Lake Perris, CA Knows How to Party
After bidding adieu to our beloved Phoenix, we found ourselves once again heading westward on THE 10 (as they say on the West Coast). This time we had picked a beautiful state park just an hour outside of Los Angeles, Lake Perris State Recreation Area.
As it turns out, Lake Perris is just a few exits past Coachella and it was, in fact, the second Coachella weekend. We saw plenty of private jets flying into town (presumably TSwift and all of her friends), but when we stopped for groceries we found just a bunch of normal looking people. Apparently celebrities don’t hop off of their private jets to go shop at California’s Kroger equivalent. Alas.
We made it to Lake Perris at dusk so we did not get the chance to see the lake, though we did get to experience the party at our neighboring campsite which included a full-scale karaoke rendition of Linkin Park’s In the End. Who’s the real winner here?
When we woke up in the morning, we made coffee at our campsite and set off for the lake. While the facilities at this state park were less than mid (ie./ no soap or lights in the bathroom & a shower head that requires crouching even for me at 5”4 on a good day), the lake was BEAUTIFUL! Clear blue water framed by lush green foothills on all sides, surrounded by yellow wildflowers…Lake Perris has the natural beauty to make you leave with a smile on your face even if you had to pee by lantern light at midnight.
After a few nights at Lake Perris, we packed up the car and headed to Pasadena for lunch with my dear friend & former coworker, Lissette. We caught up over coffee and pistachio cream waffles then meandered through Vroman’s Bookstore, which has been operating in Pasadena since 1894 (read: very old for California!). After we parted ways with Lissette, we decided to FINALLY see the Hollywood Sign.
For those who don’t know, the Hollywood Sign is, in fact, NOT lit up at night. It is simply 9 50-ft tall steel letters that tower over Beachwood Canyon. Though we fought the crowds up the steep hills winding through neighborhoods inhabited by people who make more in a day than I do in a year (when I am actually employed, friends…I’m not talking about now…), I have to admit that it was still really cool to see. There’s just something about seeing a landmark that you’ve always seen on TV right in front of your eyes. Crowds or not, it checked off a bucket list item & made us both smile.
With that, it was time to change directions and head to our ultimate destination: Yosemite.