AVENAL & KETTLEMEN CITY-CA

September 8th: Today, my husband 😎 treated me to "a picture taking Day 📸, for my Baby" 😁

I love it when he plans Days like today ❤️

We drove up the highway (Hwy 33-CA) to a little town on the map: Avenal-CA

HUGE Agave's - across the street from Independence; taller than I am! I'm 5 ft. 1"

Today's drive is targeted for Avenal-CA; it just sounds interesting … and it's close.

What are these weird looking bunkers … Hwy 33-CA

It took me quite a while of internet surfing to find any information on these things - AI is categorically retarded; all it knows how to do is what it is programmed to do … in-depth internet search, is not one of AI's strong points.

The "bunkers" along California's Highway 33 are actually access points for the California State Water Project's Coastal Branch pipeline. This massive underground pipeline and aqueduct system transports water to various parts of the state.

The concrete structures with sliding or metal doors are service points for the pipeline that runs underground, parallel to Highway 33.

From the road, the structures resemble small concrete bunkers or vaults, which has fueled speculation and led to confusion about their true purpose.

They are not isolated and can be found along many portions of the pipeline's path, including stretches adjacent to Highway 33.

The structures along Highway 33 are simply part of the state's water infrastructure.

Along the way, 5 fire trucks passed by us in the opposite lane (we saw 5 doing the same Sunday afternoon, in Lemoore-CA); yesterday, we did see smoke in the hill region we're traveling near today - so, maybe they are working in shifts among the hot spots since the wildfires in CA never seem to go out … and the governor & mayors seem to want to keep the State aflame - literally, as well as politically.

It is possible they may also be working in shifts, in the Garnet Wildfire region … and of course, the demonrats are touting climate change hysteria instead of ousting the hair gel king, gavin newscum - the ignorantly arrogant CA poster boy, for nut cases. Personally, what I can stomach watching of his crazy hand motions & his incoherent all-over-the place, aimless ramblings, leads me to think he's flying high on cocaine or speed. He's an angry junkie stuck in a time warp & bent on destroying - not only CA (which he's in the process of doing a bang-up job), but also America. He's tearing down dams to save a minnow … while letting CA go up in flames: he's demented.

Grove of Giant Sequoia Trees Burns in California’s Sierra National Forest | Wildfire 2025: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCfUfOugblg)

Avenal-CA from Almond Oasis RV Park-CA; 15 min (11.3 mi) via I-5 S and CA-269 S

The desert community  is larger than thought.

Avenal State Prison: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenal_State_Prison)

Population count 15,000~2025: Because incarcerated people are counted as residents, the presence of the prison significantly inflates Avenal's official population numbers. This skews census data and makes it difficult to assess issues affecting the non-incarcerated population.

I spotted a very tall Art Deco building feature … so, my loving husband patiently drove me around town until we found it. And we meandered further, exploring the whole of the town 😘

Main Street; Avenal-CA

There it is.

The Avenal Theater: 

(https://www.cityofavenal.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Avenal-Theater-8)

The 500-seat Avenal Theater was built in 1935 by R. D. Moore Construction to a design by architect W.D. Coates. In 1941 it was reconstructed by T & D Jr. Enterprises to the plans of architect Otto Adolf Deichmann, reopening on March 19, 1942. The new theatre was built around the old structure and reopened with 600-seats. The city partnered for a 1998 restoration.

The theater was destroyed by fire November 15, 2003. It was rebuilt and reopened in May 2010.

As we explored the town (up and down every street), I laughed, because e.v.e.r.y. place of business (store, laundromat, tobacco shop, restaurant, ect.) started with the heading "Amigo" - I'm not sure if that's because a chain owns the entire town, or the town just wants to be thought of as friendly 😂🤣

A different style church steeple; Prickly Pear Cactus - bearing fruit~Avenal-CA

Prickly Pear Cactus: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia)

It's a private house! It was so fancy, I thought  maybe a business.

