Pineapple Express hits Cali

The Pineapple Express has been raging in Southern California. Enroute to Arizona, I have been driving through it for two days. Rarely are the deserts of the south so sodden. This is Rabbit Lake, near Lucerne Valley in the Mojave desert. The vast majority of the time, this is a salt flat. But, several inches of rain have fallen here in the past few days, along with runoff from the surrounding mountains, and voila! Instant lake.

The light was really fine for much of my drive today. Here a bare, gnarly tree rises against a wintry sky on highway 166 west of New Cuyama.

In New Cuyama, the light seemed to highlight this church.

Gray skies, backlit by a few sunrays, glower over the Cuyama Valley.

East of Santa Maria, the normally dry Cuyama River races muddily along.