A Spring Weekend. {Continued}

Hi friends. I had a lovely weekend. With lovely people. It was filled with LOTS of activities and fun. 

Lauren came to stay. She is one of those life friends I was telling you about here. When I met her in college, we became friends instantly. I would say it is because we have the same sense of humor. And we had the same major in college. People would ask me, "Do you know anybody in your classes?" HA! Not only do I know someone, but she is also one of the best friends I have!
She is no-nonsense kind-of girl and the BEST study-buddy around. Also, she is the best beach-buddy around. So, basically she is just the best-buddy all around. Seriously, we have so much fun together and laugh/giggle constantly. Lauren, I am SO glad you came! 

Lauren got into a master's program for Speech Pathology at the University of Kansas. {Congrats!!!} She is leaving in August. I am going to miss having her in California. When she leaves, it officially means that almost all of my friends live out of state. Sheesh.

ANYWAY, here are some highlights from the weekend.

1. Lauren and I went to Sequoia's and got sandwiches downtown. 

I bought this cookie. Yum.

2. We made a visit to 'In Your Wildest Dreams' {the most amazing vintage store} and had some fun looking around.

3. One of the treasures we found was this HUGE tile table with matching print. Bizarre? I would say so.

See. Weird, right? 
Why is there that hugh table featured in front of a cityscape? 


4. We might have made a quick trip to Rosemary's for ice cream. Sisterfriend might have come. But just maybe. Don't hold us accountable to that or anything.


5. We went on the Kern River Trail hike. Yep, this time we found it. And it was such a beautiful day.

 Sisterfriend and HeyBrother came.

6. I got rejected again. {Not all highlights are good} The only grad programs I am waiting on are Fresno State & Portland State. I need to work on Plan B.


7. We finished off the weekend with bowling and grilling. And a nice breeze. It was great.

Surveying the Land {the quest for Kern River Trail}.

This all started with an internet search. Doesn't it always? I searched 'Hiking Trails near Bakersfield.' And over and over, every site said that the Kern River Trail was a good one. Moderate slopes, 5.2 miles one way. Perfect I thought! And as an added bonus, there was information on wildflower viewing mid-March to late-April! Ally's lucky day! 

I thought, "Let's Go!" So we packed a lunch, hopped in the truck, and started driving. We entered the Kern Canyon. And drove.

And drove.

And drove. 
Sometimes, you get to experience this rare thing where the radio plays all of your current favs. It was happening on this day. We even heard OUR song (Josh Turner - "Would you go with me"). Love country radio. It will change your life. Really, it will.

Ok. Back to Kern River Trail. On one of the websites, it said the trailhead was off Hyw 178 and Delonegha Rd. In fact, the website even said "You can't miss it!" Pu-lease. Jay and I SEARCHED for the trailhead. Forever.

This, my friends, is Lake Isabella. If you get to Lake Isabella, you have gone WAY to far. We went way to far. We got swept away with the music. And the drive. And the wind. Oh, let's be honest. We got lost... and we couldn't find the trailhead.

So we stopped at the Lake, planning our next move.

I got out to see if it was cold. It wasn't. Spring is in the air. Makes me a happy girl.

Jay stayed in the truck.

Since we didn't find the trailhead, we decided to forget it. We picked a different turn off and went for it. Black Gulch South. Never heard of it. Let's do it.

It was a wide sandy trail. Not what we expected, but a nice little walk. Afterwards, I found out that it is actually for off-road vehicles, but the the access road was closed. So it made for a peaceful little afternoon.

And there were wildflowers. I love wildflowers. They make me feel alive. Look at them growing out there on their own. No caretaker or anything. If I were a flower, I would like to be a wild one.

There were also pine cones at big as your head. "I've got a lovely bunch of pine cones, diddle-de-dee. There they are a'standing in a row..." Lion King? Anyone?

There were nice open spaces near the river to picnic at... or camp. But you GOT to bring your own shovel if you're going to camp! The sign said! And we all know you GOT to! Camper's Code!

 

We had a lovely little stroll, ate our lunch and then walked back to the truck. 

And wouldn't you know it... on our drive back down the canyon, we saw the trailhead for the elusive Kern River Trail. We plan on doing it soon. I'll let you know how it goes. In fact, you should just come with us.