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Fairview
RESTAURANTS
McNally's Restaurant / 1*
ON MTN HWY 99, FAIRVIEW; 760/376-2430
Steak lovers follow the Kern River deep into the mountains to find McNally's,
part of a motel/ grocery store/campground resort complex on the river.
Steaks here are huge: a "regular" filet mignon runs 16 ounces,
and a "large" a whopping 24. Porterhouses come in two sizes:
24- and
40-ounce. You'd have to be a professional wrestler to down these portions,
but loyal diners don't seem to mind (they tote home their leftovers, or
share dinners). Steaks are fried on the grill (none of that sissy mesquite
stuff) and develop a wonderful seared flavor. Seafood's also on the menu
meekly taking a back seat to all the beef but good just the same. The
scallops au gratin are rich and delicious. McNally's cuts their own beef(procured
from the same purveyor for over 30 years), makes their own dressings and
desserts (a creamy cheesecake), and accompanies every
meal with a relish dish, plenty of rolls, and a salad or their famed black
bean soup, rich and dark. Don't expect any pretension here, but there's
a magic to standing on the porch outside over-looking the river, cocktail
in hand, waiting for your table—and the inevitable over-indulgence
to
come. $$; MC, V; local checks only; dinner every day April-Oct, Fri-Sun
Nov-March; full bar; reservations not necessary; 15 miles upriver from
Kernville on Mtn Hwy 99, 15 miles north of Kernville.
GOING FOR THE GOLD
On the verdant hillsides that flank the Central Valley, you'd
expect those brilliant greens in spring. But there! What is that
huge patch of gold in the distance? Or those brushstrokes of blue,
like fragments of fallen sky? In the hills rimming California's
great valley, wildflower watching is still a popular spring-drive
activity, despite the loss of most wHd acreage to farming and
ranching. Gone are the days when naturalist John Muir strode the
region in 1868 and remarked, "When I walked, more than a
hundred flowers touched my feet, at every step closing above them,
as if wading in water... go where I would, east or west, north
or south, I still plashed and rippled in flower-gems."
But you'll still find incredible floral color displays in nature
preserves and even on orangeland: cattle ranching is not at alt
incompatible with the growth of native wildflowers, as long as
the cattle range freely over a wide area. Best time to took is
March through April. Best places? Two are highly regarded by sightseers
and native plant authorities alike: Carrizo Plain and Antetope
Valley. To reach Carrizo Plain, go west from Buttonwillow and
Interstate 5 on Highway 58 toward San Luis Obispo and the coast,
Mer about 50 miles: you'll enter an area called the Carrizo Plain—the
rift zone of the San Andreas fault. Turn south on Soda Lake Road
and go 18 miles to the Guy L Goodwin Education Center (805/475-2131),
open Thursday through Sunday, offering guided tours on weekends
in April arid May. From here you can head south on 22 miles of
graded gravel road into a paradise of flowers and wildlife.
To reach Antelope Valley, go southeast from Bakersftetd on Highway
58 over Tehachapi Summit (4,064 feet). You'll see plenty of roadside
bloom alongthe way. Then go south on Highway 14 to the Antetope
Valley California Poppy Preserve, open mid March through mid-May
for hiking and picnicking. Contact California State Parks (605/724180)
for a status report on the year's bloomcycle. For information
regarding the California Poppy Festival each April in Lancaster,
call (805)723-6000.
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