Bakersfield Harley Shop Ride

3 July 2010

It’s the 4th of July weekend. What better time to celebrate the long standing tradition of our Independence Day than with a nice energetic motorcycle ride trough Kern Canyon and back over the Greenhorns. Lots of nice scenery and windy roads to ride.


We planned to start out from Ridgecrest and take I-178 west to I-14 south then continue on I-178 west through Kern Valley and Kern River Canyon. We would then take the back way into our destination, which was the Harley Davidson shop in Bakersfield.


Our return trip was basically the same except we we’re going north from Bakersfield to Woody then west on I-155 to Glenville for lunch, then over Alta Sierra and down into Wofford Heights. We planned to stop in Lake Isabella for gas. From here the trip would be identical to the trip out.

We had an exceptional turnout for this ride. Except for a friend I brought and myself, no one else showed up. It was a great day fior a ride regardless of the numbers. In fact, two is perfect. We departed from the 76 station in Inyokern at about 0830 headed for the Bakersfield Harley shop. The weather was cool, but not cold and the ride over Walker Pass was very nice. The mountains have lost all traces of snow and the skies were clear with very little wind. We encountered quite a bit of traffic and had to follow it until the Kern River turn off. From there the road was fairly open and free of traffic.

Lake Isabella is as full as I’ve seen it for a long time. There were thousands of people all around, many still trying to find parking places, some camping, boating, jet skiing and cooking. The smell of bacon in the morning is enough to get everybody’s attention. From Isabella west, the road was wide open. Our group had no problem sticking together and several cars actually used the turnouts to let us by.

The Kern River was high and moving very fast, a dangerous place for anyone to play for sure. We made it through the twisties and sweepers of the canyon and turned on Comanche Rd headed north through Hart Park, and then traveled along the Kern River to China Grade Rd. Heading north on China Grade, we passed over the Kern River into the oil fields. Back in the 1850s, Gordon’s Ferry operated here to allow travelers and the Butterfield Overland Stage Coach to cross the river. Here’s some info on it. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?MarkerID=25149.

Finally on Merle Haggard Drive heading west, we stopped to fill up at the Shell station just before the shop. The shop was not too busy and there was coffee and refreshment available. The Bakersfield shop is nicely laid out and everyone is quite friendly and willing to help customers find what they are looking for. I talked with Mark one of the salesmen for a while. As we were discussing ride destinations, he mentioned the Indian Wells Valley brewery had the best tasting beer on tap he’s had. Since I don’t drink I couldn’t share his enthusiasm, but felt good that something from my area was of notable interest to him. Mark also mentioned there are several unusual specials being offered at the shop currently. They’re offering credit toward a new set when an old seat is brought in for trade. They’re also offering with purchase of any new 96 CI model, of which they have several, a free engine modification to 103 CI. I thought that was a pretty nice deal.

When we decided we’d had enough, we mounted up and headed toward our lunch stop in Glenville, The Crazy Horse Saloon. From Merle Haggard Drive we headed north on Airport Drive, through more oil fields. This route goes along an old Butterfield Overland Stage Coach route and there is a marker along the road to Woody explaining the significance of this route. In Woody, we turned west onto I-155 toward Glenville. Along this route, there are several blind turns that tighten as you enter them making this a challenging road. Fun, but challenging. In Glenville, we stopped at the Crazy Horse Saloon for lunch and a nice rest stop after negotiating the entire twisting road leading here.

Also here in Glenville is the oldest known residence in Kern County. This adobe house dates back to 1857 when the town was named after James Madison Glenn. http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=25032

After lunch, we continued along I-155 east toward Alta Sierra and Shirley Meadows (The Greenhorns). This area about 9 miles east of Glenville is about 6500 feet in altitude, so the temperature is cool and the scenery of shrubs and natural Oak trees we’d been traveling through so far turned to pines. There are some tight turns along this road that need extra caution. I headed into a left-hand turn a little too fast and ended up in the dirt before I could stop, dropping my bike. The crash bars took the only visible damage. Some buffing and chrome spray should take care of that nicely. No worse for wear, we hit the road again.

We continued down into Wofford Heights where we could get glimpses of Lake Isabella. When it’s as full as it is, it’s quite a sight to see. We turned south toward Isabella and again encountered lots of traffic. Next we headed west on I-178 toward Walker Pass. All this time the weather had been cool and comfortable, but heading down into Indian Wells Valley it warmed up considerably. Warm is not really the word to use. It was plain hot. We hadn’t needed to use our hydrator vests to this point, but I seriously considered breaking mine out just for the ride home. I decided to tough it out. As we got onto I-14 north from I-178, we hadn’t noticed how windy it was, but as soon as we started up I-14 the cross wind was really strong. Soon we were on I-178 heading east again with the wind at our backs and it became unnoticeable again all the way to Jacks Ranch.

In all, a great ride. A little wind and a little heat, but a great day for a ride on some of the best motorcycle roads around. Those that turned out for this ride had an enjoyable time. Until the next one, keep your eyes open and the shiny side up. It’s my experience that these two things increase the probability that your ride will be an enjoyable one.



Tom Lystrup