Winter in the Tehachapis

I drove home yesterday, via the Grapevine and the southern San Joaquin Valley. The recent cold storm dropped snow as low as 2000 feet. I took this pic whilst driving down the Grapevine.

In the southern San Joaquin Valley there was a nice contrast on the hills. The lower slopes were green while higher elevations were shrouded in white. Add funky clouds with constantly changing light, and you had a cool photographic environment.

I'm always looking for new routes to drive. Although I have explored California extensively for almost 50 years, there are still quite a few roads I have never traveled. One of these was a section of route 58 between 101 and Interstate 5. It wasn't far out of my way yesterday, so I took it. This proved to be a serendipitous choice! In summer, this route is hot, dry, brown, and scrubby. But in winter, after a cold storm, it presented a magical blend of colors and shades.

There was virtually no traffic, so it was very relaxing to drive.

I liked this abstract blend of snow, bare slopes, and clouds. Route 58 rises to 3200 feet west of Bakersfield. Two days earlier heavy snow fell here, and the road was closed for a time. You could see that it had been plowed. Five months from now it will be searingly dry and remorselessly hot here; clouds will be a novelty. But on this day it was cold, damp, green, and a little magical.