This story is too long so just look at the pictures, unless you want to know some details.
Last Friday morning we left the house at 7:00am to head up to Carrizo plain for a view of the wildflowers. I had never been there but our friend, Nancy, had recently discovered it and volunteered to show us around so we packed a picnic and headed north.
Not to miss an opportunity, we decided at the outset to make a stop at the bakery we love in Pasadena and pick up some treats on our way.
The day started out cloudy and cold but I had hopes for sunshine after we made it through the Grapevine pass.
We made a stop at Gorman (it was a mere 39 degrees with a very cool wind) for quick breakfast and a first sighting of flowers.
After driving for some time, we came to 119 at Taft and turned westward to snake our way through the oilfields. That was a very interesting sight to see! These fields are hidden from view on the highway. All these years I never knew they were there.
As soon as we left the oil derricks we came into beautiful rolling hills with grasses that shimmered in the breeze and little wildflowers, mostly yellows and blues or purples. The air was as clean and sweet as could be.
It seemed as though we ought to see the ocean on the other side of the Tembler hills but we were still a long way off with several ranges in between us and the coast. (I think we would have come out at Pismo Beach if we would have gone the distance.)
It was a tad windy so we needed a few layers to keep warm. We had stopped at the last station on our way up and I had picked up a bandanna to keep the wind from going down the back of my neck. Turns out it was the stiffest, scratchy-est, piece of cloth I had ever seen. ‘Bout took the skin off but it did keep the wind out.
Since we wanted to get out and walk, Nancy sometimes drove along slowly behind us. It was so lovely to be outside in such an open space. It was quiet—supremely still, except for the sound of singing birds.
After awhile Nancy convinced us to get in the jeep again since we had a ways to go. We did stop often to take pictures and ooh and ahh at the brilliant colors. A connoisseur of wildflowers, Nancy could point out many and name them for us.
When we came over the Temblor range we picked a level spot and pulled out our picnic of roast chicken, nectarines, seedless red grapes, strawberries, cheddar cheese, and a variety of other goodies.
Sometimes we chatted and sometimes we sat and listened to the birds and the breeze. It felt perfect. I thought I could take more of this kind of quiet.
At some point Nance reminded us that we still had a drive through the golden fields to Soda Lake so we packed up and took off on the next leg of our adventure.
There were very few cars and people in the Carrizo valley. The golden spread on the valley floor was created by a carpet of tiny goldenrod flowers.
The visitor center is new and a nice spot for information and maps. There are no gas stations or food stops anywhere. It really is pretty desolate.
From there we drove up to the lookout point above Soda Lake, the low end of the valley where all the moisture collects and evaporates leaving a bed of alkali. We walked out on the lake. The meringue-like crust is quite thin actually.
On the way out of the valley we stopped to look at more bunches of flowers. It was hard not to pull over every five minutes.
From there we drove to Bakersfield and had a lovely Chinese dinner with Nikki’s Uncle and Aunt (Ruth is Nikki’s dad’s oldest sister) and a daughter and son-in-law and their daughter. The family speaks Chinese but enough English for delightful conversation.
After dinner we went over to the old ice cream parlor where I had a small sundae. I do love that.
By the time we were on the road home it was around 8:00pm or so. We arrived at our own doorstep about 10:30. I was too tired for words. But the good kind of tired—do you know what I mean?
See nikkipolani for closeups of the flowers!
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