Sunday, July 13, 2014

What a Month of Bakersfield Will Do To You

Women Riders Now, a publication for female motorcyclists, is publishing a series of articles from me about the on-going road trip that Sash and I are doing. You can read their first installment, "Guy, Girl, Ride Forever on Their Motorcycles".

Subsequent articles will probably come out every 2-3 weeks.

Our month-long stay in Bakersfield comes to an end this Monday morning (July 14) when we take off further north for Murphys, CA.  We're busy packing up now, tying up loose ends, and eating up the rest of the food from our hotel room refrigerator.

Bakersfield is often referred to as the "armpit" of California. But after a month here, it's really just like most medium-sized cities.  It has nice places, cool hangouts, as well as its dumps and blights.

Looking back at our time here, Bakersfield has sort of grown on us...

  • Sash saw the birth of her first grandchild, Jackson.  She was right there holding on to her daughter Olivia's hand, coaching her through it the entire time.  She's been a really great grandma too, helping her daughter and grandson every day since.  Sash is really going to miss them when we leave.
  • She was touched by the death of another female rider.  Shawna Elaine Throneberry was struck by a car that didn't stop at the stop sign, and it happened just a few blocks from our hotel.  She's been in touch with Shawna's cousin and friend.  After Sash wrote about the story, one of Sash's friends, Margaret Morin got involved to help out the family.  
  • Sash got to forge friendships with a couple of female riders.  Annette Presley, lives up by Fresno, and Margaret Morin, lives in Bakersfield.  Sash originally met them in at the Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit last May.
  • We got a free one-month pass to a fitness center.  Our hotel had advertised it had a fitness room, but when we got there, it was closed indefinitely.  Sash complained to them it was false advertising, because we would have booked a different hotel.  They refused to compensate us.  We went to the closest fitness center to our hotel, In-Shape Fitness, and Sash negotiated a deal, $60.00 for both of us for 30 days.  I wrote to the corporate office of our hotel, and they sent me a check for $60.00!
  • We visited some cool places too.  There was Ethel's Old Corral Cafe, more like a dive bar for farmers, but very friendly.  Lengthwise Brewing, the only craft brewery in Bakersfield.  Donna Kaye's Cafe, huge breakfasts.  Guthrie's Alley Cat, the oldest bar in Bakersfield.  Brimstone Bar, inside Padre Hotel, awesome burgers.  
And while we were here, we managed to close several business deals for our marketing company.  That's probably the brightest spot for Sash and I, proving that we can build our business while on the road.

Fueling up in Mojave, CASash's new tailbag in our
hotel room
In-Shape Fitness, that our hotel
bought us for a month.
Me and Olivia hanging out at
the hotel spa
Me eating a burrito and
working at Starbucks
Sash at an intersection in
Bakersfield
Our boots in the maternity ward
waiting room
Sash meets fellow motorcycle
rider, Margaret Morin
Olivia and her husband David
Our office at StarbucksDonna Kaye's Cafe has the
best breakfasts!
Sash's dinner at Logan's Road
House
Sash and her daughter OliviaSash meets fellow motorcycle
rider Annette Presley
Vintage Bultaco on display at
Lengthwise Brewery
Sash with the guys at 98.5 FM
The Fox, Chuy's Bike Night
Sash arrives in style at Chuy's
Bike Night
Sash with a couple of guys at
Chuy's Bike Night
I ordered the Atomic Habanero
Death Wings at Wing Stop
Sash arrives at Ethel's Old
Corral Cafe
Farmer guys and gals dancing
at Ethel's
Me drinking a double IPA at
Lengthwise Brewing
Sash takes an evening ride
around Bakersfield
Sash showing off her new Bell
500 open face helmet
I got a new pair of Michelin
Pilot Road 4 tires
Sash says Hello to her new
grandson Jackson
The BBQ Bison Burger at
Padre Hotel, downtown
Me at the hotel pool getting
ready to barbecue.
Sash takes a business call
while relaxing at the bar
Me & Sash taking Olivia
home with the baby.
Me philosophizing about beer
and life's mysteries
Sash mounting up after a day
at Starbucks
Getting lunch at a taco shop
in town
Enjoying a beer at the bar
after a day of coding
Sash with Dave DeRoo,
bassist of Adema
Sash at Guthrie's Alley Cat,
downtown
Asphalt Annie had a little too
much to drink
Sash and Annette about to go
for a ride
The roadside memorial for
Shawna Elaine Throneberry
Getting work done in our hotel
room
The Jalapeno Fried Egg
Cheeseburger at Eureka!
Sash holding her grandson
Jackson

3 comments:

  1. Something tells me that as much as you enjoyed your time in Bakersfield, you'll be doubly glad to be out on the open road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I write this, we pulled into our hotel in Murphys, CA, about a 240 mile ride north of Bakersfield, and was really glad to be traveling again. But it got hot, about 105 degrees F around 5:00pm up here.

      Delete
  2. Nice post and photos from somewhere I had only stopped at to buy gas and rarely ventured far from the highway. A month is a good amount of time to visit a town...

    ReplyDelete

About Steve

A vagabond who hauls a motorcycle around the country in a toy hauler, earning a living as a website developer. Can often be found where there's free Wi-Fi, craft beer, and/or public nudity. (Read more...)