On our way to California, Morongo Casino and Kern County Museum, Bakersfield Feb 10 -12

 After saying goodbye this morning to Grace and Mike at the Cocopah Casino, we were on our way by 8:45. All the slides came in perfectly, such a relief.

First stop was fuel at the Casino's fuel station, so one last fuel up with Arizona fuel prices before California. We pulled out onto the road shortly before 9am. Of course we gained an hour crossing into California. Now we are on our regular time at home.

Imperial Sand Dunes

The mountains surrounding Palm Springs,  Mt. San Jacinto where the tram is and Mt. San Gorgonio to the left.

Lots of snow up there.

Coming out of the valley lots of wind turbines .... going to be a windy day at the top. lol

Traffic's pretty good all the way to Cabezon's Morongo Casino. A huge, flat parking lot free to stay overnight. We made the drive in just over 3 hours.

This casino is huge with lots of choices to eat, from takeout with burgers etc, to high end dining on the top of the hotel tower. Best part it's a totally non-smoking casino. 

We opted to have dinner for lunch at the Good Times Cafe. Their special today is prime rib and lobster with all the fixin's. Delicous, we definitely have enough for dinner back at the coach. 

We noticed on the way back to the car that they have a coffee and pastry bar open 24 hours. I know what breakfast is tomorrow. lol After lunch we set up the coach and deployed the slides ... everything worked :) Quite a blustery afternoon with winds of 20 mph gusting to 30 or so. It's supposed to quit by 5 or so ... we shall see.

Ray went out after dark to get these pictures of the front of the Casino, pretty cool.

We were up at 5 am California time. It will take me a bit to readjust again. After a leisurely morning we headed over to the bakery and coffee shop for breakfast.

Today's drive should be between 3.5 and 4 hours. With checkin not until 1 pm, we're not in too much of hurry to leave. We went into the Casino for our coffee and pastry at 7:30 ... disapointment. Most of what Ray drooled over yesterday afternoon is gone. We did buy a couple of things though, a fruit tart and a almond croisant with coffee and relaxed for 20 minutes or so before getting back and heading out.

Heading out down the I-10

Coming down out of the mountain towards Los Angeles on the I-10 you can see the flowers starting to pop out on the hillsides.

We switched off the I-10 to the 210  then onto the I-15 where there are some funky rock formations.

Then on the 138 that joins the I-5 for a bit.

Ray routed us through Palmdale to join up with Highway 14 ... we should've gone down further to join up as there is tons of traffic lights through Palmdale. Once we were passed though it's a pieceful drive on the 14 to the 138 again west hooking up with the I-5 coming down the "Grapevine". I-5 still is crappy to drive on.  Yes we are headed north ... just look at the clouds!

After some miles, we turned onto Highway 99 for the rest of the way to Bakersfield. It is in much better shape than the I-5. We arrived at noon, pulled into our site and then out for lunch. A pretty good travel day except the 20 minute delay going through Palmdale with the lights. Here is a picture from 3 years ago of the RV Park. These sites back onto the Kern River which is mostly dry, a great dog walking area.

Here's a picture of our granddaughter Amelia in her new coat from Granny. So cute.

Sunday morrning up at 4:30 am .... time change URGGGG. We were out the door at 9:30 am and headed for the Kern County Museum. We tried to go 3 years ago, but Ray suddenly fell ill and we came back to the MH before entering the exhibits, so today's the day. What a place.

Kern County Museum

Beale Memorial Clock Tower

In 1929, a letter from the Bakersfield Lion’s Club was published in the local paper encouraging the citizens of Kern County to donate historical materials to the County Chamber of Commerce. The response was overwhelming. Family after family brought items and papers that documented the history of Kern County and the people who called it home. In 1941, by issuance of County Ordinance, the Kern County Museum was founded with its original mission to “collect, preserve, research, and present the history and culture of Kern County for the education and enjoyment of the public.” Excitement about the new Museum was high; but, due to the scarcity of resources during World War II, full operations did not begin in earnest until 1945, when the Museum officially opened in the Kern County Chamber of Commerce building in Bakersfield, California.

Before long, the new Museum encompassed the entire Chamber of Commerce building. An outdoor exhibit—1868 Barnes family log house—was added on the former County fair grounds property adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce Building. By 1952, growth of the Museum as a tourist attraction, ancillary educational facility, and as a community cultural center, prompted the Chamber of Commerce to seek new quarters. In 1976, the Lori Brock Children’s Discovery Center was opened on the grounds of the Museum. Initially operated by a separate nonprofit with assistance from the Junior League of Bakersfield, the Discovery Center merged with the Museum in 1993 and has become an important element of Museum operations by providing exciting, educational hands-on experiences for visitors ages 8 and under.

Today, the Kern County Museum is administered by the Kern County Museum Foundation, a 501c3 organization under an operating agreement with the County of Kern. The Aera Energy Gallery, housed in the historic Chamber of Commerce building, is home to the History of the Golden Empire Exhibit which provides a detailed outline of Kern County’s history and agricultural significance. The outdoor complex, Pioneer Village, contains more than 50 buildings, including historic structures that represent different aspects of the County’s history, and several facilities for administration, maintenance of the grounds, exhibits, and artifacts. The Museum supports the concept of lifelong learning, offering a variety of programs targeted to specific ages and interests, along with programs families can enjoy together.

Wow what a place. They have over 50 buildings made into a neighbourhood. 

