Fitness * Artistic *

On State Highway 99 approaching Bakersfield from the north, go past the junction with State Highway 204. One mile south of the junction, take the exit for Rosedale Highway (State Highway 178) and 24th Street, and turn left to pass under Highway 99 and cross the Kern River. Turn right onto Oak Street just after the bridge, and follow Oak for just under a mile. Turn right at California, and follow it about 2.75 miles, first to the west and then, after a very gradual curve, to the south. When you see Patriots Park on your left, get ready to turn right at the next intersection, onto Ming Avenue. Follow Ming to the west for three miles, where very grand gates announce that you are entering the Seven Oaks area. Seven Oaks Country Club and Golf Course are to the left, and more homes are to the right. Park at a curb where your car doesn't look too out of place, and get out and explore.

The Central Valley's towns just keep on growing, and there's no physical boundary to stop the spread. Cruise to your heart's content as you check out the Seven Oaks area, where you'll find the newest and best housing developments of Bakersfield. From your valley vantage point, a clear day reveals mountains rising from the floor of the San Joaquin Valley on three sides: to the east, the Greenhorn Mountains (a southwest line of the Sierra Nevada range); to the south, the Tehachepi Mountains (Los Angeles is just 100 miles beyond that narrow ridge, over which passes the infamous Grapevine of Interstate 5); and to the west, the Temblor Range, the first of a series of ridges between Bakersfield and the Pacific. This development makes a great workout location for skaters drawn to the new pavement and wide walkways found near the better housing developments being built these days. At Seven Oaks, you'll be skating amid great big houses, tiny new trees, and eight-foot-wide, landscaped concrete sidewalks that connect the entire string of elegant west-side neighborhoods.