New construction means There it is community growth …

This cactus looked like it had cotton balls randomly stuck to it's spines.

Maybe the cotton balls are flowers?

Senita Cactus: 

(https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=605)

We thought, with the steeple, this would be a church …

First Baptist Church; Avenal-CA

I thought it humorous that the museum building had a steeple … and the big, bulky church building was topped by a very little bell - this seemed kinda backwards to me 🤔

History of Avenal-CA

https://www.cityofavenal.gov/386/History-of-Avenal

{{Elk grazing shoulder-to-shoulder in the Kettleman Hills and antelope roaming in large numbers! This is the history of Avenal, . . . a hunter’s paradise. Spaniard soldiers and explorers named this area “Avenal”. “Avena” means oats or oat fields in Spanish. The Kettleman Plains area was covered with wild oats “waist high” before it was inhabited.

Discovery of Oil

Milham's Elliott No. 1 - The Discovery Well; Avenal-CA

Early American settlers arrived in the Kettleman Hills area during the 1850’s with the dream of raising cattle and farming. Oil, however, would bring fame, fortune and people to the area. On March 27, 1927, the Milham Exploration Company began work on Elliott No. 1. The crew toiled for 19 months, drilling past the 7,000-foot mark. On October 5, 1928, the well blew out with a roar which was heard over 30 miles away, spewing forth oil so fine and white in color that the gasoline could be used unrefined in automobiles.

Development of a Town

The discovery of oil transformed Avenal into a boomtown. In 1929, Standard Oil surveyed the current site of Avenal to build a town. Makeshift houses were hauled from Taft to take the place of tents. Water lines were installed and later a sewer plant was constructed, a post office replaced a cigar box in the general store, a fire department was organized and the community grew.

Standard Oil Company built, among many other things, a 600-seat air-conditioned theater and a new hospital to meet the growing needs of the community. By 1940, Avenal was the second largest town in Kings County with a population of over 4,000 and was known to have some of the best services and schools in the state.

 

Collapse of Oil

The collapse of oil and gas production came with the intrusion of salt water into the oil reservoir leaving 65 – 70 percent of the Kettleman Hills North Dome still undisturbed. In 1953, oil companies with holdings in the area fields unitized, selecting Standard Oil to operate the fields. Avenal’s economy and population declined steadily as the oil money dwindled. Along with it, many stores, buildings and houses were vacated until the 1960’s when an influx of agricultural workers made a major impact on Avenal and the surrounding area. The Lemoore Naval Air Station also brought some growth to the area in the 60’s, but it was short-lived.

Major Changes and Continued Progress

The 1970’s saw two substantial projects that significantly changed Avenal the and surrounding areas: 1) completion of the California Aqueduct, which brought needed water to the west side; and, 2) opening of Interstate 5. After a few failed attempts over several years, the citizens of Avenal supported incorporation of the community in September 1979. While still a very young City, the citizens pursued and were successful in bringing a state prison facility to Avenal. With construction underway, improvements and activities could be seen in every corner of the community.

Since the early 1990’s, many significant projects have followed such as: the reconstruction and beautification of Skyline Boulevard; construction of 52 miles of new curbs, gutters and sidewalks; a new Post Office; two new schools; many new homes and apartment complexes; significant street, underground infrastructure and water storage improvements; park improvements; the Oasis Child Development Center as well as the Paramount Child Development Center (a “green” construction facility); an 18-acre Sports Complex which is located adjacent to the Avenal Sand Drags Track (home of numerous World Records); construction of a new state-of-the-art Animal Shelter ; Downtown Kings Street Improvement Project; renovation of a significant historical building which is now home to the City of Avenal Police Department, established in 2010; and, the most recently completed project is renovation of the Avenal Recreation Center (Avenal’s first schoolhouse, established 1929) located at Rice Park. Avenal is also very proud to be home of the Central Valley Soaring Club. In November of 2003, the Avenal Theater, historic cornerstone of the downtown area, was destroyed by fire. The fire affected all surroundings buildings, which were part of a complex constructed by Standard Oil in 1935. Construction commenced on the new facility in late 2008 and completed in the spring of 2010. The Avenal Theater, with its renewed beauty and splendor, again, reigns as the downtown cornerstone and continues to capture the attention, as it did in 1935 when the theater first opened.

