Bakersfield is a hard nut to crack

Although it is the inescapable pit that some of the dustbowl Okies have found themsleves trapped in for 3 generations, it is one of the few place in California that retains the true grit of those long gone days.

The Okies can still be found in Oildale which is just over the river from Bakersfield proper. They have given birth to Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and possibly Dwight Yokum. They are hard to distinguish from other blue collar types, but their influence is pervasive and if you meet up with one in a bar, a few beers (for the Okie that is) will probably set off a tour of cultural remeberances that you won’t soon forget.

The rest of Bakersfield is a strange mix of people wishing they were somewhere else. Some pretend to be LA social elites, other think they are surfers from the “coast”, yet others think they are gangstas straight outa MTV.

Methamphetamine is a massive problem in Bakersfield. It seems to affect all but the upper 40% of socio-economic classes. It may be one of the reasons that the town seems to be in such a time-warp.

Ultimately the gem that you will find in this town will come from within yourself. Bakersfield is a multifaceted reflecting mirror that illuminates the many aspects of Americana imbedded in all of us.

I suggest you check out:

Oil fields near Taft on Hwy 33
Basque food
Oildale
Trouts bar in Oildale
Beardsley Ave. in Oildale
Black Baptist Gospel singing on Sunday
Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace
Delongha Hot Springs on HWY 178