April 2024 Bakersfield Road Meet

Started by Max Rockatansky, May 14, 2023, 04:00:58 PM

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Max Rockatansky

Updating the original post for the official itinerary.  Closer to the meet I will post Google Map links to make all of these easy to follow like we did in Fresno last year. 

Meet Start

Location:  9 AM at the McDonald's off I-5 Exit 257
Address:  20700 Tracy Avenue, Buttonwillow, CA
-  There are numerous other food options at Exit 257 such as Carl's Junior, Starbucks, El Taco Loco and a couple off brand or gas station options.  We will meet for an hour as group before heading out on the road.  There might be an opportunity for some to group up beforehand and leave their cars at the TA Travel Center but I wouldn't count on that. 

Leg 1:  the new alignment of California State Route 58 along I-5, Stockdale Highway, West Side Parkway and the Centennial Corridor
-  The directions here are pretty straight forward.  We will depart Buttonwillow on I-5 south which multiplexes eastbound CA 58 to Exit 253 at Stockdale Highway.  Upon departing Stockdale Highway, we will follow CA 58 east through West Side Parkway and the Centennial Corridor interchange to CA 99.

Leg 2:  CA 204 and former US Route 99
-  From the Centennial Corridor the meet tour will continue on eastbound CA 58 to Exit 112 onto CA 204/Union Avenue.  CA 204 continues north onto Golden State Avenue which was part of a 1930s era realignment of US Route 99 out of downtown Bakersfield.  Union Avenue also carried US Route 399 to a terminus at US Route 466 Sumner Avenue.  US Route 99 and US Route 466 multiplexed Golden State Avenue towards Famoso where the latter split towards Cholame.  The tour will briefly detour off CA 204 to Graces Circle which was part of the 1930s at Chester Avenue.  Graces Circle is one of the earliest traffic circles in California and was an improvement to the early US Route 99 corridor along Chester Avenue.  The tour will continue on CA 204 and use Exit 6 to onto southbound Airport Drive. 

Leg 3:  The Bakersfield Sign
-  From Exit 6 at CA 204 the tour will follow Airport Drive, Buck Owens Boulevard and Sillect Avenue to the Bakersfield Sign located at Buck Owens Crystal Palace (2800 Buck Owens Boulevard).  The Bakersfield Sign (we will have the meet photo here) was one located on US Route 99/US Route 399 along Union Avenue and was somewhat recently restored.  Buck Owens Boulevard was also part of Legislative Route Number 141 which functionally was the precursor corridor to the freeway now occupied by CA 99.

Leg 4:  Downtown Bakersfield to Hart Park via Alfred Harrell Highway.
-  From the Bakersfield Sign the tour will head towards Hart Park.  The tour will follow southbound Buck Owens Boulevard, eastbound 24th Street (former CA 178), eastbound 23rd Street (former CA 178), the CA 178 Freeway to Exit 5 at Mt. Vernon Avenue, Mount Vernon Avenue north to the start of Alfred Harrell Highway at China Grade and eastbound Alfred Harrell Highway to Hart Park.  24th and 23rd in downtown were part of CA 178 until it was truncated to M Street in 2011.  The China Grade portion of Alfred Harrell Highway was part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road which the major north/south wagon route bypassing the Central Valley during the 1850s.  Alfred Harrell Highway is a Kern County maintained freeway which was completed in the late 1950s and is one of the strangest I've found.  The freeway portion of Alfred Harrell Highway ends at Hart Park (the park sign is another good group photo opportunity).

Leg 5:  Hart Park to Lake Isabella
-  From Hart Park the tour will continue east on the expressway portion of Alfred Harrell Highway to CA 178.  The tour will continue east on CA 178 along the Kern Canyon Highway to the community of Lake Isabella.  The Kern Canyon Highway was completed in the late 1920s as a State Highway replacement for Caliente-Bodfish Road and is highly scenic.  The tour will use CA 178 Exit 43 to Kernville Road (the same exit for CA 155).

