This has absolutely nothing to do with high heels - sort of...

[SF]

Last Sunday I was driving north from Los Angeles to Central California.  This winter has been very wet and with the rain came lots of green and wildflowers.  Some of the wildflower displays in CA have been outstanding.  I took some extra time from the drive and diverted to an area of California called the Carrizo Plain.  This part of the state is usually dry, barren, desolate and off the "beaten track" from folks traveling between LA and Frisco.  As a matter of fact, most Californians have never heard of the place.  But even in its "normal" state, I find it beautiful.  

This year with the rains, the Carrizo Plain is experiencing a once in a lifetime "superbloom" (I hate that term).  I have seen wildflower displays before, but this one topped them all.  Beautiful wildflowers, mostly yellows and oranges all around - for miles.  The flower patches were tall, knee to wast height, and fragrant.  The experience was multi-sensory, the sights, the smells - it was on the verge of being emotional - and I don't get that way too often...  

I was able to spend about 5 hours wandering around the area, then as the sun set I continued my drive home.  

Sadly, the flowers will be gone in about a week, and the beautiful Carrizo Plain will revert back to its normal stark beauty.  Should any of you travelers or wanderers be in California at this moment, you should consider traveling to this area for the experience. 

Oh.....   For the heels part, I had been wearing some slip on heeled sandals (it is springtime), but the Carrizo Area is mostly unpaved dirt roads.  The area is equally dusty and I did not want to mess up my nice sandals walking in the dirt, so I opted for a pair of more practical tennis shoes.    Bummer....

And....  Here are a few pictures - for proof -absolutely beautiful !!!!!

Take care all, have fun.....   sf

[Shyheels]

That's stunning. What a wonderful place to spend a quiet afternoon. And well done you for taking the time to do it. So few people do in these hurried days.

There are some beautiful wildflower displays in Western Australia that not so many people hear about too.

[Thighbootguy]

In the spirit of this thread...  Yesterday I took a trip to Cumberland Falls State park down near Corbin Ky.  The reason for the trip was that there was a good weather report for Corbin, I hadn't been to the falls for over 20 years, and I wanted some video of the falls.

I wore jeans, a short sleeved blue top, OTK black faux suede boots with a full size 1" heel, and my Indian Jones hat. Since I was going to be hiking a 1 mile trail rated as "extreme" a heel higher than that was out of the question.  I did take a pair of OTK boots with a 4" heel to wear if I want someplace for dinner, but that didn't work out.

The falls was showing off with a good water flow and I spent an hour on the "tourist" side of the falls taking videos and still pictures.  After that I headed for the other side of the gorge and took the Eagle Falls trail.  This is what the falls looks like from that side:

 

The trail is rated as "extreme" because there are sections that do this:

Once I got to Eagle Falls my legs were getting tired to the point that walking on the rocks at the bottom of those steel stairs was like walking on 6" heels.  But I did make it to Eagle Falls:

While I was there I took a selfie of TBG by a big rock at the bottom of the gorge:

Walking back out was worse than walking in because my legs were already tired.  By the time I got back to the car there was no way I was going to try the 4" heels so I just headed home.

Today, still having the itch to go someplace, I headed to the Dayton Institute of Art in Dayton Oh.  This is one of my favorite museums and I have neglected it for a long time.  I wore a black knit dress, scarf, belt, hose, black OTK faux suede boots with 4" block heels, a black leather jacket, and shoulder length hair with earrings.  One bag is my purse and the other is my sketching stuff.

In the first gallery I visited I saw am image that I thought I should share.  It is called Red Felt Boots:

How this made it into a museum that also has two Rubens and a Monet I'll never know (but then I've often wondered why Art had a museum but Bob and Carol didn't ).

Anyway, I found a painting I wanted to sketch so I sat down on a bench and pulled out my sketch book then remembered what I was wearing and crossed my legs.  I drew for about an hour with only five of six people going by.  I then walked through the rest of the museum and out to my car.

On the way home I stopped in a Premiere Outlet Mall near Mason Oh and just walked around for a while and was ignored by everyone.  I know I was the only one wearing boots and I didn't see anyone else in heels either.

Before I got home I stopped in Kroger's (grocery) for a few items then headed home and took off my heels.  After what I had done to my legs yesterday, and today's six hours on 4" heels, when I finally put on a pair of flats my calf muscles reminded me that they thought they had been abused.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by Thighbootguy

[Thighbootguy]

The travel itch hit me again yesterday and I headed to Natural Arch State Park in Ky.  My legs were still sore form the Cumberland Falls trip and yesterday in 4" heels so I wore a red top, white jeans, black OTK boots with a 1" block heel, and my Indiana Jones hat.  Flat heeled boots were not comfortable (muscles didn't want to stretch that much) and anything higher than the 1" block heel was asking for a twisted ankle.

The trail was only .75 mile but it wound it's way up the side of the gorge and gave mean another good workout.

I did make it to the arch.

and the view from the top of the arch was really nice.

The rock point in the center of the picture is the location from where I took the picture of my car and the selfie.

I did have a pair of 4" heels with me in case I went somewhere besides the trail, but after 3 hours of walking/climbing, my legs didn't have anything left.  The folks on the trail were very nice and the only comment I got was a little kid saying he liked my "cowboy hat".

I had a grand day but a couple more sore muscles.

 

[SF]

Could not stand the beauty - had to go back.....

I returned to the Carrizo Plain last Thursday, 4 days later - this time with the wife, daughter and grandkids - and no heels, bummer.  I wanted them to also see the unmitigated beauty of the wildflowers.  I was amazed at how much change had occurred in just 96 hours.  At least 15 to 20 percent of the blooms had wilted due to the warmer temps and dry winds.  Sadly, wildflowers are pretty, but short lived.  

We had a wonderful day, took lots of pictures. Strange to know that in two weeks this place will revert to a dry windswept valley.  Here are a few more pics....  Take care, sf

 

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by SF

[Shyheels]

Lovely shots. And yes, how quickly things change.

In England right now we have the bluebells coming out, carpeting the floors of the ancient forests. Incredibly vibrant and beautiful and oh-so-brief....

[Logjam]

I am an amateur photographer (among other hobbies - adult ADD likely!) and landscapes are among my favorite subject matter. I've enjoyed looking at these a lot - thanks to all who posted!

Logjam

[SF]

Shyheels and Logjam......   Thanks for the nice comments....   The place was so beautiful I just had to share it with others....  Glad you enjoyed the photographs....

Take care, happy heeling....   sf

[Logjam]

On 4/15/2017 at 8:27 PM, SF said:

Shyheels and Logjam......   Thanks for the nice comments....   The place was so beautiful I just had to share it with others....  Glad you enjoyed the photographs....

Take care, happy heeling....   sf

Glad you did!

[BannedMoron]

As an botanist of old ages, these Carrizo Plain is something special world wide. The flowering of 2017, become at the world news, even our local tv station told about it. If only I could have travelled there!

[SF]

Thank you for the nice comments.  True, this year's spring wildflowers were truly extraordinary.  But, having said that, each spring in California - if there is sufficient rain - one can find some localized bloom areas that are beautiful.  Maybe not "super bloom" beautiful, but almost as much.  Come to California some March / April and see.  Fly into Los Angeles or San Jose / San Francisco, rent a car and explore.  You won't be disappointed....   have fun, and thanks....   sf