Pioneer Village

Set amid 16 beautiful acres, Pioneer Village features over 50 historic structures and exhibits depicting the history and culture of Kern County, California, and the West. Visitors can explore the exhibits and discover the past at their own pace on a self-guided tour in this village-like setting.

St. Johns Episcopal Mission

Lopez Hill House

Drug Store

Inside the carpentry shop an old scroll saw operated like a bicycle.

School House circa 1882

Beautiful detail on this house.

Joss House

Thanks to the generosity of Norman Lum and a $7,000 gift, the Joss House was remodeled and 150 year old altar artifacts were added. The Sing Gong Temple was rededicated in October 2017 with the Kern Chinese community.

The Joss House

The Howell House

Hospital

..

Old medical instruments.

The barn had huge pieces of farming equipment in it. 

Canal Ditching Plow

Blacksmith Shop

BHS Alumni Plaza

The Bakersfield High School alumni provided funding for a $30,000 plaza for the base of the historic BHS Water Tower. The project was completed in May 2019. Murals were added to the tank in the Spring of 2020 thanks to the Class of 1959.

Barnes Log Cabin

Cookhouse

Cookhouse

Sheepherders cabin

This one even had his mattress tied to the top of his car.

Bakersfield Sound

Bakersfield has a sound all its own! This collection features stage costumes, sheet music, instruments and other memorabilia from some of the most influential voices of the era including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Red Simpson, Bonnie Owens, Fuzzy Owen and many more.

They played old country hits from the local stars the whole time we were in the building.

Neon Courtyard

A collection of restored neon signs from Bakersfield’s iconic restaurants, shops and businesses. A remarkable setting for a wedding or event!

My silver fox lol

Raymond A. Watson Transportation Exhibit

Enjoy the history of transportation in Kern County with 40 horse-drawn and early motorized vehicles primarily from the estate of Harry West. The vehicles range from stage coaches to simple farm wagons, from early automobiles to early fire and oil delivery trucks.

This is the "White Tour Car" kind of like jeep tours now lol

Moreland Truck

Tally Ho Coach

Street Sprinkler

Smith Grocery Truck

Samson Truck

Red Firehose Wagon

Phaeton

Wheel on the old log hauling wagon.

Log Wagon

Hup Mobile

Hearse

Hand pulled Fire Wagon

Freight Wagon. The shape reminds me of the little guys in the Star Wars movie.

Huge brakes

Drag Racer

US Mail

Canopy topped Surrey

Smaller Canopied topped Surrey

Beer Delivery ... Yeah!

Outside exhibits

Portable Steam Engine

Metal Hauling Wagon

There were other exhibits not open today due to lack of volunteers, like the Black Gold Display all about the oil industry. Here are some outside pictures.

Oil Donkey

Oil Platform

Oil donkeys amoungst the Neon Light display

There is also a trolley exhibit, only available if you rent the space for weddings etc. as it's in a climate controlled area. Here is a before and after picture of the trolley.

Historic Maiden Warriors sculptures unveiled at Kern County museum

When the Kern County Courthouse, built in 1912, was deemed unsafe following the 1952 earthquake, workers removed a few noteworthy elements before the demolition crews came in. Of particular note were four limestone sculptures — the Trojan Ladies, as they were called then — which stood atop the courthouse 65 feet above street level.

They were removed by crane and given to the Kern County Museum, which, it was understood, would make them the centerpiece of a public square to be built in the museum’s Pioneer Village.

Instead, they ended up in an old wagon and covered with tarps. And there they stayed for 68 years.

Rachel Hads, the museum’s designated historian, said the indignity just became too much.

“We were clearing out that section, kinda clearing out the weeds,” she said, “and then we kinda came across them and said, ‘We can’t keep leaving them here.’ So we decided they needed to be pulled out. They needed to be seen and restored to their former glory.”

Museum Executive Director Mike McCoy said he was finally motivated to act by District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer, who had seen them while touring the grounds.

“Something about armed Warrior Maidens fighting for justice — I think District Attorney Zimmer liked that,” he said.

Thanks to donations from the Kern County Bar Association and philanthropist William Edmonds, the four stone statues, each about 6-foot-2, have a new home on the west side of the museum grounds — protected by ornamental barbed chain links that once stood in front of the city’s original government building, built in 1876.

And, a new but necessary touch — metal safety belts, added to protect against any overly enthusiastic museum goers who might decide to ride piggyback — which, by the way, is strictly discouraged.

The statues are only a little over a century old, and they’re showing it in places, but the Maiden Warriors they represent are no mere legend, no fantasy. Stories of formidable female fighters turn up in Scandinavian sagas of the 12th century — and semi-mythological versions of Greek Shield Maidens predate even that by 2,000 years.

If it seems like history books are full of stories of the exploits of great men, that’s because history, by and large, has been written by men. And women have gotten secondary roles and short shrift. No more, at least not at the Kern County Museum.

After visiting the museum and all that walking for almost 2 hours, we came back to the RV park to move to another space. The campsite #58 we're in was interferring with our satellite tv signal ... not acceptable with the big football game today. We moved to site #52, not as nice but the TV worked! Once we moved it's back out the door to Costco and Alberton's to get Ray some game day food for me to cook :) Chicken wings, fresh scallops wrapped with bacon, and tempura prawns. He was a happy guy, busy snacking from 3:30 to 7 pm lol. Excellent Super Bowl game, specially not caring who one and for me it's all about the commercials.