Over the weekend we took a #spontaneous #trip to the #Carizzo #Plain #National #Monument to experience the super #blooms happening in our backyard. After years of extreme drought California is experiencing a super bloom of #wild #flowers blanketing it's desert #landscape. The Valley floor has endless expanses of yellows and purples from coreopsis, tidy tips and phacelia, with smaller patches of dozens of other species. It's a sight to see, and one that needs to be experienced before the hot summer sun kicks in and the blooms disappear. Inside the monument, you can visit Soda Lake, the “largest remaining natural alkali wetland in Southern California,” the foothills (which are ablaze with color) and the San Andreas Fault, which crisscrosses the area.
The Carrizo Plain is about 170 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. We left from Orange County and drove approximately 2.5 hrs into Bakersfield, where we stayed the night to get ready to #explore the plain the following morning. It's only expected to last till the end of April, it's definitely worth the visit!