I've been overworked and overstressed for far too long, so I'm taking a much needed break. There's nothing better for me to relax than go on a 1000+ mile road trip in 6 days. Crazy, I know.
I left on Monday morning with a full tank of gas and the navigation system set for
Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino/Pasadena.
Day 2 will be
Theodore Payne Foundation,
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, and on to Oceanside in San Diego County. I'll spend day 3 visiting succulent friends in northern San Diego County, and then on to Ventura. Day 4 will be
Taft Gardens in Ojai and a visit to Jo O'Connell's
Australian Native Plants Nursery in nearby Casita Springs. Day 4 I'll spent in
Santa Barbara visiting my friend Deana, and on day 5 I'll swing by
Las Pilitas Nursery near San Luis Obispo. Throw in a predicted 1 to 1.5 inches of rain in a couple of days, and it should be quite an adventure!
To think that just last week (Thanksgiving) I took this photo in Mount Shasta at about 5,000 feet elevation:
The Huntington Botanical Gardens looked just like that. Said nobody, ever. OK, it looked like this yesterday:
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| 1919 Café at the Huntington where I enjoyed a great slice of key lime pie |
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| California Garden (not only California natives, but also other dry-climate plants that thrive here) |
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| Desert Garden, Old World |
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| Floss silk tree (Ceiba insignis) |
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| Backlit cactus in the afternoon light |
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| Golden barrels galore |
Needless to say my camera was put to good use and there'll be a lot more photos to come. The above sample is just a teaser.
In addition to the places on my itinerary, I'm looking forward to random discoveries—sights that catch your eye as you drive along and make you pull over. Like these:
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| Massive agave seemingly growing out of a rock wall |
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| Our Lord's Candle (Hesperoyucca whipplei) in Ventura County |
Check back tomorrow for an update!
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I'm glad to see you've had good weather thus far, Gerhard. I hope the coming rain doesn't pose any difficulties. I remain hugely envious of that Taft tour! Are you skipping Seaside Gardens on this trip? It was well-stocked on my last visit several weeks ago...
ReplyDeleteSome very nice photos here, Gerhard ... the flowers in front of the trunk on the floss-silk tree, the agave growing out of the wall, the snowy road at Mt Shasta. But, best of all, I like the landscape shot at the end. It is so representative of the area, the gray pine and the hesperoyucca growing together. Those are very special multi-headed yuccas, very uncommon. Imagine them in bloom. Beneath the gray pine, you can see four old stalks all together. Magnificent!
ReplyDeleteAn exciting and hopefully relaxing adventure. What a contrast between Mt. Shasta's snow and the Huntington's bright warmth. Looking forward to your updates!
ReplyDeleteRoad trip! Looking forward to seeing what you saw. Photos of Huntington always excite, and a little sunny warmth would be most welcome after a cold, cold November!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're crazy ! I think my Oregon road trip was 8 days but if you subtract the business part I'm right there with you. I plan on a Socal run in late Jan or early Feb myself.Still trying to work out the dates. Looking forward to your reports .
ReplyDeleteAdventure on! I hope you’ve managed to leave your cold behind and are feeling fine for this epic adventure. Love that Agave/rock wall combo.
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun - enjoy your trip! You reminded me that I'm overdue for a Huntington visit...
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
ReplyDelete