Montana de Oro

Happy Cow?

I’m just back from a week of touring and photographing Central California (apparently where Happy Cows reside), from the mountains to the plains to the sea.

Snow Flowers

My journey began in the Tehachapi Mountains and then into the southern Sierra Nevada (near Lake Isabella), where my first night’s bivouac was in a raging windstorm preceded by an ominous looking sunset. Considering that it is mid-April here in sunny southern California, I wasn’t expecting sub-freezing temperatures, a gale, and to awake to new snow. But that’s exactly what happened.

Amber Waves

From there I crossed the great Central Valley (much of the nation’s foodbasket) and on into the Carrizo Plain, where I was again met with freezing temperatures, but watched a beautiful sunrise unfold across San Andreas Fault-created topography.

Bucolic California Oaks and Hills

I ended up along the central coast, enjoying a couple of days camped at the beautiful Montana De Oro State Park outside San Luis Obispo.

In keeping with odd weather, I returned home to Long Beach in record-breaking temperatures (97f). I’m feeling particularly tired and beat up at the moment, but I’m going to attribute it to having the life heat-sucked out of me over the last few days, and experiencing 60+ degree temperature swings over the last week.

And we’re supposed to have stable and predicable weather here in California!

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