Camped in an Orange Grove

Our next destination was to be Sequoia National Park but due to the Memorial Day long weekend we were unable to book a site. So to mark some time we headed to a town called Bakersfield in California. The park we chose was called the Orange Grove RV Park and its name said it all - each site was surrounded by very well manicured orange trees - it appeared that they had cleared out rows of trees in an orange grove and put RV sites in the gaps. After months in the desert the trees were a welcome sight! We noticed that all the trunks of the trees were painted white which we found out later was a form of tree sunscreen! In a normal orange grove the trees are planted close together therefore protecting the trunks from the sun but when they stand alone they get burnt!! We have heard of a sunburnt country but never sunburnt trees!

Our Orange Grove site



Apart from growing oranges there is not much else that Bakersfield is famous for except that the rock band Korn originated from there - they even have a street named in their honour with the street sign on a post about 3 metres high to stop people souveniring it.

Korn Row



In addition to orange growing the Bakersfield area also produces large quantities of nuts with many road side stalls and markets selling them. As luck would have it there was a store at the back of the RV Park that sold not only nuts and dried fruits but also date shakes. We had sampled these before with our friends Andy and Jackie in Yuma so were keen to indulge in another one - we weren't disappointed!

A drive into the city and visit to the information centre confirmed that Bakersfield is a working town, not really a tourist destination. Apart from Korn Row the only other point of interest was the floating granite earth globe located at the local train station. I could not resist the temptation to change its axis and put Australia to the front.

Changing the world, well it's axis anyway



Back to the 5th wheeler we went - we have learnt that we don't have to be out and about every day - like any 'home' there is always something to fix, clean or washing to do ( and update our travel map.)

Another State goes on the map.




One of the joys of travelling is meeting new people. In the next row from our site 2 families were camping together - 2 families consisting of 5 adults and 11 children. This was quite a change of scenery for us as we have not seen many young families since arriving here. The owners of the park had allocated them 5 sites - the entire area was filled with pink bikes, scooters and toys. As is fairly common in the USA these kids are home schooled by their very competent and patient mother Kristina. To say that we enjoyed their company would be an understatement - the kids were so well mannered and all looked out for each other. We were invited to share their campfire one night and were introduced to "s'mores". A "s'more" is a toasted marshmallow topped with a piece of Hershey chocolate sandwiched between 2 Graham's biscuits (or is that a cracker!) This is obviously a common campfire treat here in the USA so much so that one of the fast food companies sells s'mores milk shakes! Back around the campfire we were even given the option of a lightly toasted or burnt marshmallow - it is all a matter of taste preference! One of the kids had marshmallow toasting duties and Kristina made them up. Delicious!

BBQ ribs are very popular throughout the USA - our first taste experience was at Bobby's Blues & BBQ in Terlingua. It must be tradition to cook ribs over the Memorial Day weekend as the meat departments in the supermarkets were full of them and the shelves stocked high with many combinations of rubs and sauces. Always willing to try something new, and after a conversation with a lady in the supermarket aisle (getting the low down on how to cook them) we loaded the trolley with a large pack of ribs, some rub and a bottle of sauce. Cooking them slowly was the secret ingredient

Ribs ready for cooking


Ribs cooked and ready for eating



People in RV Parks are always ready to share their knowledge and help their fellow campers. We have learnt more this way than we ever could have reading a book on the subject. So it was with great pride that I was able to share my knowledge and expertise with a couple who were on their 'shake down' trip in their newly purchased 5th wheeler, getting right down to the dirty end of the business - emptying their black and grey tanks! Who would have thought an Aussie would be able to give tips to a fellow RVer in the USA.

Bakersfield may not have a lot in the way of tourism but as we found out they do have good medical facilities. I had woken up one morning about 3 weeks ago with what we thought was a pinched nerve in my neck and treated it accordingly with heat packs and anti inflamatories. Rose had noticed a small blister on my shoulder but thought it was a result of the heat pack being too hot. As we were heading into the 'bush' again and the pain was not receding we decided to go and get it checked out. As specified in our travel insurance policy we contacted our travel insurance company first to let them know what the situation was. Off to the doctor we went and came out with a diagnosis of shingles! No wonder the pain had been so intense and hadn't responded to our treatments. If shingles is treated within 72 hours the recovery period is quite quick however as I wasn't treated within this time frame I have sustained considerable nerve damage which can take (sometimes) years to repair. You don't often hear good stories about insurance companies but we have nothing but praise for ours - I have received a couple of 'follow up' calls from an Australian nurse to check on my progress. Great service!

Our Monday morning departure from Bakersfield was made extra special because of the hugs we received from the 11 Stratton family kids.

Sequoia here we come.





Posted by RnR on their IPad

Location:Bakersfield CA