Monday, March 29, 2010
Point Reyes National Seashore - Chimney Rock Trail (8)
found the Pussy Ears around here. They are small and, at first, hard to spot in the tall grass. But once you find one, you start to see the others.
Point Reyes National Seashore - Chimney Rock Trail
At the trail's end....you can see part of my shadow in the bottom left of the photo - lol
Mt Tamalpais State Park - Cataract Trail - 3/26/10
I took a drive up to Marin County to Point Reyes on 3/26/10 to check out some trails and wildflowers, and I could not have asked for a better day for it. The sun was shining, it was fairly warm and no fog was in sight. I took a short side trip to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for a few quick pics of the bridge. I also spotted some wildflowers on my short trek up the road, including California Poppy, Lupine, Checker Mallow, Indian Paintbrush, Scarlet Pimpernel and Fiddleneck.
I took a short hike along the Cataract Trail in Mt Tamalpais State Park. I wasn't intending on stopping, since my main destination was Point Reyes, but I could not resist the opportunity to see the Calypso Orchids, which I heard were in bloom there. So I did a short hike along the trail, and sure enough, I found some right away, where the trail starts to go into the woods. There weren't many, and they were small, but the bright pink of the flowers makes it easy to spot them. They sure were pretty, and since I had never seen them before, I was excited - lol. The trail is woodsy and shaded and was a nice break from the nearly 4 hour drive I had already put in. I also found a lot of Milk Maids, Buttercups, Hound's Tongue, a few Mosquito Bills, and, of course, the ever-present Miner's Lettuce. Next time, I plan on going a lot further down the trail. I didn't leave the house til 6 am. If I had only left at 4 am like I had planned on doing in the first place, I would have had more time - lol.
After the short hike, I continued up Pan Toll Road where the road gives way to some spectacular view points of Stinson's Beach far below. A short, but fairly steep scramble up a hill revealed a beautiful view of the coast :)
I continued down Bolinas-Fairfax Road, which twists and turns, seemingly forever, but I was rewarded with a lovely view of Alpine Lake on the drive. I also pulled over to take some photos of some Hound's Tongue, but, finding no good flowers to photograph, went back to where I parked and spotted some Checker Lily hiding in the shade.
I took the road back to Fairfax and found my way to Sir Francis Drake Blvd, which takes you to Point Reyes, my next destination.
I posted some pics of the Golden Gate NRA and Mt Tamalpais below.
Links to check out:
Ntl Park Service - Golden Gate NRA
Wikipedia - Golden Gate NRA
American Southwest - Golden Gate NRA
GORP - Golden Gate NRA
Mt Tamalpais State Park
Wikipedia - Mt Tamalpais
CA State Parks - Mt Tamalpais
I took a short hike along the Cataract Trail in Mt Tamalpais State Park. I wasn't intending on stopping, since my main destination was Point Reyes, but I could not resist the opportunity to see the Calypso Orchids, which I heard were in bloom there. So I did a short hike along the trail, and sure enough, I found some right away, where the trail starts to go into the woods. There weren't many, and they were small, but the bright pink of the flowers makes it easy to spot them. They sure were pretty, and since I had never seen them before, I was excited - lol. The trail is woodsy and shaded and was a nice break from the nearly 4 hour drive I had already put in. I also found a lot of Milk Maids, Buttercups, Hound's Tongue, a few Mosquito Bills, and, of course, the ever-present Miner's Lettuce. Next time, I plan on going a lot further down the trail. I didn't leave the house til 6 am. If I had only left at 4 am like I had planned on doing in the first place, I would have had more time - lol.
After the short hike, I continued up Pan Toll Road where the road gives way to some spectacular view points of Stinson's Beach far below. A short, but fairly steep scramble up a hill revealed a beautiful view of the coast :)
I continued down Bolinas-Fairfax Road, which twists and turns, seemingly forever, but I was rewarded with a lovely view of Alpine Lake on the drive. I also pulled over to take some photos of some Hound's Tongue, but, finding no good flowers to photograph, went back to where I parked and spotted some Checker Lily hiding in the shade.
