Carrizo Plain National Monument

If you came to this place in May or later, you would ask, "who on earth would make THIS a national monument?" (The answer is Bill Clinton, which might explain a lot, particularly for most of you who still read this blog). Even if that did explain a lot, you might still ask, "why?"

But if you come earlier in the spring, about a week earlier than I did two weeks ago, you might have a different thought. The California wildflowers here can be spectacular. We were about a week late, but still managed to catch some photos showing why it can be a special place.

But of course, one of the real reasons, is that it is also home to the most spectacular surface example of the San Andreas fault. Nowhere else can the way in which the Pacific plate slides past the North American plate be seen so clearly. Here is a photo.

Driving along that road (to the right of the obvious fault), and walking along that ominous crack in the earth, makes you nervous, no matter how remote the odds might be. If you have to be in Bakersfield, this place is only an hour west, and worth the visit, especially in February and early March.