Leg 6:  Caliente-Bodfish Road
-  From Lake Isabella the tour will follow Lake Isabella Boulevard (former CA 178) to Caliente-Bodfish Road (County Road 483).  Caliente-Bodfish Road is among the more scenic mountain roads in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains and passes through the original Kern Seat of Havilah.  Caliente-Bodfish Road ends at the community of Caliente which is surrounded on three sides by the Union Pacific Railroad (formerly Southern Pacific).  Tentative sit down lunch at 178 Bar & Grill.

Leg 7:  The Tehachapi Loop
-  From Caliente the tour will follow Bealville Road south to CA 58 and turn east.  The tour will follow CA 58 east to Tehachapi-Woodford Road at Exit 139.  Tehachapi-Woodford Road is the original alignment of CA 58 and ascends to the Tehachapi Loop.  The Tehachapi Loop has numerous train coil overs which happen in short intervals given the volume of freight traffic.

The meet will officially end at the Tehachapi Loop.  The location will provide many additional options for the group to disperse such as:

-  Continuing east on former US 466 to Tehachapi and possibly clinching CA 202.
-  Stopping at Cesar Chavez National Monument on Tehachapi-Woodford Road. 
-  Backtracking west on CA 58 or CA 223. 
-  Returning to Caliente and drive Caliente Creek Road which was part of the Havilah Stage Road (which is probably what I will do). 


Brandon

That sounds rather interesting, and I'll definitely put it on my calendar.  My parents lived in Bakersfield from 2010 to 2012 while my dad worked for the City of Taft, so I know a little bit about it already.  Could be fun to see what's changed.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

A.J. Bertin

I would be very interested, but I will likely be hosting my 2024 "city meet" (location to be announced) around the same general timeframe as this.  I rather like the late-April/early-May timeframe for hosting my meets, but I will try to avoid the same date as your meet.
-A.J. from Michigan

Alps

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on May 15, 2023, 06:10:47 PM
I would be very interested, but I will likely be hosting my 2024 "city meet" (location to be announced) around the same general timeframe as this.  I rather like the late-April/early-May timeframe for hosting my meets, but I will try to avoid the same date as your meet.
your city can be Bakersfield!

roadfro

Put me as interested!

If I plan ahead a little more, should be able to come this time. Was bummed to miss out on Fresno.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

cahwyguy

Just saw this (I don't normally read this group). Potentially interested; I"ve blocked the date on my calendar. Please keep me informed (but remember I don't read this group normally).
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

Max Rockatansky

I'm committed to doing this meet at this point.  I'll keep you in the loop as I think that a couple of the west coasters in general were just finding out about this tonight.

Max Rockatansky

Due to a recent life event for me likely coming to fruition for me during May I bumped the Bakersfield Meet day up to 4/13.  I don't believe anyone has fully committed to this meet yet so I wanted to get an update in before that happened.  I am floating doing a second day on the 14th on the Old Ridge Route (US 99) from Grapevine Village to the site of Tumble Inn.  During the course of the week I'll be refining the 4/13 tour route slightly based of my test run of the West Side Parkway last month.

cl94

April 13 may make this a tad harder for me to attend, especially if I end up traveling east for the eclipse earlier that week. If I don't fly east to see the eclipse, it's weekend trip range provided we don't get a late-season storm, so not like I need to plan much in advance. I'm definitely interested provided I'm not out east.
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roadfro

Put this date on my calendar. Tentative yes, so long as no other obligations come up.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

cahwyguy

It's on my calendar. But I'll only be available Saturday; I have commitments on Sunday.
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

Scott5114

There's an outside chance I might be able to make this.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

74/171FAN

Right now, I think I am going to end up choosing New Orleans over this meet mainly because my parents want to do the Charlotte one.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

The High Plains Traveler

I'll mark this on my calendar and try to get everyone I have to help out around here to keep that time free. This fits into a couple of trips I've wanted to take starting in SoCal, including driving the San Andreas Fault from Cajon Pass to the Carrizo Plain.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: The High Plains Traveler on December 27, 2023, 06:44:37 PM
I'll mark this on my calendar and try to get everyone I have to help out around here to keep that time free. This fits into a couple of trips I've wanted to take starting in SoCal, including driving the San Andreas Fault from Cajon Pass to the Carrizo Plain.

