I've always wanted to go inside of a Forest Service Fire Lookout, just to check out the view. A few…read moreyears ago I learned that you could actually rent them out and spend the night, like a hotel room but they always seem to be booked way in advance so I've never had the opportunity. Last week I found myself browsing the Recreation.Gov webpage, and came across the Oak Flat Lookout, which is less than an hour northeast of downtown Bakersfield. I happened to come across a vacancy mid last week and immediately booked it for $75. I spent the next several days excitedly reading about the place online, and looking at pictures others have taken up there. My fiancée and I set out for the site last Tuesday afternoon in my '87 4Runner loaded with supplies, beer and food. Rancheria Road north of SR178 turns to gravel about 5 miles in, and there was another 10 miles or so until we found the trail to go up to the lookout, which was secured with a locked gate. I had received the combination via email when I paid for my reservation and got right in, securing the gate behind me. There was another mile or so up a fairly steep and unimproved trail before we rounded a bend and bam! There it was. The Call Fire burning about 25 miles southeast of the lookout made for a hazy sky, but the view was nevertheless outstanding from 4,920 feet. We climbed the 40 stairs thirty feet above ground level, opened the trap door and emerged onto the catwalk to find an impeccable 360 degree view of the entire mountain range and east Bakersfield. We were pleasantly surprised to find the tower and surrounding campsite (and outhouse) in good condition. It was mostly clean, save for a bit of a stench coming from inside the tower. This was especially surprising considering there's really no one that goes up to the tower regularly to maintain it. You are basically relying on the last guest to have cleaned up after themselves. While there is no water or electricity as the site, there is a propane powered stove, heater, and lantern as well as several flashlights and LED lanterns in the tower, as well as two fairly comfortable and clean twin sized beds. There's also a firepit, bench, and picnic table on site. There's also phone service (T-Mobile) on the south side of the tower. We spent the evening preparing dinner, drinking wine and beer, and listening to music before we headed down to make S'mores before bed. All in all this was an awesome, and unique experience. I recommend it to anyone in the mood for something different on their next camping trip.

Pros - Views are awesome. Nice getaway. There's a fire pit, a picnic table and a bathroom. The…read moreactual lookout also has 2 beds, a sink and a stove. The stove is really easy to use. Packing tips: sheets for the beds, covers for the pillow cases, sandals to walk around in, water for drinking, water for washing dishes/hands/etc, food (can of soup, snacks, etc), toiletries, warm clothing (gets cold at night), bug spray for spiders and earwigs, paper toilet, paper towels Price: $75/night Note: No electricity and no running water Cons - Spiders and earwigs! In our first 6 hours we had already killed over 10 earwigs and 2 spiders. It also wasn't very clean - dusty and dirty. For $75/night they could do a better job at cleaning up.

I like walking down State Street when in Santa Barbara. They block a large portion to vehicle…read moretraffic which is nice for pedestrians. State Street has just about any cuisine you may be looking for. They also have lots of cute shops. This is a nice place to spend the day.

Love the Old Town Santa Barbara! With its Spanish architecture and nice Mediterranean vibe! It's a…read moreperfect mix between a smaller town with a relaxed vibe and a place that has many activities to offer: lots of museums, shopping activities, a great restaurant theme, various street fairs and festivals, check out their calendar when you plan a visit! Perfect place for a day trip or a nice weekend getaway from LA! The beach is close, lots of new breweries and spots great for wine tasting! Things changed here as well over the years, some not for the best, but I always enjoy walking the streets of Old Town, discovering new places, feeling far away, yet close enough. Santa Barbara is always a great idea, lots of fun things to do and the charm of the Old Town is hard to beat!

