A video I made of Kern County and Southern California!
All of these photos were taken on our journeys to the Kern and San Bernardino Counties and the surrounding area California City, Mojave, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Big Bear in the San Bernardino National Forest and the Pacific Ocean!
Kern County is located in Southern California east beyond the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada’s extending into the Mojave Desert. Its a few hours to Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Pacific Coast , and Las Vegas. Bakersfield is the county seat.
The Mojave Desert is defined by the presence of Joshua Trees and you certainly find them scattered about! The weather is a dry mild climate and plenty of sunshine! It is truly amazing what it looks like when you add some rain.
Wintertime is skiing and snowboarding within easy driving distance and summer offers fishing and exploring.
The wild and scenic Kern River is a favorite for its world-class rapids. The Kern River Valley is also the gateway to the Giant Sequoia National Monument and is home to some of the best fishing and camping in California. It has five recreational lakes including Lake Isabella where the Kern River flows in and out of. Activities include fishing, camping, windsurfing, and skiing.
Red Rock Canyon State Park is 25 miles N of Mojave. This state park offers scenic desert cliffs and spectacular rock formations. Once home to the Kawaiisu Indians there are petro glyphs in the El Paso mountains from these people:
I started traveling through this part around 2002 and saw Victorville and Lancaster improving major roads. Then I started seeing lots of employees standing on street corners on the weekends with shaker signs pointing potential home buyers to come check out their new developments. I notice that Highway 14 which goes through Mojave to the Bakersfield-Barstow Highway had improvements being made to it in January 2007.
Lancaster and Palmdale are 40 and 50 miles south of CA City respectively. These cities are separated from Los Angeles by the San Gabriel Mountain range. This valley has become a bedroom community to the greater Los Angeles area.
The major employers in the area are Edwards Air force Base, located just south of the city, California City Prison, the landowners resort Silver Saddle, a large automotive test track, and US Borax. There are several air force bases and airports in the California area including Edwards Air Force Base. There are also a couple of speedways used by the giant automobile manufacturers of Honda, Acura, and Hyundai. The Honda Proving Center has a speedway north of California City and Hyundai has one east of California City.
Dubbed the Aerospace Valley, East Kern is home of the Air Force Flight Test Center and Museum and NASA’S Dryden Flight Research Facility. It is the birthplace of more flight records than any other spot on the planet! You can view the history of flight or developments in military technology at Edwards Air Force Base, Vernon P. Saxon Flight Museum, or the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament and Technology at the China Naval Air Weapons Station.
I explored Big Bear in the San Bernardino National Forest, a wintertime playground for the locals. Kids were out playing at the lake enjoying the snow - a very cute ski town! The lake was frozen over in places! The Pacific Ocean offers endless entertainment. One of my favorite parts of the west coast is the drive through Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel-By-The Sea on down to Big Sur where you will see stunning views of the ocean and you might even catch a glimpse at a whale!
Helpful Links:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Website for hunting and fishing information in the Central Region.
Sequoia National Forest Website by the USDA Forest Service