It was not easy saying goodbye to my wonderful friends in LA but the time had come to head north with the season. I recently had seen photos of the superbloom in one of my favorite parts of CA, the Carrizo Plain. It took the entire morning to escape the greater LA area but I finally found peace on Hwy 33 outside Ojai. The twisty mountain highway was almost empty and offered many pull offs peppered with fragrant yellow flowers. The weather couldn't have been finer and I smiled at mt fortunes.
Hwy 33 north of Ojai
Los Padres NF, Hwy 33
Hayfields outside Venturacopa
After fueling up in Maricopa, I climbed back up the mountain and turned onto Soda Lake Rd. I couldn't reconcile the number of passing vehicles with my past visits. The once desolate dry lake valley was verdant with swaying grasses, shallow reflecting lakes, yellow wildflowers, lupine and sunkissed hills. The spring bloom always attracts a crowd and the full campsites were evidence of this. My memories of the quiet and monotone Selby Campground was erased by an overpacked RV wonderland with generators, screaming children and abundant flowers. It was only one night but in the morning I was ready to see what the northern valleys had to offer up the lonely road.
Carrizo Plain in bloom
Selby Rocks
Caliente Mountains
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