What a Month of Bakersfield Will Do To You

Women Riders Now, a publication for female motorcyclists, is publishing a series of articles from me about the on-going road trip that Sash and I are doing. You can read their first installment, "Guy, Girl, Ride Forever on Their Motorcycles".

Subsequent articles will probably come out every 2-3 weeks.

Our month-long stay in Bakersfield comes to an end this Monday morning (July 14) when we take off further north for Murphys, CA.  We're busy packing up now, tying up loose ends, and eating up the rest of the food from our hotel room refrigerator.

Bakersfield is often referred to as the "armpit" of California. But after a month here, it's really just like most medium-sized cities.  It has nice places, cool hangouts, as well as its dumps and blights.

Looking back at our time here, Bakersfield has sort of grown on us...

• Sash saw the birth of her first grandchild, Jackson.  She was right there holding on to her daughter Olivia's hand, coaching her through it the entire time.  She's been a really great grandma too, helping her daughter and grandson every day since.  Sash is really going to miss them when we leave.

• We attended a couple of bike nights at Chuy's.  Sash got to meet the guys at 98.5 FM The Fox, and got to know them pretty well.  We took lots of photos and shared them with them for their Facebook.

• She was touched by the death of another female rider.  Shawna Elaine Throneberry was struck by a car that didn't stop at the stop sign, and it happened just a few blocks from our hotel.  She's been in touch with Shawna's cousin and friend.  After Sash wrote about the story, one of Sash's friends, Margaret Morin got involved to help out the family.  

• Sash got to forge friendships with a couple of female riders.  Annette Presley, lives up by Fresno, and Margaret Morin, lives in Bakersfield.  Sash originally met them in at the Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit last May.

• We got new tires and brakes for our bikes at Fred Cummings Motorsports in downtown.

• We got a free one-month pass to a fitness center.  Our hotel had advertised it had a fitness room, but when we got there, it was closed indefinitely.  Sash complained to them it was false advertising, because we would have booked a different hotel.  They refused to compensate us.  We went to the closest fitness center to our hotel, In-Shape Fitness, and Sash negotiated a deal, $60.00 for both of us for 30 days.  I wrote to the corporate office of our hotel, and they sent me a check for $60.00!

• We visited some cool places too.  There was Ethel's Old Corral Cafe, more like a dive bar for farmers, but very friendly.  Lengthwise Brewing, the only craft brewery in Bakersfield.  Donna Kaye's Cafe, huge breakfasts.  Guthrie's Alley Cat, the oldest bar in Bakersfield.  Brimstone Bar, inside Padre Hotel, awesome burgers.  

And while we were here, we managed to close several business deals for our marketing company.  That's probably the brightest spot for Sash and I, proving that we can build our business while on the road.

Fueling up in Mojave, CA	Sash's new tailbag in our hotel room	In-Shape Fitness, that our hotel bought us for a month.
Me and Olivia hanging out at the hotel spa	Me eating a burrito and working at Starbucks	Sash at an intersection in Bakersfield
Our boots in the maternity ward waiting room	Sash meets fellow motorcycle rider, Margaret Morin	Olivia and her husband David
Our office at Starbucks	Donna Kaye's Cafe has the best breakfasts!	Sash's dinner at Logan's Road House
Sash and her daughter Olivia	Sash meets fellow motorcycle rider Annette Presley	Vintage Bultaco on display at Lengthwise Brewery
Sash with the guys at 98.5 FM The Fox, Chuy's Bike Night	Sash arrives in style at Chuy's Bike Night	Sash with a couple of guys at Chuy's Bike Night
I ordered the Atomic Habanero Death Wings at Wing Stop	Sash arrives at Ethel's Old Corral Cafe	Farmer guys and gals dancing at Ethel's
Me drinking a double IPA at Lengthwise Brewing	Sash takes an evening ride around Bakersfield	Sash showing off her new Bell 500 open face helmet
I got a new pair of Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires	Sash says Hello to her new grandson Jackson	The BBQ Bison Burger at Padre Hotel, downtown
Me at the hotel pool getting ready to barbecue.	Sash takes a business call while relaxing at the bar	Me & Sash taking Olivia home with the baby.
Me philosophizing about beer and life's mysteries	Sash mounting up after a day at Starbucks	Getting lunch at a taco shop in town
Enjoying a beer at the bar after a day of coding	Sash with Dave DeRoo, bassist of Adema	Sash at Guthrie's Alley Cat, downtown
Asphalt Annie had a little too much to drink	Sash and Annette about to go for a ride	The roadside memorial for Shawna Elaine Throneberry
Getting work done in our hotel room	The Jalapeno Fried Egg Cheeseburger at Eureka!	Sash holding her grandson Jackson