Poppies 2008!

We went to see the poppies yesterday. I wanted Mike to see them before we moved away. Last year I'd heard they weren't so good, so we waited. This year, they are spectacular. Go see them! Go! go!

From Highway 14: Take the Avenue I exit and head west 15 miles.

From I-5: Take Hwy 138 east and turn right on 170th Street West. Make a left at the end, onto Lancaster Road. Follow the road two miles.

Latitude/Longitude: 34º40.661 N, 117º49.645 W

But the poppies are not limited to this precise location. That's one of the neatest things about them. They go on for miles, miles, and miles, and they're not limited to a state park. They are everywhere, and they're free. In many places they are as far as the eye can see. We could see hills that were so dense with poppies that the entire hill appeared orange, even from 20 miles away.

We stopped at many different locations to take in the sights and try to capture them with photos. Mike's favorite place was an area full of sagebrush and poppies. The jarring differences in color made the scene even more amazing.

I've seen the poppies many times and always try to take pictures. My photos have always turned out lousy. This year I finally got some good ones. I guess I'm finally learning how to use a camera. The instant feedback from the digital camera makes the learning process go a lot more quickly! Here's my dad taking a picture of me while crouched down in the flowers for a close-up. I actually had the camera away from my face at the time, so I didn't see my dad in the frame until after I snapped the picture. So he has one of me laughing while I'm standing back up.