Orange Grove RV Park–California We Have Arrived

At Orange Grove RV Park, Bakersfield, CA

Our first RV park on our entire trip.  Full hookups (good for long showers and empting tanks), electricity so that we can turn on lights at our leisure, watch tv (cable is not good, but over-the-air has ME-TV and Grit, two of our favorites), and here, at this park….

…Oranges from December through March…but in March, you need something to get them high up in the tree, as you can see some up in this tree.  This park is FULL of orange trees, and you can take as many as you want to take as long as you don’t climb trees or hurt branches.  Also, there is the California Fruit Depot right around the corner where you can buy oranges, dates, nuts…all sorts of things.  They open at 9, we plan to leave by 8.  It is 5 1/2 hours to Citrus Heights, and we want to be there by 2…and we need gas.

Asked this guy in the new truck with older 5th wheel where he was from…

“Sacramento” he said.

“We are headed there…” I said.  “Left Florida Wednesday night.”  Got that look….

“Wow, that is some traveling!”

“Yep…headed for my sister’s backyard in Citrus Heights…”

“Well, that is really where I am from…where at in Citrus Heights?”

“Off Antelope…” as I described the area.

“Heck, that is just down the street from me…I live right next to the church by the old Van Marin homestead….”

We talked some more…but what a small small world this is.  He ate at the restaurants I worked at, he knew of Arny’s Corvette Body Shop on Auburn, etc. etc.  But he did not know Arny, although they both have lived within 1/2 mile of each other for years and years.

This is the route that I prefer to get from Phoenix to Bakersfield.  It is 20 miles shorter to that I-10 through San Bernardino…but the traffic…yuck!  The only hitch going this route is that along highway 58 there is this place called Kramer Junction.  There is a stop light because highway 395 and 58 cross each other.  There is ALWAYS a backup at this light…especially in the middle of the day.  Took us 20 minutes to get through that intersection, otherwise it was all just fine despite the high wind warning near Needles along I-40.  The good news, much of highway 58 is now two lanes each way, and when they complete the highway going around Kramer Junction, and over highway 395, that is going to be very, very nice.