Poppies! Poppies! Poppies!

So we have this state flower out here, the California Poppy. And it blooms from time to time. So we get in our cars and drive off to go see entire hillsides covered in the things. We drive and drive, because the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve isn't all that close to any actual population centers. (Which is not to say that there aren't a lot of residences nearby, just that many of those residences have big signs out front that say things like 'Reduced!' 'Make an Offer!' or 'Help Me Burn it Down and We Can Split the Insurance Money!' O.K., I might be kidding about that last one.)

This is California, so even the plants are in rehab. (And no, you can't make opium out of these poppies.)

Anyway, when the poppies bloom, the poppy peepers come out. Much like the leaf peepers of autumnal New England, these poppy peepers will park just about anywhere if they see those golden hillsides, drag their cameras and their tripods and their children out of the car (not necessarily in that order) and begin trampling some of the poppies in order to photograph the rest.

So, with the Canadian Grandparents visiting, we decided to become poppy peepers ourselves. Tessie seemed more interested in the dark beetles along the trail than in the actual flowers, but she did like the bright orange color and the crisp fresh air, even if it was a bit breezy.

(That's right: we have a bear on our flag. Our flag can beat up your flag!)

But before long, the bracing winds got the better of us, and we decided to move along (via In-N-Out Burger) to our next destination, the planet Cestus III, er, Vasquez Rocks, the former cattle rustlers' hideout turned filming location for about a bazillion productions, perhaps most notably 'The Arena,' an episode of the original Star Trek television series. (That's the one where Kirk makes a bamboo cannon and blasts a big, bad lizard thing called a 'Gorn' to save the Enterprise and all humanity... you know, the usual.) You've seen this place on TV. Trust me.

Tessie loves the desert, probably because she thinks of it as a giant sandbox. Sure enough, no matter what the scenery, she can be found scanning the ground for dirt to scoop up, bugs to watch, sticks with which to scratch in the dirt, etc.

Until she comes upon a rock that must be climbed.

Or possibly a press conference about climbing said rock.