As our journey across the US begins, our first stop was in Bakersfield. This area is very familiar to us as early in our marriage we lived near here. We came here to ride the Kern River Parkway Trail, an asphalt trail that stretches across all of Bakersfield for 30 miles, east to west, along the Kern River. This one is not a rail trail, but a cool ride during our first couple days.
The weather was cooperative – other than a gusty spell mid-way through the ride – and without any hills on the trail, Sue said “This is heavenly; we haven’t ridden such a flat bike path since we were in Holland.”
We went west on the Kern River Trail from Highway 99, past a few oil wells, past Cal State Bakersfield, past the Riverwalk, and into the ‘Bakersfield 2800 acres’. These farthest west eight miles goes across a water-recharge project of the dry Kern River since all it’s water now goes into irrigation canals.
We rode 31 miles today, and this first bike ride of our trip was a dream.
So often it’s the people that we meet along our travels that add such joy and life to the journey. Today on the trail we met Toby who traveled from his native Switzerland to bike from San Francisco to Miami. He was weighted down with his camping and biking gear and his big smile confirmed that he was having the time of his life. Another fun encounter was with a local couple, Don and Kaureen, who were riding a tandem bike and sporting New Zealand biking shirts. We chatted about bike rides that we’ve all done in New Zealand, then shared other biking experiences from around the globe. Good people!
Another highlight was the opportunity to get together with Sue’s work colleague (when we lived here in the ’80s), Barb and her husband Mike. We ate dinner at a renown Basque restaurant with a French style of cooking. Good food!
The four of us did a lot together, and played hundreds of tennis games, often followed by a dinner at one of our homes. Good friends!
Join us on this ride with this ReLive video that Sue produced:
Tomorrow we’re on the road again heading into Nevada with grateful hearts and a pocketful of new memories.
Ted and Sue,
It was a joy to meet you both on our local path! Thank you for sharing your advetures with us! You both encouraged us to plan another ‘destination ride’! Stay safe on your journeys!
Cheers!
Don and Kaureen