Another Day in....Bakersfield?

The weather was wonderfully warm in Bakersfield this morning, and we just couldn't face the thought of a day in the truck, so we decided to stay another day at the River Run RV Park. We spent some time reading, catching up on "what did we do the last 2 months" conversations, and generally doing....Nothing.

We talked to a semi-permanent resident of the park who knew Buck Owens back in the day, and went to high school with Merle Haggard.  That encouraged us to take a drive to Buck Owens Blvd to see the famous "Bakersfield" sign.  This was on the main highway 80 years ago when the "Okies" came through.  Today it's on a side street, but still is reminiscent of the Dust Bowl days that brought so many people to the central valley.  Buck Owens Blvd winds through a light industrial area and so is a bit shabby, but leads into an area of older upscale homes on the northeast side of town.

We returned to the trailer for an evening walk along the Kern River.  There's no water in it because of the dam at Lake Isabella, but the mile or so walk was good and Pris enjoyed it.  Along the way we saw a lot of the machines that Bakersfield/Oildale is famous for:  oil pumps.  They are scattered everywhere and the smell of natural oil is heavy in the morning and evening.  They all feed into pipeline systems that feed into refineries that dot the landscape.

The camera doesn't do justice to the sunset, but trust me, it was spectacular!