Bakersfield Life

All aboard for adventure

larger view

    When I was a kid, I rode the Santa Fe Super Chief from Chicago to Hollywood to visit relatives. I’ll never forget the luxurious sleeper car with its velvety upholstery and its tiny but oh so cute bathroom. The dining rivaled an upscale Hollywood restaurant with attentive waiters, linen tablecloths, monogrammed dinnerware and gourmet dinners. That was in the late 1950s. My next train ride was in 1983 with Amtrak and it was nothing like the Super Chief. I didn’t get on another train until a few weeks ago during Fillmore’s Railfest. The fond memories came pouring back …
     Fillmore is an easy 2 ½-hour drive from Bakersfield, with the quickest route being Highway 99 south to I-5 past Castaic Lake. Gone is the stark freeway when you turn right onto Highway 126. The historic Heritage Valley stretches out ahead of you with miles of citrus groves, avocado orchards and a dozen or more quaint little fruit and vegetable stands that can’t be ignored.
     A point of historical interest is the The Rancho Camulos, which was established by the del Valle family in 1853. It’s the best remaining example of a Spanish-Mexican rancho in its original rural environment in California. Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel, “Ramona,” was set on this property. Tours of the main adobe, cocina, winery, chapel, schoolhouse and the gardens are conducted 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
     The town of Fillmore has a turn-of-the-century feel. It’s chock-full of antique shops, fun stores to browse and quaint eateries. The main street is lined with trees and the parking is at an angle. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into the ice cream man pulling his trolley down the street.

    After a tour of Fillmore’s downtown, take a break at the Giessinger Winery and bistro, located track-side, across from the railroad station in the Central Park Plaza. This charming old world wine tasting room was once a welding shop. A vine-covered patio invites you to sip wine and feast on French gourmet sandwiches. For the bargain price of $8, you can taste 15 different wines. But if you can only taste one, make it the organic dessert wine Forgiveness, named in honor of the winemaker’s mother. Guaranteed — one taste of Forgiveness and you’ll forgive anybody for anything! Consult their Web site for barrel tastings and wine tours.

    Fillmore is the home of the Fillmore and Western Railway, a fully operational antique train, that features vintage equipment, an antique 1920s-style Pullman, restored dining cars, sleepers, commuter and baggage cars. The engineers, ticket-takers and other workers dress in vintage railroad costumes. The train offers a dozen or more theme-based rides. One is the Pumpkinliner, which travels to a pumpkin patch. A Christmas train stops at a Christmas tree farm where passengers chop down their own trees and load them onto a flat car. Throughout the year, murder mystery trains, wine trains and scenic trains run on a regular basis. There’s even a train for toddlers — Thomas the Tank Engine. The whole family can take a 25-minute ride behind Thomas.

    Hard-core railroad fans can buy a ticket to ride in the cab of a locomotive with the engineer and they will thrill at being able to stand and watch a free demonstration of a locomotive or other rolling stock move onto the turntable (a large circular platform set inside a concrete pit) and make a 360-degree turn. A restored railroad station and the Railroad Visitor Center display model train setups.

    Fillmore and Santa Paula have a number of lodging choices, but if you want to take your RV or your tent, try the Ventura Ranch KOA is Santa Paula. RV sites have water, electric, fire pits, tables and nearby clean bathrooms with showers. The campground is 15 minutes from Fillmore but worth the drive. The grounds have shade trees and grass, which my dogs loved. Some 40 peacocks and peahens wander around, putting on an awesome show. The males strut their stuff with their beautiful feathers fanned. Their high-pitched screech is a little disconcerting the first time you hear it, but by the time you leave, you’ll be used to it and you might even miss it. Well, maybe not.

    My visit to Fillmore was an unexpected treat, one that I hope to repeat in the near future. The city truly lives up to its name: the Last Best Small Town in Southern California.
Winery
Giessinger Winery, 365 Santa Clara St., Fillmore, 805-524-5000, giessingerwinery.com/
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday

Lodging
Ventura Ranch KOA, formerly Far West, 800-562-1899, venturaranchkoa.com
The Artists’ Barn Bed and Breakfast, 805-524-1216
Best Western La Posada Motel, 805-524-0440

Historical Information and Sites
Rancho Camulos, ranchocamulos.org, 805-521-1501
Two miles east of Piru on Highway 126

Train information and reservations
Santa Clara River Valley Railroad Historical Society (scrvrhs.com, 805-524-2254) is located in the Railroad Visitor Center, 455 Main St. Fillmore. Open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays

For train rides, reservations and schedules call 800-773-8724 or the Fillmore and Western Railway (fwry.com, 805-524-2546)