Orange Grove, Bakersfield, CA

#121 (November 29, 2022): Two days is definitely not enough time to see all there is to see and explore in Yosemite National Park. This place is huge! As much as we have enjoyed the beauty of Yosemite in the late fall with the snow, we will need to come back at another time of year when more of the park is open and when the trails are safer.

We said good-bye to California’s breath-taking Sierra Nevada and drove 4.5 hours south to Bakersfield, CA, parking at Orange Grove RV Park. Oh my goodness! This place is so cool! We are literally parked inside an orange grove! AND we can pick and eat as many oranges as we want for free! It’s a free U-pick for those staying at the campground!!! This seems too good to be true! It is SO fun and satisfying to walk outside of our RV, pick an orange, and eat it right there on the spot!

To make Bakersfield even yummier, we drove to California Fruit Depot next door to our campground where we sampled seemingly endless options of nuts and fruits and candies. Yum! We bought an assortment of our favorite treats and even knocked out some Christmas shopping while we were there!

Later, Emily and Lily went to Walmart to pick out Christmas decorations for our tiny house. And that evening, we strung lights, hung up our stockings and other decorations, and most memorably, decorated our small 3-foot artificial tree with all the ornaments from our travel adventures thus far. How special it was to remember each destination as we hung up each ornament! We look forward to reminiscing about this beloved Year of Travel every time we decorate our Christmas tree in the future.

#122 (November 30, 2022): We have nothing on our agenda in Bakersfield, California, except to catch our breath and eat as many oranges as we wish! Woo-hoo! Chris caught up on some work and got the truck’s oil changed, Emily washed bed linens and typed for the blog, and the kids did a virtual music lesson and some schoolwork and then rode bikes and the One Wheel.

#123 (December 1, 2022): It is SO nice when we don’t have to go anywhere! We can just focus on resting in and catching up on school and work (and eating oranges)!

#124 (December 2, 2022): Same song, third verse: rest, catch-up on school and work, and eat oranges! These are some of the best oranges we’ve ever eaten! Delicious!

Emily worked on our Christmas card and photo calendar on Shutterfly, and in the afternoon we made another trip to California Fruit Depot to buy more of our favorite treats before we leave tomorrow.