California - 4th stop

Bakersfield

Moved to Bakersfield, CA on January 21, 2016. The drive took about 3 hours and we started off in fog and rain, but arrived to clear blue skies and sunshine. Mostly drove through flat farm land, with a number of oil rigs popping up as we got closer to Bakersfield.  

We stayed at the Bear Mountain RV Park, our first experiencing arriving someplace without a reservation. You can't make them, you just show up, and thankfully it worked out fine. Nice campground, well maintain. There are a number of permanent residents but they are all well kept. Bathrooms and laundry room were very clean. Very large open sites, we had plenty of room for the rig and the tow-dolly. They have two large fenced in dog areas, which is so nice, plus a large field next door for walking. There are wooden carved bears all around the park.

Short stay this time, only three days, so not a lot of sightseeing. Most of the time was spent cleaning the RV and getting rid of the last of the mold that has accumulated over the last month. Hopeful with the DampRid and the crazy cleaning we will have gotten rid of it for good. 

The ocean was calling, so we crossed the mountains on Hwy 58 and once again saw some beautiful views. At one point we were driving along side the clouds, reminded us of the mountain drives in Asheville, NC. 


We saw lots of oil rigs and evidence of the drought along with lush green areas of farms and cattle.

Solar farms are another big thing in this area, acres and acres of them. In this picture it looks like water out in the distance but it is a solar panel field. 










A pit stop at Firestone Walker Brewing in Paso Robles was a must. When we first pulled up we thought we were at the wrong place because it is such a big complex. Nice to see a craft brewery that started in a basement grow to something this size. 


Hearst Castle, home of William Randolph Hearst,  was the next stop, we went to the visitor center but not the castle itself. First, we didn't realize it is a whole day event and we of course had the dog with us, and second it would have cost $125.00 a person to tour the whole place. We did enjoy the grounds and the drive along the coast. 

Santa Maria and Morro Bay were two other stops along the way. Morro Bay Rock is a 581-foot volcanic plug just off shore at the entrance to Morro Bay Harbor. A small causeway connects it to the shore, it is home to 1000's of birds and is protected land. The harbor is a great place to spot wind surfers. 

 

The full moon, called the Wolf Moon or Snow Moon,  followed us all the way home. 


Lake Elsinore and Nancy's family is up next. 




Till we meet again...

Happy Trails to You!

Tips and things we have learned along the way 
~ In a December blog post from Oregon we talked about comparing prices and checking hours and locations of propane dealers. We have an additional tip that we learned this week from a fellow camper. You can use the smaller propane tanks (think B-B-Q grill) for your regular everyday use of propane, cooking, water heater etc and keep the installed tank for long term use. The smaller ones will travel in the underneath storage and are much easier to get filled than the RV. We have come across a number of places that fill the tanks but do not fill vehicles.