Hike #4: Monrovia Canyon Park: Bill Cull Trail

Since I was going hiking with TB today, I decided to choose a trail that was a little farther into the woods than I would normally go alone. I wanted to see a waterfall, so I chose the Bill Cull Trail at Monrovia Canyon Park, which juts into the Angeles Forest. The trail starts out high above the canyon:

...before meandering around a pretty stream:

...and then ending up at the waterfall:


Along the mostly-shaded way, you are surrounded by a beautiful overgrown woodland with rocky canyon walls and lush greenery:

My favorite shot of the day:

Hike #3: South Coast Botanic Garden

Yesterday, I was in the South Bay for a christening, so since I was down there anyway, I decided to visit the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes for an easy hike:

The photos I took focused on pattern and texture:





Reflected pattern:


The alien landscape-like White Floss Silk Tree:


Snowy cactus with berry-colored buds:

A little ladybug:


I tried not to take too many pictures of flowers since I think I did enough of that at Descanso, but I couldn't resist this one:

A lone calla lily amongst the deep green leaves.

On the way home, I took a detour to visit the Bluebird Cafe in Culver City, trying their chocolate and coconut cupcakes. They weren't bad, but they didn't crack my top 5. Someday, I'll get around to posting my cupcake rankings (along with the macaron ones.)

Photo Excursion: Descanso Gardens

Yesterday, I finally made the drive up to La Canada to visit Descanso Gardens. Since I'd never been, I took the tram tour (which I recommend for a good overview), and afterwards, I walked around and took some pictures, mainly of flowers:
Cherry blossoms:Mini Daffodils (I love yellow flowers!):Lilac from the Lilac Garden:

The gardens are known mainly for their camellias, which are everywhere:

Probably my favorite part of the grounds, though, were the green grassy knolls punctuated by the wild, beautiful coast live oaks (very popular for film/photo shoots):

This is the kind of landscape I love. I got a taste of it while I was up in San Luis Obispo this past week, and now I'm planning an extended trip to the central coast for more.