A fellow ADV'r suggested that I check out Carrizo Plain National Monument near Bakersfield, CA since we were talking about wild flowers. I packed the KLR650 Saturday morning and hit the road, stopping at Pyramid Lake on the way. Inside I found some cool displays and got a kick out of the videos. I got low on gas near Taft, CA and filled KLaiR at a Mobil station which gave me a chance to clean my helmet - YUK! Since KLaiR was full, I was empty so we stopped at another place I've passed many times but never tried. I'm pleased to say that the Taste of India restaurant in Buttonwillow is a pleasant surprise. The staff is friendly and the food is hot and tasty. MUCH better than the neighboring fast food chains. Rounding a corner on HWY58, I spot a field of purple so I make my first flower stop. The field is covered with Owl's Clover and at least one catapillar :D Every corner from that point on brought more breathtaking views. Soon the pavement ended and I was on a dirt road which lead ito the National Monument where a nice lady offered to take my picture by the sign. The cool thing about BLM land is that you can camp off any road in the area. I found a little slice of heaven at the end of a closed road with the nearest neighbor a mile away! From the time I pitched the tent, I saw 3 other people. The feeling is hard to described but I loved it. No barking dogs, generators, families with kids, partying college students, etc. That night, I fell asleep to cows mooing in the distance, coyotes calling for each other, birds chirping, and then silence. I jumped out of my tent the next morning to take pictures of the sunrise and nearly froze to death. I found out later but it got down to 28° over night! I put all the clothes I had on and lit a candle to warm my hands. As soon as the sun rose above the mountains, I warmed up immediately and so I packed and headed home. On the way, I stopped at one last restaurant I've seen but never been to called, "The Place" which served a great Chicken Fried Steak and eggs. After eating Cliff energy bars for dinner and breakfast (frozen in the morning I might add!), a hot plate and a few cups of hot coffee sure hit the spot. =)
