May 4 - Bakerfield, to the Gates of Sequioa

Monday, May 4– When we woke up we were in Hungry Valley National Recreation Area. We had driven through Malibu and north away from the coast. The landscape was hilly, but lacked vegetation and there were only a couple trees that we could see. Dirt bike and 4-wheeler trails criss crossed the land.

We went to start the van and noticed we had a flat tire. Thinking it wasn't too low, we tried to start driving to at least the paved road, but could only drive a couple feet before metal was grinding. Luckily, we had AAA and phone service, and within 20 minutes a tow truck was turning into our pull off. He was a nice guy, got us quickly attached and let Dazey Tyne and I ride up front with him. He towed it to the closest town, Gorman.

Unfortunately, Gorman was a tiny crappy town. The service center didn't have my tire in stock, (how can a tire place not have any tires?) but was able to do a patch job for $20. With our van moving again, we came down into Bakersfield to get some errands done.

Bakersfield is a black hole. I've heard this before. You get into town and everything looks the same. There are no easy ways to leave any of the shopping centers, and even when you finally try to leave, something happens and you get stuck again. We stopped into the grand opening of a grocery store, and walked into a zoo. The prices were great! We got some amazing deals, but was overwhelmed with people.

Finishing our business in town, we tried to hit the road. The familiar sound of metal scrapping stopped us again. The patch had already come off!

Hoping that it would last more than 20 miles, we had just bought a new tire at Wal-mart (worst Wal-mart ever) and were going to strap it on the roof for the next time we got a flat. Now we were in the middle of town, but somehow no where near an auto repair store. Tyne jumped out and asked someone where to go, and we were instructed to go just over the railroad tracks.

It seemed like miles, but we finally pulled into the service station. The guys in the bay watched as we squealed into the lot. Tyne did the talking, "We have a tire already and just need the tools to put it in." She worked her magic and the owner told her the job was on them. Sweet, a free flat fixed!

Finally leaving the black hole, we took a wrong turn and nearly came back into town. Straightened out once and for all, we passed through fruit country again and slowly make our way to the mountains in the distance.

The road leading into Sequoia is pretty impressive. Leaving behind the flat, hot and dry fields of central California, we rose into a green canyon with a river flowing down out of it. Passing a dam, the river gets backed up into miles and miles of artificial lake. Although it's not natural, it was still beautiful.

Looking for a spot to camp, we approach the entrance to Sequoia. We have a choice here; either drive into Sequoia tonight and pay for camping or turn down Mineral King road and try to find a spot up there.

Opting for the free choice, we drive up a windy road past summer cottages and small houses overlooking the valley. Miles pass and it doesn't look good. Seeing a guy parked on the side of the road, we stop to ask if he knows of anywhere good to camp.

"Well, there really isn't anything up Mineral King. And its closed 20 miles in. Well, I guess you could camp on my land if you would like. Yeah, let me show you what your options are."

He had us follow him another mile uphill to his house, a pretty nice one tucked away far from the road with an excellent view of the gateway to Sequoia. We followed him up to another flat spot up the hill from his house. The view was better, plus there was a water tower with a faucet with cold drinking water.

"The landlord put a tub up here I think," he muttered. "There it is!"

In the bushed was an old bathtub, a little old but nothing more than a little dirt on it. The man told us we could flip the bath tub and fill it with water if we wanted a bath in the morning. We were ecstatic. One of the coolest camping spots to date. The man introduced himself as Kirby and told us he had to go back to the house to make some calls, but he would be up in a little bit with a fire pit so we could have a fire.

While he was gone, we set up our tent and cooked some potatoes. I filled the bathtub and took a chilly bath in nothing but my birthday suit. What a crazy feeling it is to be scrubbing yourself outside in a bathtub with a view like this.

Before long Kirby showed up again, with lawn chairs, a fire pit and wood, sausage sandwiches and drinks. Although we had just eaten, sausage was too good to refuse. Tyne drank a bottle of wine that he gave her, and we each had a couple Wild Turkey and Cokes. We talked while the flames danced until a little after dark, when Kirby said he had to go and make some more calls.

Before he left us for the night, he asked if we were on a tight schedule, and if we wanted to make a little extra money, he had some stuff around the house that he would pay us for. We accepted his offer, and agreed to come and meet him in the morning to do some work.

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