ON THE ROAD: TEHACHAPI WHERE WIND BLOWS AND APPLES GROW MUCH TO SEE ON A GETAWAY TO THE FOOTHILLS.

Byline: Story and photos by Robert Fletcher Allen Correspondent

TEHACHAPI - Looking for something a little different than a trip to the beach or mountains or a ``mall hike''?

Find a new diversion just a couple of hours north of Los Angeles in the foothill community of Tehachapi.

As you drive in on the Tehachapi/Willow Springs Road, you'll encounter rural countryside with alfalfa fields, onion patches and considerable desert scrub.

You'll pass gold-mining operations where the hillsides have been carved off, then leached by cyanide to extract the gold.

Suddenly, in the near distance, you'll think you're in Holland. The huge, three-bladed propeller wind turbines virtually cover the landscape.

This is ``wind farm'' country. These massive whirling blades are harnessing the power of the ever-present winds of the Tehachapi Mountains. The giant windmills provide a vision of the future, for they are producing electricity in enormous amounts. In peak periods of use, your refrigerator at home might be using some of the power generated here.

Take your time and watch these blades turn into the wind. They make an eerie sound as they turn with the wind's velocity. If the wind gusts get too strong, they shut down automatically. Be sure to bring your camera and a tripod if you wish to capture the spectacle on film.

Continue up the road a few more miles to Tehachapi for more surprises.

Among these is a tour of an ostrich farm at Indian Point Ranch, a few miles west of the township of Tehachapi at the end of Giraudo Road in the Cummings Valley area.

Visitors can get close to the largest birds on Earth. Located on a 60-acre mountainside, this is a unique experience for everyone, especially children. There are daily tours through the end of this month, then on weekends in November and December.

Railroading enthusiasts are sure to be intrigued by the famed Tehachapi Loop, a unique feat of engineering by the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads.

The track, which connects Bakersfield and Mojave, is the most heavily trafficked single-rail line in the country. It climbs in a spiral over itself as it gains 77 feet of elevation. It is an amazing sight to watch a mile-long freight train travel over itself on this track loop.

Picnicking on a hillside overlooking the loop near the village of Keene affords a chance to see maybe one or two of the more than 50 trains a day that follow this route.

Within a five-mile circle of Tehachapi itself, there are dozens of producing apple orchards, creating a sizable local industry. There are 16 varieties grown here in a climate especially well-suited for apple production.

The Tehachapi Growers Association boasts 20 member growers who offer their delicious fruits during the season from September to November. It's especially fun to pick your own in the orchards that welcome visitors.

Other seasonal products include cherries, grapes, raspberries, peaches, plums, pumpkins and herbs, all of which are available for picking or buying in season. If you prefer the freshest of the fresh, this is your chance.

Just a couple of miles from Tehachapi's town center, Mourning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Gardens invites visitors from all over the world to enjoy 20 acres of grounds carefully planted with more than 2,200 different botanical species.

The landscaping, carriage houses and floral displays are the envy of all who visit. Groups can arrange gourmet lunches, too.

There is much more to be found in Tehachapi - small family-owned restaurants, gift shops, a glider port and a museum. To learn about these and other points of interest, stop in at the Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce, at 209 E. Tehachapi Blvd. in the town center.

IF YOU GO

ATTRACTIONS: Indian Point Ostrich Farm: www.indianpointranch.com. Kern Wind Energy Association: [phone]. Mourning Cloak Ranch & Botanical Garden: www.mourningcloakranch.com. Tehachapi Growers Association: www.tehachapiapples.com.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 209 E. Tehachapi Blvd. [phone]; www.tehachapi.com.

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(1 -- 4) The climate in Tehachapi is perfect for apples, left, which are in season now, and for wind farms, below left, where stiff breezes produce light-giving power and keep gliders, below, aloft. Families can also enjoy picking their own fruit, above.

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IF YOU GO (see text)