928ntslow

Yea, so what?....Well, it looks as though on the 30th of this month, there will be a crowd gathering at the crash site and one would expect a few Porsche's to be present. I for one expect to make the run. I was wondering if other socal P car owners were thinking about doing the same. Looks like the 30th is on a Friday. Not sure if I will just power it up there or follow the route he took that day.

Read on below the picture and post your thoughts...



I tried to get this article to read clearer, but the site won't let me upload it. It is taken from WESTWAYS distributed by AAA. September/October 2005 issue

This is what the article reads...

Amid the vast sun-baked hills between Bakersfield and Paso Robles, two remote winding roads-highways 46 and 41-converge. This desolate intersection in Cholame is where actor James Dean died 50 years ago.
Although the intersection has been regraded, things here look pretty much the same. People still stop by to pay respects, and some fans even trace Dean's ill-fated route. "I've gone many times by myself and many times on anniversaries." says Warren Beath, 53, of Bakersfield, who has written three books about the actor, including The Death of James Dean.
On September 30, 1955 the day of his death, 24-year-old Dean was driving his new silver Porsche 550 Spyder from Hollywood to a race near Salinas. That same year, he had been thrust into the spotlight with his first starring role, as Cal Trask in East of Eden, and he'd finished shooting Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. His mechanic, Rolf Wutherich, accompanied him, and his actor-friend Bill Hickman, along with photographer Sanford Roth, trailed them in a station wagon.
Just before 6 P.M., Dean sped through the Polino Pass, then down the steep grade toward the awkwardly designed "Y" crossroads in Chalome. Coming the other direction was a Ford Tudor coupe driven by 23-year-old Donald Turnupseed. At the junction, the Ford veered across the center line, smashing into Deans flimsy race car. Turnupseed walked away unharmed. Wutherich survived. Dean died almost instantly.
Among the fans who plan to retrace Dean's route on the 50th anniversary of his death are Dave Tucker, 63, of Fort Worth, Texas; Vic Bent, 64, of East Greenbush, New York; and Don Gravel, 56, of Agawam, Massachusetts. The trio plans to drive Bent's award-winning replica of Dean's Porsche from Sherman Oaks to Cholame and arrive at the intersection at 5:45 P.M. Tucker once drove his own 1958 Porsche 356A from Fort Worth to Fairmont, Indiana-Dean's hometown. "Jimmy never had the chance to take his Porsche home, so I took mine," he says.
Clearly, Dean's rebel-loner mystique still holds magical sway. And so, on September 30, many of his fans will convene in Cholame, where some swear his spirit wanders in the wind.

DEAN'S LAST DAY
Former Gas Station (pictured) 14325 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks
James Dean stopped here for a fill-up before heading north. Today, a flower shop occupies the building.
Pole Marker 166 Highway 99 north, about one mile before the Maricopa/Taft exit, near Bakersfield.
About 3:30 P.M., Dean was stopped for speeding (70mph). The pole is marked with the letters D-E-A-N.
Blackwell's Corner 17191 Highway 46 (intersection of 46 and 33), Lost Hills. Dean made his last stop at this gas station/grocery store. He grabbed some apples and a soda.
The Jack Ranch Cafe Intersection of highways 46 and 41, Cholame. Located near the crash site, this roadside diner serves as an unofficial museum. A memorial erected by a fan in 1977 is outside.

SandyI

In the gas station picture, you can see the trailer attached to the stationwagon meant to carry the 550 that day.

Superluminal

Can't make California, but I'm going to try to get my Spyder out to Fairmount, Indiana for the James Dean Run the 23-25 of September...

Anyone going to be making that trip?

srf506

Geez, you always think of him as the young guy he was at the time of his death. Hard to imagine he'd be 74 years old now. I guess only Elizabeth Taylor is left out of all his co-stars.

morganabowen

What I find even more surprising is that he only starred in 3 movies.
East of Eden
Rebel without a cause
Giant

I'm trying to adjust my schedule to make the run

Jim Michaels

And only East of Eden had been released when he died. The studio would not allow him to race until Giant wrapped. Good thinking on their part because some close to him suspect he had a "death wish."

DonW-Cape Cod

Superluminal, I'm going!

Superluminal

Well, I couldn't make it happen this year Too much going on at work, new apartment, etc... I'm going to have to start making plans for next year now, I suppose. How was it?

DonW-Cape Cod

I didn't go after all!