My friend Jessica who lives in Bakersfield told me about this place and it sounded neat so I suggested to Tony we should go explore it a bit. Even though it was 94* outside, we got there around 5pm and it was luckily starting to cool down. Be aware that the place closes at 6, not sure how that works when you are camping, but we left the area to head out after an hour of exploring and hiking around.
It is free to go in, camp and hike but you do have to stop and sign a log book before going much further.
There were quite a lot of various kinds of plants and flowers to photograph.
This mural was definitely my favorite. 2 owls on it!
I've always wanted to take a picture under an arch of antlers!
Yes, this was a real live snake in the road. Then we saw an even bigger one later on our way out. I think I've changed my mind about camping here. Snakes are okay from a distance but..they can get in to teardrop campers and tents. No thanks!
Sweet mini little waterfall...
There are a few hiking trails out here. I want to do the wildflower one next time we come.
Looking down in to this pond was pretty interesting. 
Do you see the rabbit in the picture on the right?
If you'd like to go see this place for yourself, the address is 
16019 CA-166, Bakersfield, CA 93311 and the website is here