On the Road, Again - On to Bakersfield, CA

We hit the road again. It is time for the return journey. We started north on Interstate 5 to Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield is north of Los Andeles and inland from the Pacific Ocean. The area around it is mostly farmland, dotted with many oil wells. This is September - harvest season for southern California. The primary crops seem to be grapes, corn and soy beans. However, I found it very sad to see many fallow fields that obviously were not planted this year and often probably not for the past year or two. Some sprouted signs reading either "Water = Jobs" or "Water = Food." A short discussion with one of the locals revealed that these fields are fallow because of water restrictions. The California water authorities have decided to restrict water for farming to allow Los Angeles to have green lawns, car washes and other water wasting amenities.

For dinner, we stopped at the Black Bear Diner in Bakersfield. This is a chain restaurant with currently sixty-three locations. The food was very good and the service quick.