As my territory has expanded outward (i.e. how far I'm willing to drive in a day just to letterbox), I've had my eye on a road trip to Bakersfield for quite a while. Last fall, thanks to lots of new boxes from California Breakfast Burritos, I made a two-day overnight trip to Ridgecrest. So on a bit of a whim, with a few days off work, I decided I'd do the same up the 5 past Grapevine.
My first stop was a new box at Quail Lake, so I got a shot of some ducks.
Once in Bakersfield, I basically started at the west end of the Kern River and worked my way east, so here are more ducks.
The day was overcast but pleasent as I hit boxes old and new. For the Tolkien fans, check out the names of the old dorms at CSUB.
By that evening I had made it out to Hart Park northeast of town, where the ducks were joined by geese.
Having given Gwen a call on my way up in the morning, after dark I wound my way up Kern Canyon to her home in Kernville. We caught up on things over dinner and she graciously let me spend the night, allowing me to get a few special boxes hidden on the property.
The next morning I worked my way back down the canyon, including a hike up Mill Creek for several boxes on a beautiful sunny day.
I spent the afternoon at Panorama Vista Preserve until after sunset, then got a few drivebys in the dark, although the Giant Indian box was missing.
After a night in a motel, I hit a few more as I drove north out of town to a cemetery in Schafter and another missing box.
With light rain following me all day, after lunch at a food truck off the freeway, I made it to Buttonwillow and it's namesake tree, covering my shoes in mud in the process.
Finally, I worked my way south to the end of the valley and the beautiful foothills at Wind Wolves Preserve, where I half-expected to run into a hobbit on the trails.
Towards the end of the long drive home, I nabbed a final lame driveby in Glendale. In spite of several missing boxes (and a few fails at understanding clues), my three-day trip yielded 42 finds and 2 hitchhikers.
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