I took the road back to Fairfax and found my way to Sir Francis Drake Blvd, which takes you to Point Reyes, my next destination.
I posted some pics of the Golden Gate NRA and Mt Tamalpais below.
Links to check out:
Ntl Park Service - Golden Gate NRA
Wikipedia - Golden Gate NRA
American Southwest - Golden Gate NRA
GORP - Golden Gate NRA
Mt Tamalpais State Park
Wikipedia - Mt Tamalpais
CA State Parks - Mt Tamalpais
Mt Tamalpais - Cataract Trail
The beginning of Cataract Trail in Mt Tamalpais State Park. Wasn't able to go very far, as I didn't really intend to stop here, but could not pass up the opportunity to see the Calypso Orchids ;)
Mt Tamalpais viewpoint
A very short scramble up a hill revealed this lovely landscape view of Stinson's Beach below.
Mt Tamalpais - Buckeye
This lil guy happened to land on the trail. Didn't have time to switch to the telephoto lens, so I had to make do with the macro - lol
Mt Tamalpais - Checker Lily
Fritillaria affinis
aka: Mission Bells
Had to use a flash on these guys as they were in a heavily shaded area.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Kern River Preserve, Kernville - 3/20/10 & 3/21/10
On Saturday, 3/20/10, I had the pleasure of helping some of the good people at the Kern River Preserve plant wild roses and mugwort to hopefully create habitat for future generations of tri-colored blackbirds. It was a beautiful day for it, and afterward, I was treated to a wonderful wildflower tour by Alison (aka "Nature Ali"), where I got to go up this fantastic hill along Sierra Way (which she called the Forebay Road, I believe), which was just flooded with flowers! Poppies (California Poppies and Frying Pans), Bird's Eye Gilia, Popcorn Flower, Lupine, Owl's Clover, Coulter's Jewelflower, and soooo much more. It was a fantastic day for wildflower viewing, as it was bright and sunny and not too much of a breeze (although, I must remember to always use the sunscreen, cuz I got burnt! lol).
I went back the next day, via Granite Road to the 155 and down the hill to Wofford Heights. Granite Road was just bursting with color, which I imagine will only get better. Fiddleneck was coloring the hills gold, and further up the road, there were some nice swaths of Popcorn Flower, which colored the hillsides with a light dusting of white. I also spotted Owl's Clover and Lupine in the mix (couldn't see more than that going 60 mph in a car - lol). Gorgeous! I am going to check it out again this weekend sometime to see if it's gotten better. Of course, there aren't many pullouts. But the scenery is awesome :)
This weekend, I think I may be off to Point Reyes on Friday. Not sure what else is on the ole agenda. Maybe Mt Tamalpais too, while I am up that way. There are so many parks in Sonoma County. Wish I had a week to spend up there!
I posted plenty of pictures below. And there will be plenty more to come ;)
Til then, Happy Trails!
Links to Check Out:
Kern River Preserve
Nature Ali's Flora of the Kern River Preserve
Discover Kern River Valley
Audublog - Kern River Preserve
I went back the next day, via Granite Road to the 155 and down the hill to Wofford Heights. Granite Road was just bursting with color, which I imagine will only get better. Fiddleneck was coloring the hills gold, and further up the road, there were some nice swaths of Popcorn Flower, which colored the hillsides with a light dusting of white. I also spotted Owl's Clover and Lupine in the mix (couldn't see more than that going 60 mph in a car - lol). Gorgeous! I am going to check it out again this weekend sometime to see if it's gotten better. Of course, there aren't many pullouts. But the scenery is awesome :)
This weekend, I think I may be off to Point Reyes on Friday. Not sure what else is on the ole agenda. Maybe Mt Tamalpais too, while I am up that way. There are so many parks in Sonoma County. Wish I had a week to spend up there!
I posted plenty of pictures below. And there will be plenty more to come ;)
Til then, Happy Trails!
Links to Check Out:
Kern River Preserve
Nature Ali's Flora of the Kern River Preserve
Discover Kern River Valley
Audublog - Kern River Preserve
Sunday, March 21, 2010
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