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Outdoor Life: Off-roading supplement to life in Kern
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Posted by rdtusmc Sun Jul 30, 2006 16:09:08 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments It was with great anticipation that I began skimming the pages of the recently released 2006 edition of Kern Life, The Bakersfield Californian’s guide to living in Kern County.
After I raised so much Cain last year with their staff over the omission of any significant references to ‘Off Roading’ in  Kern County in the 2005 Edition, I just knew they would give this increasingly popular form of family recreation the recognition it deserves. NOT!
To quote the late President Ronald Reagan, “There you go again.” I can’t believe they slighted the off road community. It may have been a “simple oversight,” but come on man, get with it!
What really chaps my hide is that in the 2006 Kern Life, there are loads of hoity-toity photos and advertisements for real estate companies and residential developments. But no photos or references to any of the off-road clubs and organizations in our area.
If you look carefully under the cities of Taft and California City, there are brief mentions of off-road facilities.
Oh, and a few sentences mentioning the 19,000 ACRE Hungry Valley State Park near Gorman, but that’s about the extent of their coverage.
Data recently acquired by the Kern County Board of Trade and Kern County Economic Development Corporation indicate there were 38,096 off highway vehicles that call Kern County home as of April 30, 2006.
The sales manager at Venture Out RV tells me that a third of their RV sales now consist of toyhauler-type trailers and 5th wheels. These are the type that look like a regular RV, but have a large door in the back that folds down as a ramp to load and unload dirt bikes and ATVs.
So as a finger-in-the-dam fix to the omissions in the 2006 Kern Life, prepare to be underwhelmed with the totally unauthorized “Dick Taylor’s Supplement to the 2006 Kern Life.”
I will attempt a meager summary of off-roading clubs and organizations in our area as well as some of the opportunities for off road adventures.
A partial list of OHV opportunities (hours vary & fire closures may affect, so check before you go):

Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area
Near Gorman off Interstate 5
661-248-7007
www.ohv.parks.ca.gov

Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
Pismo Beach
805-473-7230
www.ohv.park.ca.gov

Kern Plateau/Kern River Ranger District
Kernville 760-376-3781
Lake Isabella 760-379-5646
www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia

Los Padres National Forest
Near Frazier Park
www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres

Jawbone Canyon/Jawbone Visitor Center
Dove Springs OHV Area
Highway 14 (approximately 15 miles north of Mojave)
760-373-1146
www.jawbone.org

Tulare Cycle Park
Three miles west of Highway 99 on Paige Avenue
559-685-0503
www.tulareparksandrec.com

Porterville OHV Park
2701 W. Scranton Ave.
559-782-7541
www.ci.porterville.us

California City MX Park
24510 168th St.
661-373-1559
www.calcitymxpark.com

Ridgecrest Motorsports Complex
520 South Richmond
760-375-8000
Closed for the summer, but it will reopen Sept. 2.
www.ridgecrestmx.com

Honolulu Hills Raceway in Taft
Take Hwy 119 to
Airport Road, follow signs
661-623-1212
www.taftracing.com

Off road clubs and organizations:
(If you’re not a member of one or more of these, you should be; otherwise, you can start counting as your riding area the dirt median of Interstate 5, if the unbalanced environmentalists get their way).

CORVA ( California Off Road Vehicle Association)
1-800-42-CORVA
www.corva.org

California Association of 4wd Clubs, Inc
1-800-4x4-funn
www.cal4wheel.com

Kern Off Highway Vehicle Association
www.kohva.com

Bakersfield Trailblazers 4x4 Club
www.trailblazers4x4.com

Stewards of the Sequoia
www.stewardsofthesequoia.org

Off Road Business Association
Headquarters in Bakersfield
661-323-1464
www.orba.biz

Blue Ribbon Coalition, Inc
1-800-258-3742
www.sharetrails.org

You may wish to cut out this simple guide and put it in your wallet because I may get the inkling to charge for this research in the future.
Happy Trails!
E-mail Dick at: rdtusmc@msn.com
 

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