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| Canyon Live Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) on Bolinas Ridge |
I rolled my bike onto a weedy shoulder along Panoramic Highway to check out a dense pink bloom of Chaparral Pea, and once I stopped I saw so much else in bloom: Pitcher Sage, Sticky Monkey Flower, Bush Poppy, Yerba Santa, Scarlet Paintbrush, Milkwort, Oakland Star Tulip, and Western Azalea. Continuing up toward Rock Spring, the Canyon Live Oaks were all dripping with the gilded fur of countless catkins.
A doe and her spotted fawn browsed near the edge of the woods, where billowing fog pulsed in the breeze. Just a little farther up the road it was all sunshine and clear skies. I walked my bike around the still-closed gate to ride out West Ridgecrest Road along Bolinas Ridge where not a single motor vehicle passed by. Even more surprising was seeing not a single other bicyclist. Near a patch of Cobwebby Thistle I stopped at a nice vista point and broke out my little stash of cashews and almonds, an apple and a tangerine.
When I reached the gate again on my return trip, a couple other cyclists were heading out, and I spoke with a guy in an SUV who was wondering why the gate was still closed, well past the usual opening time. He wondered if a commercial was being filmed (I didn't see anything) or if budget cuts meant there was no ranger available to unlock the gate. But I wondered if it had something to do with the Mountain Play (which will have its third show on Sunday).
After checking my trail cams on the way down the mountain, I had one more stop in mind. I wanted to see if the parasitic plant Orobanche fasciculata was in bloom yet. I parked my bike and walked up the gravel trail/fire road (Hog Back Road) next to the paved fire station entrance and soon found my quarry.
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| Pitcher Sage |
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| Chaparral Pea |
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| Bush Poppy |
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| Sticky Monkey Flower |
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| Yerba Santa |
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| Oakland Star Tulip |
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| Scarlet Paintbrush |
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| Milkwort |
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| Western Azalea |
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| Doe & Fawn in the Fog |
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| Spots in the Grass |
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| Fog on the Mountain |
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Wild Turkeys in the Sun
(Found a tick on my leg after wading into the grass to get this shot.) |
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| Catkins of Canyon Live Oak |
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| Cobwebby Thistle & Bumblebee |
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| Bolinas Ridge Vista Point |
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| A curious lizard watched as I swapped out the batteries in one of my trail cams. |
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Clustered Broomrape
(maybe parasitizing nearby Yerba Santa) |
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