News & Photos - February 2010


Parked For A Month
Current Location: Site 313, Bakersfield Palms RV Park, Bakersfield, California
Dates: Feb 7-9, 2010
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $27.00 (10% GS discount); Nights: 2
Current Location: Site 173, Bear Mountain RV Resort, Bakersfield, California
Dates: Feb 9-Mar 11, 2010
Services: E/W/S/WiFi; Cost: $13.17; Nights: 30

My goal for this trip was to find somewhere reasonably-priced yet sunny and warm to spend the winter. As Bakersfield seems to fit this description, I'm staying here for a month or so, before slowly heading north again. This city of 350,000 has lots of amenities, and this RV park has good monthly rates. The winters are mild here; February has an average daily high of 18°C and an average low of 6°C, but the summers are dreadful with highs of 37°C!

To the east of Bakersfeld is the Tehachapi Pass, which the busy freight line from Bakersfield to Mojave has to cross. In order to make the steep mountain slope manageable for the trains, the Tehachapi Loop was built in 1876. This spiral section of track allows a long train to cross over itself while slowly climbing the hill. Google Maps has good satellite imagery of this area, and surprisingly, a train was passing through the loop when the satellite photos were taken! On the Mojave side of the Tehachapi Mountains, there are several wind farms with over 1,000 turbines feeding power-hungry California. Google Maps has good satellite images of the area.

To the north of Bakersfield lies a large oil field, with many active derricks and pipelines crisscrossing the hills. Oil production is a major industry for the county, with 76% of California's oil produced here from over 40,000 wells. A small secondary road winds through the hills in the area, providing access to the equipment and the occasional cattle farm.

An hour and a half's drive north-east of Bakersfield is the popular tourist area of Lake Isabella, created in 1953 when two dams were built on the Kern River. Numerous campgrounds and lodges surround this lake; although not very busy in early March, it appears to be a major destination during summer holidays. Sailing, whitewater rafting and fishing seem to be popular activities here. This high up the Kern River, there is actually water flowing; by the time that you reach Bakersfield, the river bed is empty, and all the water has been piped away for the city and agriculture.



Orange trees, recently harvested


Everything needs irrigation


Tehachapi Loop tunnel







Deserts around Mojave



Mojave wind farms




Air conditioning is essential



Oilfields north of Bakersfield






North-east of Bakersfield


Kern canyon


The Kern River



Lake Isabella






The Kern River is empty


Spring has arrived







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