One of our favorite things during our Route 66 trip last month, was of course, photographing all of the old signs and large statues we found throughout the many states we traveled through! From California to Illinois, there were numerous photo opportunities, so many in fact it was hard to keep up. It was an epic road trip! We are adding a few to our blog for your viewing pleasure. We really hope that you are able to do this trip too, and take a few photos yourself.
Paradise Motel Neon Sign on Route 66California Route 66
State after state was more opportunities to marvel at the old signage and wish you could have viewed some of them in their glory days.
ERIC and I made a day trip to Yosemite National Park this week to see the impressive Waterfalls. The snow started to melt last week during the beginning of the summer heat hitting the Central Valley of California. We had a spectacular time as we hiked through the Yosemite Valley and snap picture after picture of the many waterfalls that were gushing over the granite mountains surrounding it.
YOSEMITE has always been a favorite of ours, maybe because it is in our backyard. Only 1 hour from our home. Or it might be the amazing sites we see no matter what time of the year. We make several trips a year to Yosemite National Park and it is always delightful.
THIS trip was not a disappointment, even though we were hoping to see snow on the ground like we did last year. There was no snow but seeing those magnificent WATERFALLS with the blast of the spray as it hit the rocks, was amazing. I don’t remember ever seeing so much water in the Valley. There were small waterfalls everywhere you looked, and the Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, and the Bridalveil Falls were spectacular. The roaring sounds of them cascading over the mountains was a sight to behold. Like I said, YOSEMITE never disappoints!
Yosemite Falls
Water hitting the Rocks
The Spray
The River
Yosemite amazing Falls
Falls mirrored in the meadow
Me getting amazing photos of the Mountains surrounding the meadowEric photographing the Valley floorI love Yosemite!
The Super Bloom is happening now in California after the many rainstorms this winter that have caused a major boom throughout the State. The much needed rain soaked the seeds laying dormant in the dirt and have started blooming all over California. The Shumans headed out on Monday to drive down to Lancaster to catch the blooms before the hot Summer Sun dries them up.
Wow! We hit the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve just after closing time on Monday afternoon. We were just scoping out the area after checking into our hotel room (Marriott TownePlace Suites) so we knew exactly where to show up the next morning. We were shocked at how many people were still up on the hill checking out the Poppies, since it was windy and the poppy flowers had closed up (which they do in the cold or fading sunlight). People were everywhere. Climbing hills, parking on the street, taking selfies with the poppies, etc. My husband and I couldn’t even imagine what the weekend was like. People are poppy crazy for the Super Bloom!
Parking on Lancaster RoadHaving read several articles in magazines and newspapers, we were now understanding the Super Bloom craze that was sweeping the State. We traveled back over (15 miles) from our hotel to the AV California Poppy Reserve the next morning. We were prepared to hike the Valley and enjoy the blooms. Much to our shock and dismay, when we pulled into the Reserve, after passing dozens of cars and people on the road up to it, the long line of cars and full parking lot up the driveway, made us quickly turn around before we became stuck in the line for hours. So much for our Tuesday won’t be that busy plan. We were struck wondering if this was a Tuesday crowd, what the heck was a weekend crowd like. We don’t really want to know! Blat!!! We join the throngs parking out on the road when we found a spot, and took pictures here and there below the reserve. We were so glad that we had walked up the hill in the reserve the night before.
Beautiful California PoppiesEric had a fabulous idea to head up a road marked with a For Sale sign to see if we could get a picture (long shot) of the Poppy Reserve. There we took some of our favorite photos of the golden covered hills.
Antelope ValleyHope you enjoy the pictures and also get inspired to make the trip to see the Super Bloom. It was a fabulous time. But stay on the trails!!!!!
Shuman Travels 