I came here for an event today so really my review is tailored more towards the events that Casa is…read moreholding but also to acknowledge the fabulous grounds and building though I admit I don't have full context for the history or background. I would definitely come back here to learn about the house and to take the guided tour. This wasn't the purpose for me coming today but the gentleman who works here noted that it's a great tour and I know friends who have enjoyed learning about the family and the history of the house, getting a deeper dive of information. I came here with some friends for their first hosted event Sound Bath. A wellness day if you will. From start to finish everything was very organized and thoughtful. The staff hosting the event and the spiritual wellness guide and sound healer was wonderful. Everyone was nice and you felt welcomed. Not pretentious and just very positive and good vibes. We had a nice group and everyone was respectful and on time for the sound bath so it went off without issue. It was a relaxing experience and the grounds were very nice to hold this outdoor event. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, we found an area with shade, very nice. Very faint sounds of cars in the distance here and there which wasn't ideal but out of their control and once things settled in you really couldn't hear much external noise. After the relaxing sound bath we were offered tea and light pastry snacks. I opted for a water and began exploring the grounds instead of partaking in the refreshments. The grounds are lush and lovely, very zen. Loved the beautiful trees and walkways with small fountains and running water. It was green and pretty all around from the recent rains. Definitely a great location for events and to learn a little SB history. I will definitely do my research and come back again soon.

Yikes, this is an expensive tour but it is a rarity to see a period house with most of the original…read moreoccupants furnishings etc. The tours are docent led and very informative. If you like these types of tours, this one is quite worth it.

Drove in from San Luis Obispo and immediately was greeted by antelope, which was pretty cool. The…read moreday was gorgeous, but no superblooms to be seen. The next day, as we were driving out, we saw elk, another great spot in the early morning. We stayed at the KCI campsite, which was quiet. For me, I would have preferred to spend this time in the Santa Margarita area. The elk and antelope are cool, but I missed the singing birds, and the variety of life and landscape. A day would have been enough for me. I do think, as with everything, it's all about preference. The quiet and seclusion, also pretty awesome. Not to see a single person, building or car was something I haven't experienced in a really long time. Go, try it. You might enjoy it!

This doesn't cost anything but road is NOT maintained. If you're looking to go see the San Andreas…read morefault area, you can't really see anything. If you take a look at an Ariel shot of the mountains and get in front of them, you can see the San Andreas mountain range which is pretty cool AND you can easily see it from the west side of Soda Lake. If you try and go to see where the Wallace Creek Interpretative Trail off Soda Lake Road is, I will warn you now. You get only 2 posts of the sites on the map that you can't really see and you go down a very rocky, deep crevices dirt road. WARNING! ‼ Don't go try to find sites 3, 4 or 5. There are no postings for it and you will wish you had a 4x4 to drive this as Soda Lake Road goes on for 20 miles only to find the only way out is through a locked gate or to turn back. If you proceed forward towards the mountains you will find that only 4x4's can drive the mountain roads you will now be on and some of those 4x4's don't have big enough tires to get over the huge crevices the water has created. Stay at site 1 and 2 and go back to the main road. You will trash your car otherwise AND if you get stuck, there's no cell service or GPS! Your only help will be if a 4x4 just happens to drive by. The cliffs alone are very intimidating not to mention the big crevices in the dirt road.

Built in 1929, this was the first gas station of the Randsdall Rio Grande Oil Co. which drilled the…read moreEllwood Oil Field Discovery Well in 1928. The restaurant (circa 1930) was adjacent to the station on the west side. The Postman Always Rings Twice was filmed here in 1980. It's now fenced up but very cool classic Santa Barbara architecture and fun to look and only moments away from Bacara.

Very cool piece of architecture​ and who knew it was here. Right next to a golf course and across…read morethe street from condos. It's all fenced in but I sure wish I could explore the inside of the building.

Cute little stop , faucet of fresh mineral water and a corral with chairs to sit and take pictures…read more Something different and quirky

I'm not sure how I feel yet about the water itself. I do appreciate and love that the water has…read morebeen made available to anyone wanting it. I just recently stopped by and got some water only to realize that there is lots of debris in the water floating around when I shake it. Has anyone else seen this? I tried it when I first got there dumped out my mountain valley spring water bottle and filled it up and immediately checked and it had debris in it. Got home tried a different clear glass bottle, washed out clean and still debris in the water. If you have, does it not bother you at all?? Are we supposed to filter the water when we get home? I'm not sure if that's just all part of it being natural spring water. But anyways- just a heads up that it does have small debris particles in the water!

