I’ve blogged before about Mount San Antonio, the highest peak in Southern California, standing tall at 10,064 feet.  I live in the suburbs outside LA right at the base of this lovely mountain, more affectionately known as Mount Baldy.  It’s a 20 minute drive from my house to Mount Baldy Lodge, where you can grab a bite to eat or rent a cabin for your weekend getaway.  Drive a bit farther and you’ll enter the Angeles National Forest where you can hike for miles along a mountain stream.  Keep going and eventually you’ll reach the ski lifts – great for a quick ski day after a winter snowfall.  Because it’s so very close I head to Baldy often.  Usually for lunch at the lodge on their outdoor patio (or inside near the fire if it’s wintertime). When the weather is good I’ll hike the famed Ice House Canyon Trail, though I’ve never made it the full eight miles, not just because the hike is long but also because it’s a strenuous uphill battle.  On this particular day I was heading up to the lodge for lunch when I was struck by beautiful yellow flowers covering the mountainside.  We were blessed with heavy rainfall this past winter, which has brought so much color to our desert landscape.

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