I loathed this freakish moonscape, devoid of soft greenery and “proper” trees. Things I couldn’t name ... so I’d have a dream of blue sky to pin on my wall. A California dream. You would have ...

owned by the non-profit Blue Sky Center, is only a few minutes' drive away. If you travel to Cuyama Valley in the spring, you won't want to miss the superbloom of California's iconic wildflowers ...

Under an uninterrupted azure blue sky, the wind blew shimmering waves into a sea of grass speckled by islands of gnarled Valley Oak trees that spread sprawling shadows across rolling hills.