A view worth viewing

Today we had sustained winds over 39mph and gusts to 70mph (the joys of living on a ridge in Santa Ana wind territory) and our power went out for two hours. That meant, since it was daytime, that we could see but no surfing the net, no Sesame Street, no opening the fridge for a snack. So we went for an aimless drive and ended up somewhere gorgeous.

Strawberry Peak rises 6,000 feet with a view over the basin and probably a 360 degree view in spots. A fire lookout tower is there, open to scaffold in the summer for a better view. However, in snow...it is not accessible by car, even though it is along a paved road...mostly because it is not plowed. We traversed the snowy terrain as far as our SUV could take us.

This meant we did not reach the tower, but did get to see a view worth seeing. It was one of those times where I wished I brought my camera, but I did have my iPhone so that is a camera, just not an artsy fartsy one, so I did what I could, blindly shooting as my phone was drowned in glare.

I think I did pretty well. I liked the juxtaposition of dead, burnt trees and live. yet dormant oaks , the snow, sun, and semi-desert urban sprawl thousands of feet below. I miss exploring my mountain and I miss photography, but with a much too adventuresome toddler and a cumbersome "baby bump", all the adventures I yearn for are on hold...as you cannot just go all "mountain goat" and climb a steep rock for a dazzling thousand foot drop view. But today was a simple trail, not exactly "adventure" but exploration never the less, and quite worth my time. It made my day. On the way home, I saw the Pacific shimmering pink in the distance, a view I could have seen from the inaccessible tower. Enjoy my photos!

you can see the shimmer of the Pacific, above.

Where the road got too hairy to keep going....the tower is around the bend

yeah. My thumb is in the may of my favorite, best, most awesome shot.

burnt trees and live, dormant trees with the valley below.