So far, the only thing that feels like it's on vacation is my self-discipline. I tried to get through the drive from Los Angeles to Fresno yesterday with only one stop at In-and-Out Burger, but you probably know how that ended.
Badly?
Tastily?
Well, both. If you've had the No. 1 combo from In-and-Out, you understand that I had to make the second stop in Bakersfield. Now, before you show your ignorance and joke about what else there might be to do in Bakersfield, you need to show a little respect. The town may be the butt of some jokes in California, but it's the birthplace of country music legend Merle Haggard and was the home base of fellow country star Buck Owens.
If you want a less upbeat travelogue. Bakersfield was also the site of the infamous Onion Field murder, which was chronicled in the best-selling novel by Joseph Wambaugh and a 1978 movie starring James Woods, John Savage and Ted Savage.