We drove to Aqua Dulce, which was a mere 35 minute drive with some of the most eye-blazing and almost solar-system like scenery. There is farm land everywhere and for a moment, I felt as if we were in Napa or some docile region of the Midwest. Not many cars, tons of land, the CUTEST homes on acres of land and clean, clean, clean EVERYTHING.
When we pulled up to the sign that said, Vasquez Rocks, I was informed that many movies have been filmed there (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Blazing Saddles (BUNNAY!!), Planet of the Apes, to name just a few) and not to mention, this past weekend, after seeing "Little Miss Sunshine," lo and behold, the rocks were in the background (FANTASTIC movie, by the way). Oh and T.V's...STAR TREK.
Anyhoo. We parked in a sandy marsh area, but in the distance were these ginormous rock formations that look extra-terrerestrial...seriously, right out of an old "Twilight Zone" or "Star Wars". As we started to get closer, chills kind of shot through my spine. These were made from nature. This was not a Hollywood set...especially when Alex said the scariest words I have heard him utter, thus far, "Watch out for coyotes and ... rattlesnakes."
Sidebar: I grew up in the Midwest, as you know. We had deer and wolves and things of that sort. We had gardener snakes that were essentially worms with attitudes. I like nature. Love it even. I mean, I was the always first kid to try and pet wild animals or chase loose dogs, but something about the habitat in Southern California makes me frightened like a sissy. Maybe its the fact things don't die ... E.V.A.R. or that there are many more poisonous, man-eating, flesh-loving, human-hating critters are out in these mountainous areas. Am I crazy? I have NO problem swimming in the ocean, with the bacteria monsters, sharks and scabie-like things, but man, hearing the words, "rattlensnake" brought me back to the days of "Wild Wild World of Animals" or one of those, "When Snakes Attack..."
Anyway.
After my warning, I was walking with saucer-like-despair-eyes, and avoiding any hole in the ground that might have a snake in it, but alas, I couldn't help but be fascinated by these rocks/mountains.
Apparently, these rocks have been around since prehistoric times when the sandstone rocks were uplifted at an angle which is why we see their jagged sides. The rock formations are part of the San Andreas Fault. They are called, "Vasquez" after Tiburcio Vasquez - one of California's most notorious bandits - who used these rocks to hide from the po-po, or back in the 1800's...law enforcement.
After taking picture after picture (which i will post at a later date) we CLIMBED up one of the sharpest peaks. It's odd. From far away, its as if nature created the perfect way to climb these things, but when you get closer, its the natural discoloration that makes you believe its a little bumpy when in fact, the rocks are smooth and a little slippery. There are also holes (not snakes holes, thank goodness) throughout the formation which look like nostril but naturally keep air filtering through.
The climb up was a little freaky, but there is almost a natural guide to the way the rocks formed together to make it not so hard to maneuver, though every so often I would look over the side and think about how odd it would be to fall off a cliff, literally, a splat to my doom, especially when I dropped the large water bottle I'd been carrying and watched it roll down, down, down until it hooked into some bushes.
But we did get to the top. And it was GORGEOUS. And windy, which made me want to hurl off the side, but we did get some awesome pictures...of ourselves, since after all, we did do it and we did it well.
After getting back down, which to me, is the scariest part of climbing that high, we walked through some trails, again with saucer eyes since we were now on the ground.
We also learned you can horseback ride there, which would be ferociously cool.
After all of this nature, dirt in my pores and dust all over my person, Alex then announced the next leg of our journey...to the local winery!!
Aqua Dulce Vineyards is only about 15 minutes from the Rocks. It is absolutely adorable and worth the trip over. The wine-tasting takes place in what looks like a very high-fallutin' barn and as you can see in the link, the inside is just sweet. The people that work there are so very nice. One wine-tasting is $7 and provides you with five sips of very nice wines. Its very quaint and makes you totally forget the hubbub of L.A.
Highly recommended, BOTH.
Another fun LINK
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