“Everywhere Man” Visits Bakersfield

A Nebraska resident travels to 92 places mentioned in Johnny Cash song.

September 13, 2019 was Bakersfield Day on the international tour of Brett Randel Anderson. Anderson, a Nebraska resident, is visiting each place mentioned in the song “I’ve Been Everywhere,” made famous by Johnny Cash. The song lists 92 places scattered all over the Western Hemisphere, from Alaska to Argentina. In the song, Bakersfield finds itself between Springfield and Shreveport, and Anderson is closing in on visiting all 92.

Anderson arrived just before 10:30AM at Visit Bakersfield and spent the next 90 minutes learning about California’s ninth largest city and the surrounding area. He is tracking his adventure with a blog, calling himself “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man.” On the back of his trusty motorcycle named Annie is a map of all the places mentioned in the song, spread across 49 states and 16 countries. Anderson checks off each one he has visited.

Annie is covered with inscriptions from people Anderson has met on his journey that he estimates will last 60,000 miles. Her latest inscription is from Visit Bakersfield Manager David Lyman who wrote, “He rode the streets of Bakersfield.”

You can track Anderson’s progress with a live tracker on his blog that tells where he is, and read Anderson’s posts of each place he has visited. He cautioned that he is several weeks behind, so it may be a while before Anderson posts about his visit to Col. Baker’s field.

If you need a refresher of the song, or have never heard Johnny Cash singing “I’ve Been Everywhere,” listen here.

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