Jul 22, 2019 | Event Chronicles
Ridgecrest may be rumbling due to earthquake aftershocks, but it was also rumbling due to some beautiful vehicles cruising through on Sunday, July 21, 2019—including three from Corvettes of Bakersfield!
Last month, COB received an invitation from Ridgecrest Corvette Club’s Kyle to join them on a cruise from Ridgecrest to Kernville. Dale and Cathy in a C7, Ron and Bill in a C6, and John and Cher in a C5 made the run and had a great time with some new friends.
John and Cher traveled to Ridgecrest on Saturday after Friday’s C8 Reveal Run, planning to meet up with the group on Sunday morning at the cruise’s meeting spot; Beansters Espresso in Ridgecrest.
Early Sunday morning, Dale, Cathy, Ron, and Bill assembled at the Broken Yolk on Brundage in Bakersfield to head to the meeting spot. They had a scenic and fun early-morning drive through the Tehachapis and across the desert. Their route included curvy and hilly Garlock Road, which passes by Garlock Ghost Town. This little 1800’s town provided water for cattlemen and freighters wishing to avoid the potentially treacherous washes in Red Rock Canyon. There’s not much there now to see, especially passing by at highway speeds…but it is a fun road to drive.
They met up with John and Cher at Beansters and everyone got a chance to enjoy some good coffee and baked goods while sharing some fun stories of their journeys to Ridgecrest!
Kyle from RCC arrived and joined the COB group. He said that he invited several more car clubs to join the cruise—not just other Corvette clubs. As a result, there was a nice variety of vehicles that started showing up for what would become a fourteen-car caravan. There were several Corvettes, a couple of Mustangs, a Maserati, a Fiat, and a Toyota truck, driven by some fun car enthusiasts.
The caravan left Beansters and proceeded east on Highway 178 to the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, through Walker Pass and down to the Kern River Valley, travelling around the north side of Lake Isabella on Sierra Way to Kernville. There were great views of the lake along the way. The caravan’s destination was Ewing’s on the Kern Restaurant for lunch. The group sat on the patio overlooking the mighty Kern River. Both the lake and the river were beautiful and many people were out enjoying them.
After a delicious lunch and great camaraderie, most of the caravan continued around Lake Isabella on Highway 155 for a photo opportunity at French Gulch. Afterwards, the COB group split off and proceeded west down the Kern River Canyon on scenic and winding Highway 178, heading back to Bakersfield. But, the run wasn’t over yet…
Realizing that the best way to end a great run on a hot summer day would be ice cream, the group decided to stop at Rosemary’s Family Creamery on the way home! Linda also joined the group there and the fun continued.
After a great day of driving, camaraderie, and food, the group dispersed, looking forward to the next event.
Special thanks to Dale for coordinating the run, and to Kyle and RCC for the invite!
John S.
For more pictures, Click on this Flickr link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157710017888482
Jul 19, 2019 | Event Chronicles
10 Corvettes and many more members enjoyed traveling to Tustin, Ca. to take part in the 2nd day of the C8 Corvette Reveal. The first day was organized for the media and other dignitaries and the second day for enthusiasts and future owners of the fabulous C8 Corvette. Corvettes of Bakersfield managed to caravan all the way to the Tustin Blimp Hangars in ONE GROUP which is quite an accomplishment in the LA area. Once we got there we were amazed at the size and construction of the hangars which were built in 1942 for airship support of the US Navy coastal patrol efforts in WWII. Inside the hangar were displays of the early mid-engined Corvette concepts and experimental mules and, also, cutaways of the C8 to show the all aluminum construction. Colors and upholstery samples were also on display as well as wheel and seat options. Also on display, were C5, C6 and C7 Corvette racers. Snacks and drinks were available to munch on as we moved around the displays. There was also a presentation and films by Tadge Juechter, Chief Corvette Engineer, who was very instrumental in bringing the mid-engined Corvette C8 to life. After freshening up and taking a break, we had a very nice dinner at J. T. Schmid’s Restaurant where are we discussed our wants and desires of everything we’ve seen of the C8. It was a thrill and privilege to be one of the first to sit inside the brand-new C8 Corvette.
Click on link for more pictures on our Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157710016965637
Jul 13, 2019 | Event Chronicles
We had another great run today through the scenic roads and curves leading up to Glenville, California, through Lake Isabella and ending up at Rosemary‘s Creamery in Bakersfield. .
Glenville is a small, tiny community 30 miles north east of Bakersfield in the Greenhorn Mountain foothills, a part of the Sierra Nevada. 18 Corvettes (later joined by one more Corvette owner who is the nephew of the Greenhorn Grill’s owner) made a short pit stop at the Hiway 155 Market and Café where we met the friendliest people; the owners Edwin and Kristine. We got to sample some of their barbecue and boy was it delicious. This place is a definite ‘must stop’ for a meal in one of our future runs.
On we went up the road and over the summit to an area where we pulled over to take pictures of the beautiful countryside as a backdrop for our Corvettes. From there we headed to Lino‘s Greenhorn Grill where we met the wonderful and friendly owners, Lino and Francis and where the waitresses were outstanding and so outgoing. We had a great meal there from a full menu of steaks, tacos, sandwiches and salads and much more. What a great place to eat. Congratulations to Melanie for winning our raffle prize.
Coming down the mountain from the over 3000 foot level, we had a problem with one of the member’s older Vette overheating the brakes. As we waited for help, the rest of the members went on to Rosemary‘s Creamery in Bakersfield to enjoy some ice cream made on the premises. That was a wonderful, cool way to end a very hot day.
For more pictures, Click on this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157709628749201
Jul 11, 2019 | Event Chronicles
It was a warm afternoon but Corvette of Bakersfield members weathered out the heat and had a great event at Chuy’s Cruise-in. Tonights event saw 19 Corvettes in attendance. Thanks to Danny Ellison and Chris Espitia for supplying the delicious root beer floats and the cool mugs.
For more pictures, Click on this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157709628592196
Jul 9, 2019 | Event Chronicles
What a bunch of patriots we are. In tonight’s meeting we did the requisite Pledge of Allegiance and were treated to the Star-Spangled Banner by Emily Ames, niece of Larry Young, our new president for the 2019-2020 year. As the gavel was handed over by former president Bob Vella to Larry Young, we applauded and thanked Bob Vella for the excellent years of leadership that he gave the Corvettes of Bakersfield.
New members were introduced and we had a special guest, Councilman Ken Weir, who presented the oath of office to our new officers. Events and runs were discussed during our meeting and a couple of excellent video slideshows of previous runs were put together and played by Danny Ellison, backed up by his wonderful music from his band.
A big “Thank you” go out to Tony Ennis and Chevy Garza for bringing the ice cream treats and great gifts to be raffled off. Congratulations to the winners of our raffle prizes. They are Dale Frye, Mike Rouw, David Kielty and Mark Pucilowski.
For more photos, Click on this Flickr link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/158760832@N02/albums/72157710015945012