Taft, California…read more This museum/plantation is one of a kind. I have never been to any type of museum catered to petro. The equipment and the sizes are jaw dropping. They have a gigantic oil drilling rig in the middle of the park... It was surreal to see how this old school mechanism worked w/ the plethora of pullies made from wood and rubber. Access/Roads: A Paved. Parking: B Plenty on dirt. Distance: C Appx 120 miles north of DTLA. Appx 40 miles southwest of bakersfield. Costs: A Free Nearby Attractions: Jack dilly squat. hmm. there's some dirt everywhere. Conclusion: A This is one of my favorite museums between LA and SF. It's a must for anyone who cares about these things. No one cares for Taft or the nearby region, and there is no reason too except to visit this museum or visit the nearby prison. Safe travelings. IG @cigarcpa.

This museum totally, totally rocks. A museum, in an ideal word, guides you to another plane or…read moresphere or alternate universe. It transforms, transfigures, transports. It blows your mind and tells you a story in the process. Thanks to our incredible 93-year-old volunteer docent Pauleen and museum staff Agnes and Esther, our minds were officially blown. WKOM provides incredible docents and volunteers who are locals and know the history of the area intimately . What an experience to hear about growing up in a tent house next to an oil rig, dealing with gushers that spewed oil for miles, the positive impact of the oil industry on the area! We came here expecting to spend about an hour, max, but thanks to the incredible volunteers, spent over three hours touring the museum and visiting the gift shop. Now, before people start to message me because they are totally pissed off because "Oil kills" etc., let me tell you that I agree. I recycle. I try to economize on my trips to save gas. I believe in preserving the environment. But history rocks, too.. And when you are presented with a museum of this caliber, created and maintained totally and 100% by volunteers, it is a reminder that the power of community is also something worth preserving. Thank you, all, for an incredible journey back in time.

While at The Village, be sure to cross the Arroya Grande Swinging Bridge to get to the Santa…read moreManuela Schoolhouse, which is to the left and nearby the park and residential. It swings so watch your step!

What a beautifully built bridge! We had fun crossing the swinging bridge, not at all dangerous,…read moreextremely well built! What a cool find in the small, sleepy town, well worth it when passing through the area!

