The Road That Leads to Another Time: Our Drive Through Kern River Canyon to Kernville, California

Some roads are just a way to get somewhere. Others make you forget all about getting there because you're too busy looking at everything along the way. Well, Breezie and I found one of those roads when we pointed Willy Bear toward Kernville, California. We were leaving Bakersfield behind and heading east on Highway 178, following the Kern River into the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. We knew it was going to be a beautiful drive, but I don't think either one of us realized just how much this stretch of highway had waiting for us. And believe me, this is one road where you want to keep your eyes open. Especially if you're the one driving! A Road Carved Through the Mountains It doesn't take long after leaving Bakersfield for the scenery to change. The city disappears behind you, the mountains begin closing in, and suddenly you're traveling through a rugged canyon with towering rock walls on one side and the Kern River winding through the valley below. There are sharp curves, steep hillsides, and places where the road seems to have been squeezed between the mountains and the river. Every bend brings something different, and just when you think you've seen the prettiest part, another beautiful view comes around the corner. Breezie and I have traveled some remarkable roads over the years, but this one certainly deserves a place among them. What really caught my attention, though, was thinking about the people who first built a road through this country. Today, we have paved highways, powerful vehicles, and modern construction equipment. Imagine trying to make your way through these mountains more than a hundred years ago. The Remarkable History of Highway 178 Here's something I found fascinating. The beginnings of the road through Kern River Canyon go back to the 1890s, when the Edison Electric Company developed a route to reach a hydroelectric powerhouse site along the river. In those days, the road was built for wagons pulled by horses, mules, and oxen. Automobiles eventually came along, but getting through this rugged country was still no easy undertaking. The highway was added to California's state highway system in 1919. Construction of a major section of the canyon road began in 1922 and wasn't completed until 1931. Think about that for a minute. Nearly nine years of work on one difficult stretch of highway! Prison laborers from Folsom Prison Camp 9 were among those who worked on the road. They helped carve a passage through terrain that still demands a driver's full attention today. I couldn't help thinking about those workers as we drove along. We were enjoying the scenery from the comfort of Willy Bear, while the people who built this road faced the heat, the rocks, and the difficult conditions of an unforgiving canyon. It's funny how a little history can change the way you look at something as ordinary as a highway. The Kern River Has a Personality of Its Own All along our drive, the Kern River was putting on quite a show. In some places, the water rushed around enormous boulders. In others, it slipped between rocky banks beneath the mountains. The scenery seemed to change every few minutes, and the river was always part of the picture. But as beautiful as the Kern River is, it's also a powerful force of nature that deserves respect. Its currents and cold water can be dangerous, even in places that look peaceful from the road. There's something humbling about watching a river that's been carving its way through these mountains for longer than any of us can imagine. And the mountains themselves! Standing there in all their rugged beauty, they made everything else seem awfully small. I've always believed that some of the most beautiful places of worship don't have walls or a roof. Sometimes all you need is a river, a mountain, and a few quiet moments to appreciate what God has created. A Town With Gold in Its Past As we made our way toward Kernville, we were also heading into a part of California with a remarkable Gold Rush history. Back in 1860, prospectors were drawn into this region by discoveries of gold, including the famous Big Blue Ledge. A rough little settlement sprang up with a name that probably tells you quite a bit about its early character: Whiskey Flat. Now, there's a name you don't hear every day! By 1864, the community had adopted the name Kernville. As the settlement grew, families, businesses, and everyday life began replacing some of the rougher character of the mining camp. But that wasn't the end of Kernville's story. Not even close. The Town That Had to Move Here's the part of Kernville's history that really got my attention. The original Kernville wasn't located exactly where the town stands today. When construction began on Isabella Dam in 1948, the people of old Kernville faced a heartbreaking reality. Their community was sitting on land that would eventually become part of a reservoir. Homes and businesses had to be abandoned, demolished, or moved. Some of the old buildings were relocated several miles upriver, where a new Kernville began taking shape. By 1953, the dam was complete, and the original townsite had been flooded by Lake Isabella. Imagine living somewhere your whole life, raising a family, building a business, making memories, and then learning that the place you called home would soon disappear beneath the water. That must have been terribly difficult for the people who lived through it. But what I find remarkable is that Kernville survived. The old streets were gone, yet the town carried on in a new location. And today, people like Breezie and me can travel into those mountains and enjoy a community whose history stretches all the way back to California's Gold Rush. Sometimes the Journey Is the Adventure By the time we reached Kernville, I was already glad we'd made the trip. We had traveled through some breathtaking mountain scenery, followed a beautiful river, and discovered the history of a highway that took years of hard work to build. And waiting at the end was a little mountain town with a story unlike most others. That's one of the things Breezie and I love about traveling. You can leave in the morning thinking you're simply going for a ride, and by the end of the day you've learned something about the people who came before you. There's history tucked away in these mountains, and sometimes all it takes to discover it is the willingness to turn down a road you've never traveled before. We hope you'll enjoy riding along with us in our video as we make our way from Bakersfield through Kern River Canyon and up to historic Kernville. And our adventure doesn't end when we arrive! Breezie and I also filmed a separate walking tour through historic Kernville, taking a closer look at the town itself. That video will follow this one, so be sure to watch for it. Until then, thank you for traveling along with us and being part of our adventures. Finius & Breezie Diggin' Life Together Have you ever driven through Kern River Canyon or visited Kernville? We'd love to hear about your experience!