Visiting Dawn Chandler Locations

by Eliza Noel - Wednesday, October 16, 2019

I was so blessed to get to do a book signing in Lone Pine (where Dawn Chandler takes place) this past week! We took pictures in a few specific book locations so I thought it'd be fun to share those here along with a few quotes.

The book signing took place to the right of the Lonestar Bistro where this scene takes place.

When Dawn was unlocking her bike, she looked up and saw the girls watching them.

The one with darker hair smiled at Dawn. She said, “You’re new here aren’t you?”

The blonde one looked embarrassed.

“Yes. How could you tell?” Dawn asked.

Both girls were pretty. The one speaking had her hair up in a ponytail and wore a sweatshirt, jeans, and cowgirl boots. She said, “I’ve never seen you around here before. It’s a small town and almost everyone knows everyone.”

Kenneth gave Dawn an ‘I told you so’ look and she made a face back at him.

The girl gestured toward the locked bikes. “Also, you locked your bikes. Most people don’t worry about their bikes being stolen here.”

Uncle Wesley's rental house is fictional, but this is about where I picture it.

The cold air hit them as Dawn followed Kenneth outside.

Dawn glanced at him and saw he was tightening his shoelaces. “Go!” She ran toward the mountains and to the corral, ignoring Kenneth’s protests. She was winning until halfway there when he passed her up.

“I won,” Kenneth said.

Dawn didn’t reply, staring at the brown hills in front of her. One of them had a big LP monogram on it. Behind those hills were mountains with fresh white snow and pine trees that appeared simply as green specks.

He gently punched her shoulder. “Just enjoy the vacation.”

It was as if he knew she was thinking of their home on the other side of the mountains.

The brick wall next to the church the Chandlers and Jennings attend (a fictional place based on a church that was once there).
When they arrived, Dawn was surprised to see that the church was in an office building attached to a cable company. A brick wall separated the office’s property from the post office next door...
The three girls sat at a table together. They had invited Kenneth and Walter, but the guys chose to sit outside on the brick wall.

The Chamber Courtyard.

Dawn and Kenneth crossed over to the other side of the street. They went through a gateway and into a courtyard. All of the buildings were painted bright colors. To their immediate right was a five-foot statue of what looked like an emperor. He was glaring straight at them so Dawn glared back. I’m just as unhappy about being here as you are, mister. I guess we’re both a little out of place and homesick, huh? She smiled to herself. It was good she didn’t say that out loud.

One of the first stops on the Chandler's Alabama Hills hike.

For an Alabama Hills hike Dawn put on jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a hoodie, and Nike shoes. When the Chandlers first got into the hills they stopped on the side of the road where the boulder with a face painted on it sat. Dawn recognized the rock from passing it when driving to their sledding spot. Kenneth scared his sisters and mom by climbing to the top of the rock and then dancing around. As if that wasn’t enough, his dad climbed the rock to join him. Both guys enjoyed making them nervous. Dawn thought he was enjoying himself a little too much when Kenneth took a selfie on top of the rock.

“Kenneth,” Beatrice said, “go in the other hole.”

Kenneth went in the bigger hole in the middle of the rock. It was more of a dent than a hole.

Dawn thought it was funny watching Kenneth try to squeeze into the small ‘room’ in the rock. Beatrice peeked her head through to Kenneth’s ‘room.’

“Oh, look,” Kenneth said. “It’s a tunnelly hole thingy connecting my caveish room thingy to your caveish room thingy.”

Dawn laughed at the way he described it.

“Come on, Dawn,” Kenneth said. “Come play with us.”

Dawn looked as if she was trying to decide whether to join them or not.

“She thinks she’s too old and she doesn’t want to ruin her clothes,” Beatrice said.

“Kenneth, please don’t. That’s dangerous. If you fall, I won’t know how to get back to Mom and Dad to tell them to come help you.”

“I won’t fall,” Kenneth replied.

You’re being dumb and heartless, Dawn wanted to say, but she didn’t let the words leave her mouth.

“Ugh, I’m not going to watch.” Dawn turned to an open area covered in tumbleweeds. She walked around, avoiding glancing up the steep rock that Kenneth attempted to scale. She saw a pile of animal poop and was suddenly struck by the idea that maybe it was a wolf’s. If it was, the wolf might still be nearby. She turned back to where Kenneth was and decided it would be safer to stay near him. Even if it meant she might witness a horrifying scene.

“Um, Kenneth?” She looked around nervously. “Do you think there are any wolves up here?”

Kenneth started slipping and hopped down from the rock. He hadn’t been able to get up very high.

“No, I don’t think there are. If anything there might be coyotes,” he answered in a know-it-all tone.

Dawn started to get worried. “Let’s go somewhere else now.”

Kenneth looked at a place where he had scratched his hand trying to climb up the rock.

“You okay?” Dawn asked. I told him so.

Behind us is the restaurant where the fashion show takes place.

The venue was a large, fancy restaurant with a cute country look to it. On top of the roof was a rooster perched on a weather vane.

After checking in, the girls were shown into a back room where everyone else was waiting. The clothing that everyone made had gone to Bakersfield ahead of them, and waited on a clothes rack. Dawn looked through the skirts on the rack and finally found hers.

There were many other book locations we visited, but I forgot to take pictures. I wish I could take each and every one of you on a tour of Lone Pine! It's literally the cutest and will forever have a place in my heart <3 You can find more trip pictures on my facebook and instagram.