Friday Night in the Grapevine. Superbloom Weekend.
This evening we're loading up the car and heading south for the weekend. Tonight we'll drive as far as the small mountain town of Lebec, in The Grapevine north of Los Angeles. With a stop for dinner and slowdowns for traffic along the way we'll likely get in after midnight.
There's a comfy hotel we often stay at in Lebec on these late night trips. Most recently we stayed there about 2 years ago. That was kind of a star-crossed trip as first the hotel was without water due to a water main break in the town; then we had car trouble the next morning. In the snow. We don't anticipate any of those difficulties this trip, though who knows.
Our purpose with trip is to enjoy the Superbloom in California. As I noted in a blog last night, heavy rains up and down the state this winter have not only put to bed fears of drought for at least another year but have created a stunningly big and bright wildflower bloom. (Though I wrote about the superbloom yesterday we've been planning this trip for a month.)
Tomorrow we'll visit the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve. Staying tonight in Lebec is strategic because it's about a 30 minute drive away. (So, technically not Friday Night Halfway, but all the same in spirit.) We'll see how that goes as Antelope Valley is one of several places in the state that have been crushed with visitors looking to enjoy the superbloom.
Sunday we'll visit Carrizo Plain National Monument, where there are also seasonal wildflowers. That park could be a madhouse, too, as it's also appeared on various lists of go-to places for the superbloom. It's more remote, though, (see my blog from a few years ago about how middle-of-nowhere it is) so maybe it won't be as bad. We'll take things as they come this weekend.
There's a comfy hotel we often stay at in Lebec on these late night trips. Most recently we stayed there about 2 years ago. That was kind of a star-crossed trip as first the hotel was without water due to a water main break in the town; then we had car trouble the next morning. In the snow. We don't anticipate any of those difficulties this trip, though who knows.
Our purpose with trip is to enjoy the Superbloom in California. As I noted in a blog last night, heavy rains up and down the state this winter have not only put to bed fears of drought for at least another year but have created a stunningly big and bright wildflower bloom. (Though I wrote about the superbloom yesterday we've been planning this trip for a month.)
Tomorrow we'll visit the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve. Staying tonight in Lebec is strategic because it's about a 30 minute drive away. (So, technically not Friday Night Halfway, but all the same in spirit.) We'll see how that goes as Antelope Valley is one of several places in the state that have been crushed with visitors looking to enjoy the superbloom.
Sunday we'll visit Carrizo Plain National Monument, where there are also seasonal wildflowers. That park could be a madhouse, too, as it's also appeared on various lists of go-to places for the superbloom. It's more remote, though, (see my blog from a few years ago about how middle-of-nowhere it is) so maybe it won't be as bad. We'll take things as they come this weekend.