Having completed that circuit myself you might want to add Bitterwater Road and CA 25 onto that.  By the time April rolls around all those mountains will be green.

cl94

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 27, 2023, 06:48:35 PM
Quote from: The High Plains Traveler on December 27, 2023, 06:44:37 PM
I'll mark this on my calendar and try to get everyone I have to help out around here to keep that time free. This fits into a couple of trips I've wanted to take starting in SoCal, including driving the San Andreas Fault from Cajon Pass to the Carrizo Plain.

Having completed that circuit myself you might want to add Bitterwater Road and CA 25 onto that.  By the time April rolls around all those mountains will be green.

I second CA 25. Not only does it follow the fault, it's one of the quietest roads in the entire state highway system south of Pinnacles.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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cl94

Out of curiosity, are we still looking at Buttonwillow as the meet start location? Not that it makes a huge difference to me, but that could be incentive for me to grab a hotel along I-5 instead of in Bakersfield.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: cl94 on February 07, 2024, 10:43:29 PM
Out of curiosity, are we still looking at Buttonwillow as the meet start location? Not that it makes a huge difference to me, but that could be incentive for me to grab a hotel along I-5 instead of in Bakersfield.

Yes, that had some reasonable options for food.  I'll be formalizing the itinerary sometime after the Centennial Corridor dedication.  Out of curiosity what was your end goal for clinches related to this trip?

cl94

Good question, because I haven't decided yet. I have nothing in the area apart from the open parts of 58, 99, and 178, so I (along with others) should get new mileage regardless. Definitely wouldn't turn down another drive up Kern Canyon, because I saw that was proposed.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Max Rockatansky

My thinking was that if the tour route goes down to Havilah and ends around there that people in the meet would have the option to backtrack to Lake Isabella or push forward to Caliente.  CA 155 certainly is up for the grabs somewhat organically heading north from the end of the meet.

oscar

#20
I'm still interested in the meet, health permitting. I won't be at the New Orleans meet, but warmer weather and more daylight makes Bakersfield doable. I'm also unlikely to attempt eclipse watching (took a pass on the 2017 eclipse, too).

On lodgings, I'm not sure anything at the I-5 exit for Buttonwillow would work for me. But there are better hotels near the Bakersfield airport and along the Westside Parkway, that would be within reach of Buttonwillow.

My local clinching interests are of course the Centennial Corridor, as well as the Alfred Harrell Highway, and a relocated segment of CA 180 east of Fresno I forgot about during my return home from a college reunion last October. My outbound and return itineraries are TBD, other than leaving home right after Easter, returning around the end of April, and minimizing severe weather risks crossing the Great Plains (mindful of Scott5114's advice in another thread about traveling across Kansas and Oklahoma in April and May).
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
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Max Rockatansky

Fresh photos from the Centennial Corridor this morning at the dedication ceremony.  We'll see how long some of these CA 58 shields on Rosedale and Mohawk last:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBdzDd

Max Rockatansky

I formalized the meet itinerary in the original post.  During the days leading up to the meet I will post Google Map links to aid with navigation during the tour. 

cl94

I'm liking that itinerary. Nice mix of old and new and not super long. I'll probably book my hotel in Bakersfield this week.

And yes, decent chance I do the CA 202 clinch after the meet. TBD what else I do on my way down/back.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Max Rockatansky

One point I'll probably have to refine is the parking situation at the Bakersfield Sign.  There is a couple restaurants nearby (just to the south) that probably are the best/shortest option.



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