More beauty from different angles...
Evolving skies
My first day at the Carrizo Plain was jaw-dropping. I really mean it when I say that no medium can re-capture the beauty here with any justice. Only the eye, the mind, and the gift of real presence can provide one with the experience of this place.
I was lucky enough to come on a cloudy day that provided dramatic skies and long shadows over the hills. As the evening settled in, the clouds gathered and I found myself in a very pretty downpour that threw a rainbow over me as I cooked my dinner in the middle of a vast field of gold. Never before has rain been a welcome addition to my camping milieu.
In the morning I was greeted by a full moon setting through the pink skies of dawn. Low-hanging clouds drifted along the contours of the plain making it feel dream-like. What a great place to drink the first cup of coffee for the day...
Bonnie and I hiked around in the higher hills on the second day, and I spent most of the morning and afternoon making paintings and walking around listening to the hum of bees, and the charming songs of the Western Meadowlark.
The second night I chose to camp high. The valley was filling with weekend warriors from L.A. and Santa Barbara. I was laughing: even out here in the middle of nowhere, on rutted dirt roads, the over-achievers of the world in their large vehicles, drive too fast, ride your ass, fly past the flowers, and all together leave the impression that there was somewhere else they needed to be. Unbelievable. It makes me sad for them.
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