BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23-27, 2025

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23-27, 2025

We headed toward Bakersfield, CA on the 23rd and stayed for four nights at Bakersfield River Run RV Park.  It was a very nice place situated right along the Kern River.  It has all the amenities that people are looking for; a pool, laundry facilities, shower rooms, exercise room, game room, and places to lounge around inside & out.  

We headed to Sequoia National Park on Saturday.  It was busy with lots of tourists.  Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on the trails, so most of our sight seeing was done from turnouts, parking areas, and the car.  Not ideal, but "thems are the rules."  

Giant Sequoias are the largest trees on earth.  They are also known as giant redwoods, Sierra redwoods or Wellingtonia trees.  Their native environment are the groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.  However, they can be found around the world.  They are listed as an endangered species with fewer than 80,000 remaining its their native California environment.

If you know me well, you know I have claustrophobia.  I can very anxious in large crowds where I feel closed in.  Sequoia felt that way to me, especially with so many people around.  We took pictures and spent some time outdoors, but didn't spend a lot of time at Sequoia National Park.

Notice the size of the trees next to the pickup truck

On our drive to Bakersfield we passed by acres and acres of orange groves, and Cuties mandarines.  We also passed by acres and acres of oil fields, too.  

One of the highlights for us in Bakersfield was seeing a restaurant advertised in the brochure given to us by the Bakersfield River Run RV Park.  I noticed an advertisement for the "Hungry Hunter."  I thought, this restaurant can't be the same Hunger Hunter I worked for when in San Diego.  I had to look it up online.  Some of the menu items were the same.  When I moved back to Ohio from San Diego, I was able to transfer from the Hungry Hunter to Mountain Jacks, as they were owned by the same corporation and just went by different names in the West and East.  I actually met Steve while working at Mountain Jacks - and we've now been together 37 years (36 married).  We made reservations to have dinner and let's just say - we were taken back to our earlier dating days enjoying the table side salad bar and the BEST Prime Rib!  Just like we remembered it.  The experience brought back so many memories from my days in San Diego and our time together at Mountain Jack's in North Olmsted.  

The corporation went out of business, but several former managers/employees kept a few open and continue to use the same original recipes along with some new ones.  There is a Mountain Jack's located in Lafayette, Indiana.  It seems Carvers Steaks & Seafood also uses some of the recipes from Hungry Hunter & Mountain Jacks.  It's nice to see that these recipes live on as, seriously, their prime rib is simply the best.  We've never been able to find any other restaurants that even come close.  If we ever get to Bakersfield, CA again, or Lafayette, Indiana we'll be certain to stop in for some Prime Rib.

Years ago the salad bar was placed on your table and you would make your own salad.  Today the server makes your salad table side.  
This helps avoid contamination of the ingredients.

We were one happy couple!

Our next stop - Cardella Winery in Mendota, CA.

Tally Ho!