The sun had just set and I lounged in almost complete darkness on the middle of Stockdale Country Club’s well-manicured fourth fairway. It was the Fourth of July, and my wife and I gathered with friends, family and even a couple of people I had met just minutes before to enjoy what was meant to be a spectacular fireworks show.

We waited in anticipation in near pitch-black conditions, and then the eruption of the first firework lit up the sky, unveiling the excitement on everyone’s face. It was difficult to tell exactly where the first crimson lights floated lazily back toward the earth, but it appeared to happen just above Stockdale Country Club’s historic clubhouse. All we could see was the darkness, with a chute of night sky filling the space between the massive trees that line that fourth fairway. The blasts of light gave us a quick view of our friends’ two-year old daughter Emma’s face as she looked on in excitement, while the blasts of sound echoed throughout the golf course.

It was certainly a thrill being able to have such an up-close and personal view at that magnificent fireworks show and counts as just one of the many great things about Bakersfield. As I admired the rockets’ red glare and the bombs bursting in the air, my mind actually wandered back to this magazine and the exciting feature we’re debuting this month, titled “The 64 Greatest Things About Bakersfield.” And yes, my mind does seem to creep back into work mode even when enjoying fun times away from the office.

In “The 64 Greatest Things About Bakersfield,” we’re conjuring the NCAA basketball tournament and instead of asking you to guess who is going to win it all (and avoiding illegal office pools), we’re asking you to actually determine the winner, which will then be known as The Greatest Thing About Bakersfield for 2008. We, like the NCAA Tournament committee, determined the top 64 and you will narrow it down, month by month, until there is only one winner standing in December.

This is the first time that this sort of competition has ever been held locally and we’re expecting a huge response. Be sure to check it out and vote online each month at www.bakersfieldlife.com.

And next year, I’m going to have to push harder to get Stockdale Country Club’s Fourth of July fireworks show on the list.

I'm scrambling right now in an attempt to write this quick blog post before I lose Internet access. I have been out of civilization for a couple of days now and to be honest, I don't really know how to handle it. I've had no Toronto Blue Jays daily updates, no cell phone service, no e-mail. It's odd to say the least.

The reason? I'm in Death Valley. I guess I might be letting a little secret out early, but I'm in Death Valley writing a travel story about the legendary hot spot (literally) in California, and while I wasn't so hot (pun intended) about the story at first, what I've found has been fascinating. I've driven on roads that have bounced my Toyota Tundra all over the place. I've walked in canyons that have beautiful marble-like stone walls. I've stood at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at more than 200 feet below sea level, and from that point looked up at the mountain wall in front of me to see a sign that reads "SEA LEVEL" way above me. I've seen rocks that have traveled across a flat land though no one has ever seen them move. I even played golf at the lowest golf course in the world at 214 feet below sea level.

Most of all, I've been sweating. A lot. Anyone complaining about the heat in Bakersfield needs to go to Death Valley. It's a different world here.

So look forward to an up-close look at Death Valley next month. I'm going to begin my trek home to the cool weather of Bakersfield.