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| Carrizo Plain near the southern end of Soda Lake Road, with owl's clover, fiddleneck, and daisies galore. The Temblor Range is in the distance. (Click images to view larger.) |
I don't have much to add to what I've already said in the previous recent posts about my very brief Carrizo Plain visit. Carrizo still remains a kind of wildflower Shangri-La in my mind, ever since learning about it in a botany class at Santa Barbara City College back in the '80s. I've seen it looking very sparse in April in dry years, and I've been there in the winter when all is brown. I love it all.
The peak of the bloom is no doubt coming later this month, but I doubt it will measure up to last year's extravaganza. Still, there are some showy patches even now, and I saw lots of lupine leaves giving promise of purple blossoms still to come.
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| This is as far as I went, to the end of the little bit of paved road near Traver Ranch. From what I could see from here, it didn't look worth the risk to keep going in my low-clearance 2WD vehicle. The sign says: Road Becoming Impassable. Vehicles Stuck in Mud. Recommend Turn Around. Use Alt Route to Hwy 58. People who've gotten stuck are found by California Highway Patrol searchers flying helicopters. Tow trucks are then called in. I can only wonder how much all that costs, and whether people are on the hook for any CHP expenses in addition to what must be a very expensive tow. |
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| A pronghorn on the plain in a very dry spring (4/10/2008). |
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| Morning light on the plain. |
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| There were animal trails and lays here and there, but I didn't see any elk or pronghorn, or even deer or cattle. It couldn't all be due to photographers.... Or could it?! |
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| Why do they call them hillside daisies even when they're on the plain? |
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