Open Studios Art Tour in San Benito County

Today is the second day of the Open Studios Art Tour. Artists in Hollister, Aromas, and San Juan Bautista invite one and all to visit them at their studios to view their works—paintings, prints, sculptures, jewelry, mosaics, and so on. It's from 10 AM to 4 PM. Head over to the San Benito Arts Council website for a map.

A friend and I visited several of the artists in Aromas yesterday. Wish I had thought to take photos earlier.

Willow Creek Road

Yesterday, I posted something about Old Hernandez Road. Today, you get a peek of the Diablo Range from Willow Creek Road.

To get to these roads, you turn onto the San Benito Lateral, a very short road off the east side of Highway 25, a few miles south of the Pinnacles National Park. At the fork of the lateral is the former town site of San Benito. Go right,  Old Hernandez Road. Go left, Willow Creek Road. Both roads come to a dead end, but they're still worth the jaunt if you like seeing awesome countryside and mountains. 

Once upon a time, the artist Thomas Kinkade owned property off of Willow Creek Road, which he called the Windemere Ranch. Want to see one of the paintings that Kinkade did of the area? Head over to this link to see the Windemere Ranch Sunset.

The Horse Statue on the Hill

The other day the Husband and I drove as far as we could on the north end of Old Hernandez Road in the southern part of San Benito County. It was the first time for both of us. We were very amazed at the beautiful topography along that windy road. The expanse of the valley floor and the diversity of the Diablo Range above it, from rugged jaggedness to sudden badlands to something in between.

One of the surprising sights was the statue of a horse on a hilltop. At first glance, I thought it was a rather huge horse standing still. Does anyone know anything about the statue?

Cloud Action above Hollister

Quite a lot of fluffy clouds were passing through the other day. Hopefully some of them joined forces and made rain when the reached the Sierras.

Fields of Yellow

Yup, it's a beautiful view. This field borders the whale park at the east end of Valley View Road.