​​Pistachio Capital of the World

Part of the Avenal's proud agricultural heritage comes from the bountiful pistachio crop that grows in and around Avenal. In fact, the largest pistachio grower and processor, Wonderful Pistachios, employs a majority of Avenal's agricultural labor force (both seasonally and full-time). Given how much of Wonderful's labor force comes from Avenal, the company has invested millions of philanthropic dollars over the years in the community, including the construction of Wonderful Preschool.

To celebrate the prominent role that pistachios play in the daily life of Avenal residents, the Avenal Rotary Club in partnership with the City of Avenal, established the annual Pistachio Festival, a four-day pistachio-themed fall event that brings the community together with a wide-range of family activities and attractions. This event is just one example of the many reasons why Avenal is the Pistachio Capital of the World.

Never to Forget Where We Came From

 

Although Avenal’s future is no longer closely linked to oil, and no matter how many years may pass, it will always mark its beginning from “the day the Milham came in” and the cigar box on the counter of the general store which was its first post office.}}

These little sunflowers are everywhere - I like sunflowers; big, little, tall, or short.

We drove the whole length of Avenal, then jumped onto the crossroad Hwy #41, that would loop us through Kettleman City, & back to Independence parked at the Almond Oasis RV Park-CA

On our way to Kettleman City-CA

Kettleman City-WA from Avenal-CA; 18 min (15.9 mi) via CA-33 S and CA-41

I spotted this concrete foundation in the field … online research suggests it could be Concrete pads for an old oil derrick.

Kettleman North Dome Oil Field: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettleman_North_Dome_Oil_Field)

Kettleman City-CA began with the Kettleman Hills, named for 1860s cattleman David Henry Kettleman. A town emerged in the late 1920s after the discovery of oil at the Kettleman North Dome Oil Field in 1928. Founder A. Manford Brown established the community in 1929, and it grew significantly with the completion of the California Aqueduct and Interstate 5 in the early 1970s. The predominantly Latino, Spanish-speaking farmworker community later faced environmental challenges, becoming a center for the environmental justice movement due to the presence of the large Chemical Waste Management landfill.

We drove the length of what we could see of Kettleman-CA; backtracked to grab a tasty hamburger meal - and ate it while examining the tourist-trap-strip mall, just off the main thoroughfare …

Updated end of Kettleman City-CA

Kettleman City-CA: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettleman_City,_California)

Seasonal farm workers end of Kettleman City; Pomegranate Orchard.

Neither of us have ever seen a pomegranate tree, before.

Pomegranates are Biblical fruits that have been mentioned as sacred fruits, beginning in Deuteronomy; they have been cultivated in the Land of Israel since ancient times and are considered one of the "Seven Species" native to the region, representing its fertility and abundance.

Pomegranates are a significant symbol in Jewish culture, and eaten particularly during Rosh Hashanah (literally meaning “Head of the Year,” Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish calendar), to symbolize an abundance of merits and blessings for the coming year, representing the numerous seeds.

A theme-park, Strip Mall; Kettleman-CA

Bravo Land; Kettleman City-CA: 

(https://bravofarms.com/pages/kettleman-city?srsltid=AfmBOoqcIYW0dklnmV1EiJ8wB_IONQZCnmg7haSw0Co2j6P1Fz2qt23Z)

Before nipping into the mall's parking lot, we drove 2 shakes of a lamb's tail up the back street to buy 2 In & Out Hamburgers 👍😊

In & Out 'Burger Chow down.

I smiled when I spotted a newlywed couple's car as we were leaving with our burgers … Holland & I are still newlywed's also; the "newly married" stage spans the first five years of marriage - our 3 year mark is coming up 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

This car made me smile.

