First Stop...Bakersfield Big Stuff

It was fitting that our road trip begin with a big object. In previous roadtrips we've seen such big objects as: The World's Largest (TWL) Ball of Twine, TWL Ball of Stamps, TWL Pecan, TWL Rocking Chair, TWL Ear of Corn, TWL Hand-Dug Well. So first stop this time: Bakersfield, CA for the Shoe-shaped Building. Now I've seen shoe-shaped cars but never a building so this was a good find. It's on the main drag in a seedier section of Bakersfield (note the graffiti), but it is BIG SHOE REPAIR. Supposedly this is the only shoe building in the US that features a shoelace. We didn't have time to investigate further as the locals began bird-calling (as opposed to cat-calling) us from an undisclosed location in one of the adjacent sketchy apartment buildings.

We then spent some time near the City Hall looking for a geocache (www.geocaching.com...for those interested in picking up the geekiest of hobbies!). This was our first caching experience and we were utter failures. Yet as we wandered perplexed by our GPS, a passerby asked us for directions. The irony that we were holding a GPS and were completely disoriented was lost on her.

On our way out of Bakerfield, we took a quirky backroad named China Grade Loop to Ethel's Old Corral Cafe which is home to The Indian Muffler Man. Fellow roadtrippers will understand the quest for the Muffler Men statues that are slowly disappearing into a relic of the past. Once an advertisement for Big Red Indian Tires, he now greets you on your arrival to a biker bar on the outskirts of town.