Descanso Gardens

Remember my May post on La Cañada Flintridge and my fantastic breakfast at Dish? I mentioned Descanso Gardens then, not knowing there was anything else in the LCF. Today, it's all about Descanso, and I know there's quite a bit there!

It rained most of this past weekend, and I was having major cabin fever. I needed a walk in nature; I needed some Descanso Gardens.

For me, Descanso differs from the other big gardens in the SGV - Huntington and Arboretum (I've written about both of them here) - where I go to the others to see something, I go to Descanso to just be. Strolling through the oak trees is calming yet invigorating at the same time. I love the proliferation of benches and seating areas, often off the beaten path, to sit back and soak it all in the vistas.

I've had some really cool experiences at Descanso, including helping out a night hike in search of orb-weaver spiders (the ones with the really huge webs), and attending a pipe organ day, with various styles of organs playing throughout the grounds.

Today's score was spotting the early blooms in the Lilac Garden. These few blossoms smelled amazing, and I can only imagine the scent when all the trees pop. LCF and Descanso, I'll be back!

Click here to go to Descanso Garden's Web site.