Unexpected Scenery on a California Road Trip｜Bakersfield

🚗 Starting Point: Las Vegas The charm of a road trip lies in being able to change your route on a whim 🌈💨, encountering unplanned views along the way — wildflowers covering the hills, endless deserts, clouds so low they almost touch the mountain peaks, and rainbows after a passing shower. Since the drive from Vegas to San Francisco is over 500 miles and we left after lunch, we decided last minute to find a moderately sized city along the way to break up the journey and spend the night before continuing to San Francisco the next day. We settled on Bakersfield 📍 — a city many also use as a pitstop, though there isn’t much detailed info available online. Driving southwest along I-95/CA-58 toward Bakersfield with the sun ahead ☀️, the four-hour journey treated us to sprawling wind turbines of all sizes, uniquely shaped lonely trees 🎄, rugged canyons, and rolling hills. Having no expectations made the unexpected views even more enjoyable. After 4 hours, we arrived and stayed the night at 🏨 DoubleTree. 📍 Bakersfield — an industrial small city at the southern end of California’s Central Valley. It’s a railway hub connecting the Tehachapi Pass, serving as a gateway east to the Nevada Mountains, Death Valley, the Mojave Desert, and Vegas. One spot worth checking out is 📍 Panorama Park. From here, you can overlook vast oil fields — the Kern River Oil Field, the 5th largest in the U.S. 🛢️⚙️. The view of countless oil drills covering the landscape from above is truly impressive. Though an oil city, Bakersfield ironically has some of the highest gas prices in California — nearly $6 per gallon ⛽😱. It’s also ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the U.S., which might explain why housing here is relatively affordable. 💡 Tips: Bring a telephoto lens 📸🔍 — it’s perfect for capturing close-ups of the oil drills. I used a 200mm but still wished I had more zoom! #Bakersfield#RomanticizingLife #CaliforniaRoadTrip #PacificCoastHighway #RoadTrip #LasVegas #TravelCalifornia #BabyMoon #USMaternityStay #HealingScenery #HiddenTravelGems #AroundLA