The five little things that made my week…
1. Ending the weekend (and then starting the week) with my new favorite soak in the Sierra, where a little hike brings you to a series of stone-lined hot tubs along a river. Geothermal water trickles down the cave from above.
2. Those multi-colored patches on the mountain are the first trees turning color in California. A beautiful barometer of the seasons. (Yes, we do get fall color out here!)
3. Celebrating National Public Lands Day at the South Tufa Reserve on Mono Lake. This hypersaline lake, cradled by volcanoes, has been called the “Dead Sea of California.”
4. Mono Lake… a beautiful scene in itself, but what I was most fascinated by was the dusting of snow on the peaks after it had been sunny and summer-like just two days before. The earliest snowfall I’ve seen in years, and hopefully a good sign of a wet winter to come.
5. After being away from home for so long, it’s always so sweet to come back to these ephemeral moments in the garden. (The little guy is eating a feijoa… ’tis the season for them to start dropping by the bucket loads from our tree.)
14 Comments
Vera Greutink
October 10, 2014 at 7:16 amSo much breathtaking nature and such a variety in landscape! I am a little jealous as here in the overpopulated Netherlands, it is hard to find any nature at all and the highest “mountain” is just a little over 1000 feet ๐
Linda Ly
October 10, 2014 at 11:26 pmWe’re very lucky in California. There’s so much amazing terrain within just a few hours’ drive… you can never get bored here. ๐
Jonathan Fletcher
December 10, 2014 at 8:38 amHaving grown up in California, I unerstand your love for the geography. There are is no other place on earth that has such a full spectrum of climates and biomes. I miss that part of the state at least. People here don’t understand the concept of full-on alpine skiing and mowing your lawn on adjacent days. Of course, most of California only knows seasons as the hot brown time and the slightly cooler green time. You really have to endure a bitter, icy winter to fully appreciate what a miracle of glorious new life a spring time can truly be.
Linda Ly
December 15, 2014 at 6:30 pmOne of my favorite California trivia to share with visitors is the fact that we have both the highest and the lowest points (Mount Whitney and Death Valley, respectively) in the continental US right in Inyo County – and they are only an hour’s drive apart! That to me is mind-blowing.
Misti
October 5, 2014 at 3:08 pmLove your fall color comment…I used to tell people the same thing about south Florida—that we did indeed have seasonal changes, you just had to look for it.
Currently living vicarously through your adventures…love them!
Linda Ly
October 5, 2014 at 4:27 pmThanks Misti! And I agree, our seasons are just not as obvious… which makes us appreciate them even more.
theGardenBetty
October 4, 2014 at 9:00 pmAlso known as, five of my favorite things about living in California. Five Things Friday http://t.co/YsyrKgjkK2 #travel #inspiration
theGardenBetty
October 4, 2014 at 3:01 pmComing home from a 3-week road trip and remembering my favorite moments. Five Things Friday http://t.co/fmSGR2mhr3 #california #travel
theGardenBetty
October 4, 2014 at 9:00 amIn case you missed it yesterday: Beautiful sights along the Eastern Sierra. Five Things Friday http://t.co/PgnvHXtACj #california
theGardenBetty
October 3, 2014 at 6:00 pmAll the things that made my week, from adventures in the mountains to home sweet home. Five Things Friday http://t.co/yc0QudzKAW
Steve B
October 3, 2014 at 2:31 pmNice! I first visited Mono Lake almost 20 years ago. It is an eerie, mystical place. I’ll have to research those hot soaks. Most of the time, I’m going that way to go skiing. But it is beautiful in the summer.
Linda Ly
October 3, 2014 at 10:01 pmThe town of Bridgeport has two hot springs. Mono Lake supposedly has one that’s now off limits due to environmental concerns.
theGardenBetty
October 3, 2014 at 12:01 pmTreasures found along the Eastern Sierra, one of my favorite places to explore. Five Things Friday http://t.co/DnQ8U2kO68 #california
theGardenBetty
October 3, 2014 at 6:56 amBlogged on Garden Betty: Five Things Friday http://t.co/lhKBNTB0DM