SoCal sunshine - gotta get me some of those rays!

During the recent rains, we Angelenos powered through the mud puddles, and after each downpour, we thronged our local Ralphs. Now we want our rewards. Luckily, the sunshine and fresh-air activities we all signed up for are beginning to sprout across the Southland:

Feb. 15 and on: Bird watching and wild flowers at Joshua Tree National Park
Enter at the south side of the park near Interstate 10. That area and the lower part of the Pinto Basin have the first blooms of the season. Then pick up a bird-sighting checklist at a visitors center for an idea of which species to spy at this time of year. Park admission costs $15 per vehicle. Call (760) 367-5500 for information.

Feb. 20: Lunar Eclipse party at Griffith Park Observatory
The last lunar eclipse to darken SoCal skies until 2010 has its big show around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Telescopes will be provided on the observatory’s front lawn to offer views of the moon, Saturn and Mars during the eclipse. Admission is free. More information is available at (213) 473-0800.

Feb. 23: Chinese Gardens open at the Huntington Library
Stone bridges, a 1.5-acre lake, a tea house and a shop help encompass the new Liu Fang Yuan (the Garden of Flowing Fragrance). Loaded with trees and flowers, the peaceful walkways make you forget about headaches like traffic jams and deadlines. Admission to the grounds is $15 weekdays, $20 weekends. Call (626) 405-2100 for more information.

Related Los Angeles Times stories:

Star-gazing parties light up Joshua Tree’s low desert

Top places to see in California

The artistry of a Chinese garden shines

Naked at the Getty scavenger hunts

– Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Annie Wells / For the Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 6:25 pm by Whitney and is filed under Los Angeles, National Parks, Outdoors & Adventure, Spring, Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.