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Showing posts with the label canyon

Kern River Hot Springs

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  We grabbed some snacks & beverages at a Bakersfield mini-mart & headed due east on Hwy 178. Into a wall of granite, a raging river filled with Sierra Nevada snow melt, the sounds of rushing water filled the air. We turned on to a dark narrow road without any guard rails. Oaks trees hung overhead, dark skies & huge cows in the middle of the road. After passing it once, we found the dirt parking area around 10:20 pm & started our hike down to the hot springs w/ flashlights. Down to the Kern River we scrambled thru muddy grasses & bushes. Candle light, river rock tubs & steaming mineral baths await. No one around, we had the whole place to ourselves..... until 1am. There are numerous natural hot springs located on the Kern River canyon, most of them on the Lower Kern in between Lake Isabella & the Bako citrus orchards. Many are closed off to the public - private property.  Lower Kern Canyon on Highway 178 is the way to Kernville California & in

Eastern Sierra for Autumn

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Eastern Sierra Peaks , a photo by totalescape.com on Flickr. Mammoth Mountain just announced opening day for skiing in early November 2012. Temps are dropping each night and autumn colors are the next big show. Eastern Sierra aspen groves can be seen as far south as Whitney Portal near Lone Pine, and as far north as well, Tahoe of course. Great camping and fishing near June Lake, Bridgeport, and Hope Valley. Fall is also the season for viewing meteor showers for those campers who love to stargaze. LONE PINE ASPENDELL BIG PINE BISHOP MAMMOTH JUNE LAKE LEE VINING BRIDGEPORT LAKE TAHOE top back road destinations - HORSESHOE MEADOWS NORTH LAKE SOUTH LAKE ROCK CREEK   GREEN CREEK TWIN LAKES HOPE VALLEY

Poppies and South Fork, Merced River

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hite cove trail poppies and South Fork of the Merced River below a photo by Mrs Rachel on Flickr. Is it happening yet? Have you seen them? Where? Zillions of web sites and pages referencing wildflowers in California. The best imagery can be found on Flickr searches, which landed me on this incredible shot by Rachel. Total Escape covers California wildflower reporting starting in March each year.