{"id":621,"date":"2010-03-27T21:07:18","date_gmt":"2010-03-28T05:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lunabase.org\/~faber\/blog\/?p=621"},"modified":"2010-03-27T21:07:18","modified_gmt":"2010-03-28T05:07:18","slug":"back-to-bakersfield-l45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lunabase.org\/~faber\/blog\/?p=621","title":{"rendered":"Back to Bakersfield (L45)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I finally had some time this weekend to go out and play in the plane<\/a> a little. I’ve been meaning to check Bakersfield Municipal<\/a> out more thoroughly since I stopped by on my last uncontrolled field tour.<\/a> Today was the day.<\/p>\n

The flight out was pretty, but hazy.\u00a0 Honestly I was surprised at how little traffic was out.\u00a0 Usually the basin is hopping on the weekends, but there were a couple times today when the radio was quiet long enough that I thought I might have lost comms.\u00a0 No such luck, though – just quiet.<\/p>\n

The other bummer is that I’ve had a cold this week and between climbing over the Gorman pass and descending back into the Central Valley my ears filled right up with phlegm.\u00a0 Yes, I know this is a charming fact to share with you all.\u00a0 It hurt a little, but mostly it took me a few minutes to clear them back out so I could hear normally again.<\/p>\n

Anyway, Bakersfield is a really well kept-up field.\u00a0 All the landscaping is pretty and the runway and taxiway surfaces have all been well maintained and, as far as I can tell, recently repaved.\u00a0 It’s a very pleasant surprise to see such a beautiful little airport.<\/p>\n

I actually had trouble finding the restaurant.\u00a0 Despite the fact that the field is really well marked, I missed the building that held the place.\u00a0 I stopped off on the FBO and a couple folks outside gave me great directions.\u00a0 Should you ever be looking for the restaurant at Bakersfield, taxi all the way to the departure end of runway 14 and take a left.<\/p>\n

The restaurant itself was unique and interesting.\u00a0 It wasn’t so much a cafe as a bar with food, but it was a large, well lighted sports bar with a definite bias toward motor sports.\u00a0 There was plenty of racing gear on display and for sale, and when I sat down the Speed Channel was on.<\/p>\n

However, the place didn’t give off the vibe of being a pure sports bar.\u00a0 It was pretty early in the day when I was there – around 11 – but there were a couple tables of families there and quite a few older couples and groups.\u00a0 I got much more the feeling of a neighborhood haunt than the young men’s hangout that sports bars often seem to be.<\/p>\n

I had a good turkey sandwich, but I probably should have aimed at the burgers, which seem to be a specialty.<\/p>\n

Overall it was an excellent experience, and the place could easily become a favorite.\u00a0 Recommended.\n\t\t