I visited the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument. It was empty.

While road-tripping out toward the southern Sierra Nevada foothills, it doesn’t take long to arrive at a place where the heat and congestion of the city fade into a tall canopy of native trees and a cool alpine breeze tumbles down the hillsides. Off Highway 58, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Bakersfield, is a place of tranquility and reflection — a national treasure that features a fountain, several seating areas and a walking trail tucked into a manicured rose garden.