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We got a call a few minutes ago from a gentleman in Tucson, Arizona.

He said he had been watching the news this morning and had seen a story out of Bakersfield about an invasion of frogs. He said something along the lines of, 'they were marching through neighborhoods, taking over gardens and homes.'

The religious extremists would tell you that someone high up wasn't too thrilled about the gay marriage ruling yesterday, but plagues are so BC.

We had no idea what he was talking about until staffer Steve Swenson remembered he had seen something on a local TV station.

Here's the story.

And while we're on the subject, all you ritzy Rosedalians who were planning on eating the appendages from said frogs, keep this Florida story in mind.

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In honor of today's National Bike to Work Day, I decided to get on my bike and ride (as those T-shirts I see around town have been imploring me to do lately).

(Bike Bakersfield has all you need to know — funnily enough — about biking around Bakersfield. Check them out here)

Here's what I saw on the gentle 2-mile commute into work:

• Gardeners blowing dirt and dust from one location to another.

• BHS kids walking to school in togas and Julius Caesar outfits!

• A Bud Light can in my gutter.

My girl made me a patch with the words "ONE LESS CAR" scrawled rather militantly in black paint on a white piece of cloth and affixed it to my backpack. I felt like Cesar Chavez or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Banksy.

What I didn't see on my ride was anyone else biking to work.

The struggle continues.

Note: Just because I didn't see any other cyclists doesn't mean they weren't out there. In fact when I got to work at 7 there were four bikes on the bike rack. Usually at that time, mine is the only one.

Note 2: My car gets 16 miles to the gallon. I cycled to work 4 times this week, 2 miles each way. I estimate my weekly savings to be around $3.88. If that's not reason enough to dust off the huffy, I don't know what is.

— Andrew Mockett

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We could see that swimming in the ocean off Santa Monica or in Buena Vista Lake might be bad for you, but Cayucos? Clean, sleepy, misty Cayucos?

We know loads of people from Bakersfield vacation in this lovely little Central Coast town because we see them when we're there — drinking it up in the saloon or eating tacos at the Smokehouse.

Seems that Cayucos has dirty ocean water and swimmers and surfers are being advised to stay out.

By the way, speaking of the Smokehouse, it reminds us of a wonderful article in the New York Times a couple of years ago when a writer traveled the California coastline in search of the perfect taco. He found one at two different eateries in Cayucos. Read the article here.

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This afternoon/evening sees the CIF track and field championships at Liberty.

Our prep writer, Zach Ewing, wrote a marvelous preview of the event in today's paper focusing on two local throwers who heavy favorites in today's meet. Read his preview here.

Zach's quick-hit preview can be found here.

And his blog on all prep sports-related topics is here.

For a team preview, respected prep athletics site, dyestat, has some interesting predictions. Check them out here.

Pictured is Foothill's Chris Schwartz, one of the area's most dominant distance runners in recent memory.

From orange packing sheds in Edison to a neat tunnel at Bealville, check out these words and pictures from a railroad buff.

We found this local blog post very interesting.

It's about kids begging at the Northwest Promenade. Read it here.

Working downtown we get hassled for handouts on a daily basis on our short walks to get coffee, but surely this isn't going on in the northwest? By kids? Outside Target Greatland?

On the 13th of every month believers head to the desert in search of serenity, visions and miracles. They've been coming for 20 years.

Check out the Los Angeles Times story here.

Want to know more about this eastern Kern County community. Read about California City here.

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Thank goodness. After last week's absence Radio Free Bakersfield is back with its weekly podcast, promising (and delivering) nearly "60 minutes of TWANG, CRUNCH, OOMPH."

Listen to it here.

And while we're on the subject of nifty multimedia offerings, we urge you to watch and listen to our "Week in Pictures." Our photo editor picks his favorite local photos of the week and explains his choices.

Check it out here.

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Just when you get accustomed to these lovely spring days, cycling to work, gardening in the mid-afternoon sun and sitting outside at one of our nice restaurants, the inevitable happens: 100º days.

They're coming this weekend.

Soon it will time to hibernate for the summer, shuffling diligently from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office.

Then late-September will be upon us and Bakersfield will once again be a lovely place to live.

For a different perspective, Weedpatch blogger Sam Heath is a big fan of summer. A really big fan. In his latest blog post, he explains why, using Huck Finn and Harper Lee (and many others).

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The Golden Empire Classic and SCNCA Road Race Championships were held in Bakersfield and Oildale this weekend.

Here are a few blog postings from the cycling races.

A cyclist enjoys the start, but not the second climb.

The same rider reflects on the race a day later.

A cyclist takes a nasty spill, but is gracious enough to pose for a picture!

This rider was happy with his 10th-place finish, but he has concerns about the cattle guards.

And finally, check the results out here.