Kern Westside oil fields (1123)

The Westside of Kern county is home to the oldest oilfields in California and continues to produce oil. It is not a very attractive area, but I think it important to see what our dependence on oil does to the environment, so here's an introduction to this area.

It is quite easy to get to this area, providing an interesting detour when heading north on the I-5. When heading north from LA, just after the I-5 and CA-99 split, take CA-166 west. At Maricopa (23 miles), take CA-33 north. (If you're doing this as part of a trip headed further north, you can take CA-33 north to Avenal and CA-269 back to the I-5 -- doing this only adds about 20 miles to your distance, and most of CA-33 moves quite quickly so not much addition in time either.)

This is looking south to Maricopa, across an oil field next to CA-33

(Best viewed as part of California Central Valley set)