After a stop in the popular new age town of Ojai, California, we began to ascend to the mountains along scenic State Route 33. Here, on the eastern slopes of the Frazier Mountains and Chumash Wilderness, conifer trees grow tall and almost every ridge offers a vista.
Los Padres National Forest is the third largest national forest in California. Near the summit of Junipero Serra Peak you can see some of the largest pine cones in California. Rare species include the condor, the spotted owl, the kit fox and the besides several species of snakes.
We first stopped at the visitor station where we were treated with the sight of hundreds of tiny humming birds swarming several bird feeders. Next we went up in to the steep mountains, stopping at numerous overlooks populated with wild flowers and rocky crags. At the peak we were able to look across bad lands below and the beginnings of the desert that lie on the other side of the mountains. As we descended a small stream had overflowed the road. We watched the stream flow over our feet. Eventually we came out into Antelope Valley.
This was my first real trip to rugged California country. This sparked my interest in what became my next trip to the Angeles Crest Mountains.
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