This wonderful vestige of local history serves to mark on the "right of ways…read more" of the old functional, but not scenic, Pacific Coast Railway. In other words, that old now defunct railroad was the very first railroad in the Central Valley & predates the wider rail that the Coast Starlight Express/ Amtrak uses from WA to OR, to CA, & then the SF Bay area then all the way down the coast to SB then LA, much of which either hugs the coast or parallels various sections of roads such as 101, El Camino Real, Hwy #1, etc. Since SLO & Santa Barbara Counties were essentially landlocked by geography back then, the first rails were actually started at Hanford Pier in Avila Beach. People would take a steamship from SF to Avila. The first Tram was built by Ah Louis, a SLO-town Chinese gentlemen of great distinction. The Tram was power by horses & then people transferred to a coach to get to SLO. Ah Louis, who's building still stands in downtown SLO, also later organized Chinese laborers to later build the rail system that first went from Avila to SLO. The later amazing tunnels & more advance railroad by yet another company [the Southern Pacific Railroad which today handles more familiar Amtrack trains] with wider gauge/rails was extended down from Santa Margarita down the Cuesta Grade and later competed with PCR, was also built by Ah Louis & Chinese laborers. Indeed there is a large bronze stylized statue of two Chinese railroad workers, laboring on the railroad at today's Amtrak station, in SLO. The Ah Louis store still stands as a historic building with a plaque, but it is used for purposes other than history. In fact, much of SLO's downtown so-called Chinatown has been progressive destroyed over many decades, & little remains beyond the Ah Louis building, an obscure mural on the side of a parking lot, and a absurd Chop Suey Neon sign [at a hotel that does not serve Chop Suey], which obviously did not exist in Ah Louis's time. All excavated artifacts are either stored somewhere else or have been forgotten. I am not aware of any display of Chinese historic artifacts from that era in SLO. Anyway, the earlier narrow gauge rail system was gradually extended first down to Arroyo Grande, to Nipomo [which formed the nucleus of this town], to Santa Maria, Los Alamos, & finally to Los Olivos. Passengers at the end of the line back then would stay overnight at the Mattie Tavern [still in use] & Hotel in Los Olivos & then take a stagecoach to Santa Barbara the next day. Branches of this narrow gauge [or 3 foot wide narrow rail] would also extend to Guadalupe & Betteravia, westward on the Coast & toward Sisquoc East. Much later the Sugar Factory & Co. town of Betteravia became a rare ghost town in 1966. After much of the oil was exhausted in other areas, they also declined. The West branch was used for all kinds of things ranging from Sugar Beets/Sugar to Oil. Sisquoc had lots of oil fields which were discovered all over, but like so many other places that discovered Gold, Black Gold, or precious materials, it was often boom and then bust. While there is one building said to have been at one time a depot for the PCR train system a few block away from this landmark, I cannot confirm it. There appears to be dozens of past & present rail systems in CA alone. There is even a Santa Maria Valley rail system & an organization that keep that information alive. https://friends-smvrr.org/index.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Valley_Railroad Sadly, not much remains of the Pacific Coast Railway, except for maybe one lone locomotive that may be in Oregon, the remains of a station, and right of ways, that have been repurposed as gas line right of ways. Here & there, old rails may be buried under roads & can be still detected by metal detectors. Sometimes erosion of new roads, reveal underlying rails, but the vast majority of metal artifacts was used as scrap long ago. Here and there such groups as the SMVRR do go on outings to see what traces that they can find and get special permission to go onto private lands to explore. The SLO Railway Museum near the Amtrak station is helpful. Ref. : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Coast_Railway https://www.thirdrail.com/ttrpcrr.htm [..."Oil was first struck in March of 1900 in the Husna Valley. Later again in Arroyo Grande at 500 feet, but these strikes were insufficient to be profitable until 1901 when the Western Oil Company brought in a well on the Careaga Ranch at 200 barrels a day. So great was the activity around Graciosa Station that a new town was laid out one mile to the North. The town was named "Orcutt" in honor of W. W. Orcutt the Chief Geologist for the Union Oil Company...."]. I am by no means knowledgable on these historical topics. Sadly, as time goes on, more is forgotten, destroyed, or even distorted. At least some take it upon themselves to preserve some history. To those individuals, I thank you!

This is such a peaceful and welcoming National Monument located in Keene, CA, just east of…read moreBakersfield. This National Monument has a visitors center, museum, gift shop, a beautiful walking trail with flowering plants and trees as well as a path with various cacti. In the warmer months it's easy to spot lizards and rabbits, as well as having year-round birds and squirrels. You can learn about civil rights, agricultural labor history, and how Cesar formed a Union that is still in existence today. The Park is located in Kern County (the southernmost county of the California agricultural belt) just 30 minutes east of Bakersfield, in the mountains below Tehachapi. It was the first location of the Union headquarters he formed, the United Farm Workers (UFW). His office has been preserved within the museum exactly how it was the day he passed away. Cesar, and his wife Helen, lived and are buried within the Monument (his dog is buried with them too!) in a beautiful and serene garden. Their house is on the property and was left the way Helen had it the day she passed away. There isn't access inside their home, but they do allow special events in their courtyard area that you'd need to inquire about. Entrance and parking are both free to the public, but you can make donations if you'd like. I love visiting this Monument a few times a year, as it's so peaceful and calming. We usually bring lunch and sit at one of the many picnic tables provided.

Nice grounds, but kind of awkward to visit after recent events. Also, you couldn't really walk…read morearound the national monument with the private residence housing. The museum was nice though!