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We planned our trip hoping it would coincide with the peak of the wild
poppy bloom at the California Poppy Reserve. It is located in Lancaster,
just over the mountains from Tehachapi in the Antelope Valley.
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As we approached the poppy reserve, we could see firey strips of orange in
front of the mountains on the side of the valley. |
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What follows are too many pictures of poppies, but far fewer than we actually
snapped. |
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Poppies. |
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More poppies. |
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The little yellow flowers are members of the sunflower family. |
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Poppies. |
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More poppies. |
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We were on the lookout for rattlesnakes throughout the poppy reserve. Saw a lot
of suspicious gopher holes, but no snakes. |
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Poppies. |
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More poppies. |
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They have a gift store and interpretive center. It was overrun with customers
and almost all sold out of everything but the really junky junk. We weren't the
only ones with the bright idea of going out there.
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Poppies. |
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More poppies. |
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The day that we went to the reserve was our last day in Tehachapi as well as the
day that was supposed to be the peak of the bloom. |
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Some of these flowers,which are no more than three inches tall, look as though
they are folded. That is because the wind was what the Reserve's website
called "wicked strong." |
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More poppies. |
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Even more poppies. |
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Poppies with lupines. |
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Elaine really went nuts over the neon yellow patch. It could be any number of
flowers including yellow poppies. |
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Poppies |
 | Little white flowers. |
 | Poppies |
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Poppies do come in yellow too. We also saw some with yellow just on the edges. |
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Poppies |
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Poppies with some blue flowers. |
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More poppies with more blue flowers. |
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Poppies |
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A profusion of wildflowers. |
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Poppies and sagebrush. |
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Are those people meeing Dorothy in Oz? |
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Poppies |
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More poppies. |
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Folks who visit this area every year told us that this was an exceptional poppy
season. Elaine was hoping it would be after California's wettest winter in a while. |
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Poppies. |
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Poppies |
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Poppies |
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We really loved the poppies. |
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That evening, after we got back from the poppy reserve, the live oak
trees on Dad's property looked lovely silhouetted against the darkening sky. |
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The clumpy looking thing in the tree is mistletoe. |