I love this time of year. It’s almost a race to see all the beautiful flowers before they are gone. On Instagram, I started seeing a tulip garden that was somewhat local to me….I knew I had to go! It took some planning, because this place is almost 3 hours one way for us! We chose a day, packed up our doggies and took the scenic route, Highway 49.
The entire drive was beautiful. Highway 49 is a awesome. Lots of views, bridges, trees, little towns….
When we got to the gardens, we were NOT disappointed! This garden is stunning. You can wander around for hours. Literally. We were there on a beautiful day. Nice temperature….light breezes. Here is a video tour for you: (if you want to be notified when we put up a new video…go to www.youtube.com, find Farrell Focus and subscribe)
We came in through the main gate and like a flower maze, we followed path after path through the beautiful gardens. And, we took about a million photos!!
If I had to choose….Tulips would be my pick for favorite flower. I just love them. I wish wish wish this was my very own garden! Of course I would have to somehow get a green thumb…which I do NOT have!
I love this little chapel. It’s so perfect in this setting. They actually have small weddings here. Ah…to shoot a wedding here! If you know ANYONE who is getting married here, please send them to our wedding photography page…www.farrellphotography.net !!!
Inside the chapel:
Crystal Hermitage Gardens is located at Ananda Village just outside of Nevada City California. Ananda Village was formed in 1968 by Swami Kriyananda, who purchased 70 acres of land to create this peaceful haven. He has since passed (2013) but his legacy continues with Ananda and all of it’s beauty. http://www.anandavillage.org/
This amazing structure is the Moksha Mandir. It was constructed to honor Swami Kriyananda. It is built in the side of a steep incline and appears to defy gravity and allow those inside to see out to a spectacular view. Anyone can request to go inside, and we wanted to, but there were already people inside, so we did not wait. I regret that. When I go back, I will go inside for sure!
I wanted to post about a thousand photos of flowers…but I somehow narrowed it down to these favorites. Click on any photo to enlarge. Enjoy!
It was hard to leave. But, I took something home with me! They have a shop with some pretty neat statues. I chose this one for my own garden (I use that term loosely, <grins>). It looks perfect right next to the waterfall. Ah….
Bye gardens! We had to find a spot for a selfie for our instagram and facebook!!
On the way home we made several stops. One was in Nevada City for a wonderful meal. It just seemed fitting to eat at a health food restaurant, so we asked the ladies at the gardens. They told us about this place. http://www.californiaorganics.com/ Oh man…..I wish this place wasn’t so far away!! I would be a regular for sure!! The food was delicious!! And…I had a mocha made with coconut milk!! Heaven! I’ve been craving one ever since!!
We also stopped to take a little hike. This was in Cool, California. The bridge is the begining of a trail and provides a spectacular view. Known as “Mountain Quarry Bridge”, “Railroad Bridge”, and finally the name, “No Hands Bridge”. read more here: https://www.edcgov.us/Living/Stories/No_Hands_Bridge.aspx
We were searching for a waterfall that we found online, but it got too dark and we had to settle for a nice walk over a cool (pun?) bridge and some pretty wild flowers.
Yes, we did drive home in the dark, but we were accompanied by a beautiful moon!
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