Kern River County Park

Day 56, 57, Sunday, Monday, March 19, 20, Kern River County Park, Bakersfield, California

We made it over Tehachapi to one of our favorite spots, Kern River County Park, and found a great pull-through spot by the river, which has lots of water this year!  We went on a bike ride down to Hart Park, with ponds, along the river, and on Sunday, lots of people with their families!  The peacocks are still there.  We saw a Black Phoebe perched on a bush by the trail.  Then we rode up to Ming Lake, but could not ride around because there was a big boat race thing there this year!

High water in the Kern River.  Nonscenic, but convenient, trash can at every site!

Handsome wood ducks by our campsite!

No egrets or herons along the edge in this wild water!

On the bike path to Hart Park

Monday we went on a bike ride up this paved path through a canyon, up a big hill, then down a road to the Alfred Harrell Highway, back to the park.  14 miles, but a nice pull up the hill.  As we rode along the highway, Linda rode right by a rattlesnake without noticing it!  Sharp-eyed Jim saw it and got a nice picture.  It did not seem concerned about our presence!

Warming his cold snaky body on the asphalt!

Then we drove up to Lake Isabella area, up a beautiful rock canyon, to Kernville, where we had a great lunch at a little café.  Then we headed up into the mountain pass, finally locating a campground where Jim had stayed on his first trip south in 2006.  Now it was all rutted with water flow on the road down and Closed!  We continued down the mountain, winding around through beautiful areas with cows grazing and farms in hilly valleys, finally making our way home to our campsite and a hungry girlie!

Kernville was moved to this area after the Lake Isabella dam covered the old Kernville!

Green California rolling hills in the springtime!