Wildflower super bloom, March 2017
Jurassic Park?
The southern California desert areas were so green they had a Jurassic Park feel to them. Seeing this Tyrannosaurus Rex certainly helped. This is just one of the many fun metal sculptures you can see around Anza Borrego made by artist Ricardo Breceda.
Perfect Wreath of Flowers on Barrel Cactus
We arrived just past the peak of the super bloom in Anza Borrego so we missed the lush carpets of goldfields (they were all being voraciously consumed by millions of caterpillars). But we were treated to incredible cactus blooms in the higher elevation canyons where the super bloom was just peaking when we were there.
Ocotillo in bloom at Sunrise
We woke up at 5 am to hike into Borrego Palm Canyon in the hopes of seeing some Bighorn sheep and avoiding the crowds. No sheep but awesome morning light and there were only 4 people at the oasis when we got there.
Borrego Palm Oasis
It's easy to understand why this canyon, and the palm oasis, was a favorite spot for the indigenous Cahuilla people. We spenrt 10 minutes just listening to the sounds of water flowing and songbirds.
Desert X
I had to go see the site specific installations of Desert X in person after seeing photographs posted on Instagram and I was really glad I did. We saw 12 of the artworks. Most of the installations will close on April 30th but Mirage by Doug Aitken (top left) will remain open through October 31st. The other artworks shown here are: One I Call by Sherin Guirguis (top right), Hearth by Lita Albuquerque (bottom left) and Curves and Zigzags by Claudia Compte (bottom right).
Morning light near Whitewater Preserve
Just outside of Palm Springs is this gem of public land called Whitewater Preserve. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses through it and we did a sweet 3-mile loop hike to preview some of Rob's upcoming PCT section hike. The snow covered peak is Mt. San Jacinto.
Frogs mating in Whitewater Preserve
Just after crossing the wide creek that flows through Whitewater Preserve, we encouintered these two frogs in the middle of their mating ritual - they didn't really seem to mind that we were there so I snapped this photo (using the telephoto zoom so I wasn't disturbing them more than I already had).
Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve
We read before we left that the poppy bloom wasn't going to be very spectacular this year because the rains came at the wrong time. But then just as we were leaving Palm Springs, we heard that Antelope Valley was peaking so we stopped through on our drive back to the Bay Area. There was a long line of cars trying to get into the preserve so we opted to explore some of the unpaved roads nearby and sure enough, they lead you right into the preserve! It was cold and windy so the poppies hadn't opened up yet but it was still impressive.
Goldfields in Carrizo Plain
We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this huge field of Goldfields (Lasthenia californica)
Desert Candles in Carrizo Plain
I had never seen this wildflower before: desert candle (Caulanthus inflatus)
Someone painted the mountains, Carrizo Plain
I had seen other people's photographs of these multi-colored wildflower fields in the mountains of the Temblor Range and it was truly a highlight of our trip to see this in person. Makes for a great parting shot - thanks for scrolling all the way to here.