What) The town is best known as "the place" where James Dean died on September 30, 1955. However, Dean actually died at the intersection of State Highways 41 and 46, located one mile to the northeast, when college student Donald Turnupseed made a left turn without seeing Dean's Porsche approaching in the oncoming lane.

    Cholame has a restaurant and a memorial to James Dean (erected on the site in 1977 by wealthy Japanese businessman Seita Onishi) at the base of a tree. The restaurant is called the Jack Ranch Cafe, and is a classic diner with a friendly staff and a classic menu. The Jack Ranch has just a few souvenir items, as they've minimized the gift shop to just a shelf or two. Lots of classic photos of James Dean adorn the walls however. This is still the same restaurant that used to have the attached garage where the ambulance was kept that took James Dean to the hospital in Paso Robles and where both cars were initially stored after the accident. The intersection down the hill where the accident occurred can be quite busy at times. The original layout of the highway to the East of the intersection (What Dean actually drove on as he descended his last hill) is easily visible just alongside and to the South of the intersection as you look East up the grade (The intersection is in the original location but set up a little different to make if safer then it was in '55). (1) (2)

    Why) Parkfield was quite out of the way (and not something I thought Pam would like) so I added this Buckys in the hope that she would find it interesting.