any sign for the Poppy Reserve – and we have the State’s only Poppy Reserve. The only sign you’ll see is after you get off the 14 and are traveling west on I. Then you learn it’s 11 miles to the Poppy Reserve.
And what about the aerospace museums?
No traveler would know about any of them.
Lancaster’s Walk of Honor? Nope, nothing.
Prime Desert Woodland? No.
Palmdale’s Dry Town Water Park? You know the answer.
As you travel north on the 14, of course you’ll see the exit for Edwards Air Force Base. But what about the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound or Willow Springs Raceway?
Nothing.
At least the welcome to Mojave sign tells you that it’s the home of the Voyager.
I know money is tight and there might be restrictions for signs adjacent to the freeway but sometime in the future we need to have the signs and a Visitors’ Center – perhaps in the same area as the office for the Mojave Desert State Park Office on 15th Street in Lancaster. To mitigate costs it could be a joint effort by the cities and the counties.
And it would be a sign for the times.
We don’t have a Welcome to the Antelope Valley, Palmdale, nor Lancaster.
There’s one sign for Lancaster City Hall after you get off the freeway at the Avenue K exit and cross over that very busy intersection at Avenue K. If you glance quickly over to your right, you’ll see the sign for Lancaster pointing to the right as if our city hall was in the parking lot for Toys R Us.
A visitor traveling on the 14 does not see any sign for the Poppy Reserve – and we have the State’s only Poppy Reserve. The only sign you’ll see is after you get off the 14 and are traveling west on I. Then you learn it’s 11 miles to the Poppy Reserve.
And what about the aerospace museums?
No traveler would know about any of them.
Lancaster’s Walk of Honor? Nope, nothing.
Prime Desert Woodland? No.
Palmdale’s Dry Town Water Park? You know the answer.
As you travel north on the 14, of course you’ll see the exit for Edwards Air Force Base. But what about the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound or Willow Springs Raceway?
Nothing.
At least the welcome to Mojave sign tells you that it’s the home of the Voyager.
I know money is tight and there might be restrictions for signs adjacent to the freeway but sometime in the future we need to have the signs and a Visitors’ Center – perhaps in the same area as the office for the Mojave Desert State Park Office on 15th Street in Lancaster. To mitigate costs it could be a joint effort by the cities and the counties.
And it would be a sign for the times.
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