From the Bravo Land parking lot (and between bites), I examined the one thing about the theme park that had piqued my curiosity:

This is what caught my attention; I guess this is supposed to be a tree house - according to internet.

Exiting Bravo Land for home …

Almond Oasis RV Park-CA from Kettleman City-CA; (18.0 mi) via I-5 N

I-5 back home; Holland deserved a relaxed drive.

My husband had given me a fun Day 😎❤️

And while he napped, back home … I did some more maintenance upkeep on the body Yeshua gave me 🏋️‍♀️🎯

Standing Toe~8 to 12 repeats for one to three sets; Instead of a quick, bouncy motion, focus on a controlled movement. For flexibility, some sources suggest holding the stretch for a count of 15 to 30 (1-2-3-ect.)

For a senior women with compromised health, the standard standing bent-over toe touch is generally not recommended. The exercise can place excessive stress on the spine and increase the risk of dizziness and falls, which are significant concerns for older adults. I do this exercise, because I am relatively healthy & physically fit.

The primary muscles used in a standing bend over to touch your toes exercise, are the hamstrings and lower back muscles (erector spinae) to stretch, with hip flexors (including parts of the adductors) and glutes also engaged to pull the body forward into the stretch. The core muscles, particularly the obliques, stabilize the torso as you bend.

The group of three muscles at the back of the thigh (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus) that are primarily stretched during the movement.

The muscles along your spine in the lower back that are also stretched and work to control your movement.

Muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur (like the inner thigh muscles or adductors) contract to pull the leg forward, helping to flex the hip and bring your torso closer to the thighs.

Adductors Muscles

When you stand and bend forward to touch your toes, you're not just passively stretching the hamstrings. Your hip flexors must contract to pull your torso down into the position, while your core muscles work to keep your spine stable. The sensation of stretch you feel in your hamstrings is a signal from the muscles to your brain, with the limit of your stretch determined by your body's tolerance to that stretching signal.

Hip Flexor Muscles

10-lb Kettlebell weight.

The Darbee "Top-to-Bottom Back Workout" is a stretching routine utilizing the kettlebell. The following muscle groups targeted are - 

Latissimus dorsi (lats): Engaged during pulling movements like rows to pull the kettlebell toward your torso.

Rhomboids and trapezius (traps): These upper back muscles work to stabilize the shoulder blades and are activated during rows and upright movements.

Erector spinae: These muscles along the spine work to stabilize your back and maintain a neutral posture, especially during exercises like rows and lunges.

Back muscles

 

Deltoids: Stabilize the shoulder joint and are activated during the "upright row" portion of the workout.

Biceps: Engaged to help pull the kettlebell during rowing exercises.

Biceps Brachii Muscle

Grip muscles (forearms): Since you are gripping and stabilizing the kettlebell for the entire workout, the muscles in your hands and forearms will get a significant workout.

Forearm Muscles

Abdominals: The abs and obliques are constantly engaged to stabilize your body and protect your spine, especially during rows and any asymmetrical movements.

Glutes and hamstrings: While the routine focuses on the back, exercises like the reverse and side lunges put pressure on the legs and glutes, adding to the full-body aspect.

Glutes

Following my workout, I baked a peach cobbler we enjoyed:

Peach Cobbler with biscuit topping resting to thicken up as it cools; YUM! 

VAL'S PEACH COBBLER w-BISCUIT TOPPING; Coalinga-CA:  (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2025/09/vals-peach-cobbler-w-biscuit-topping.html)

From start to finish, today was a satisfying Day

Explorations of places most tourists would not visit: I like that.

Body toning - I know I am chubby, but I am a toned chubby; my husband feeds me fatty foods (I've gained 40 pounds since remarriage; my man's brain just does not comprehend LEAN FOODS) … and I'm working it off as fast as I can, as safely as I can. If it takes a year = it takes a year; if it takes longer, it'll 'get there' eventually 😉

Tasty desert.

Cozy, couple time.

A well spent Day 😁