Sunday, April 29, 2012
Morro Bay, CA - California Ground Squirrel
These squirrels are all over the rocks in Morro Bay. They are cute. But please don't feed them!
Morro Bay, CA - White Crowned Sparrow
A little sparrow hops by, looking for crumbs of food left by visitors.
Morro Bay, CA - Sea Otter
Sea Otters like to roll themselves up in the kelp to anchor themselves so that they can nap or feed without drifting away.
Morro Bay, CA - Sea Otters
A whole group of otters were hanging out in the bay. Including a few pups.
Morro Bay , CA - Brandt's Cormorant
this guy seems to have the remnants of a fishing hook and line stuck in its feathers.
Morro Bay, CA - Sea Otter
A Sea Otter pauses a moment to reflect on tonite's menu...shall it be fish or perhaps some nice tasty scallops?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Morro Bay, CA - 4/24/12
And I am right back where I started: watching the sea otters at Morro Rock. They were still there...until a kayaker paddled by and scared them off. A momma otter and her baby stayed put though. The momma was twirling around, anchoring herself in the seaweed, and her baby was doing its best to imitate her, but was clearly getting flustered. He kept crying out to try to get his momma's attention. It was really cute. I took some pics (while the ground squirrels took turns at trying to eat my shoelaces), then got some dinner and headed back home to Bakersfield. Awesome trip!
Elephant Seal Viewpoint - 4/24/12
This viewpoint is near San Simeon, CA. Hundreds of elephant seals haul up on the beach here.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - 4/24/12
This park has a 1/4 mile walk to a view of McWay Waterfall, which falls right down on the beach below.
Point Lobos State Reserve - 4/24/12
It was a beautiful sunny day at Point Lobos. Perfect day for a walk and to explore the tidepools.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Hotel room in Monterey
Ahhh...off to bed I go. After a long day of hiking, photography and sightseeing, I am hot diggity dog tired. I am gonna drive down Highway 1 tomorrow and hit up a few of my favorite spots. Til then, happy trails!
Cannery Row - Monterey, CA
A famous street in Monterey, which is now a popular shopping and eating area
Juniper Canyon Trail - 4/23/12
A lot of these Johnny Jump Ups were blooming along the trail, along with Chinese Houses, Woodland Stars, Western Wallflowers, Fiesta Flowers, and more.
Juniper Canyon Trail - 4/23/12
I went as far as the start of the High Peaks Trail and headed back. I didn't realize how long I had been walking uphill until the return trip - lol. I am not a big fan of hiking downhill - it hurts my toes - lol.
Juniper Canyon Trail - 4/23/12
One of my favorite trails is the Juniper Canyon Trail. Lots of wildflowers decorate the trail in the spring.
West Pinnacles National Monument - 4/23/12
The view from the trailhead parking lot. Two of ther parks major trails start here... The Balconies Trail and the Juniper Canyon/High Peaks Trail.
Pinnacles Visitor Center
The West Pinnacles has a brand new visitor center that opened earlier this year (it still has that new visitor center smell - lol)
Pinnacles National Monument - 4/23/12
The Pinnacles National Monument has 2 entrances... The east entrance can be reached from King City, CA (or Hollister from the north) and the West entrance can be reached from Soledad, CA. The West Pinnacles is day use only, while the East Pinnacles has a campground.
Pinnacles Campground - 4/22/12
My home for the night - lol. It was a great spot. Despite the hot day, the evening was wonderfully cool. Lots of wildlife visited me too. A few cottontail rabbits hopped thru my campsite when I arrived, as well as a bunch of California Quail and a few Mule Deer. Other birds came by too: Western Bluebirds, both California and Spotted Towhees, Black Phoebes, Turkey Vultures and Wild Turkeys, Dark Eyed Juncos, Mourning Doves, White Breasted Nuthatch, Crows, Oak Titmouse, to name a few. After sunset, the sounds of crickets and frogs filled the night, as well as the occasional Barn Owl and Great Horned Owl. And in the morning, I had my very own alarm clock, as a Spotted Towhee was singing its little heart out right above my tent. A little gopher was poking its head out of its hole not 5 feet from my tent too. It was a perfect campsite for a nature dork like me :)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Hwy 101 northbound - 4/22/12
As you drive along Hwy 101, you will see these mission bell markers. They call this highway "El Camino Real" (the king's highway).
Sea otters in Morro Bay, Ca - 4/22/12
There were over a dozen sea otters out today, close to the shore...including 2 babies. I just love otters. They are so darned cute.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Gone Camping!
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Joshua Tree National Park - 4/7/12
Despite the initial disappointment, I continued on, as the weather was fantastic. Nice warm temperatures, with a light breeze. Just perfect weather for a day outside. No sense letting a good sunshiney day go to waste! I took the Keys View drive, which offers some great view of the park's namesake tree, the Joshua Tree, as dense patches of these trees can be found along this drive. At the road's end is a parking lot where you can take in the panoramic view of the Coachella Valley far below. There is a very short trail where you can climb up the ridge to get an even better view. It is well worth the 20 minute drive from the Park Boulevard to see the view. Spectacular!
I drove back to the Park Boulevard and continued my drive, stopping here and there to get out and walk a bit. As you move from the Mojave Desert to the Colorado Desert, the Joshua Trees disappear and other desert plants, such as the Cholla Cactus and Ocotillo, begin to appear. The parking lot at the Cholla Garden was (as usual) full, so I continued on to the Ocotillo Patch. Dozens of these curious looking shrubs with bright red flowers dot the landscape. They are a photographer's dream. I continued toward Cottonwood Spring, where there is another visitor center (and a bathroom! lol). As the road got nearer to Cottonwood Spring, surprise! Flowers started to pop out. First, I spotted the bright magenta-pink flowers of the Beavertail Cactus popping out against the sandy hillside. The further along I went, I spotted Desert Dandelions and Desert Globemallow. But conspiciously absent were desert staples such as Desert Chicory and Mojave Aster. However, as I got closer to Cottonwood Spring, the bright blue Canterbury Bells and Notch Leaved Phacelia began to pop out. Lots of these flowers were blooming along the roadsides and near the Cottonwood Springs Oasis parking lot, as well as Golden Suncups and Chia.
As I continued past Cottonwood Spring to the eastern entrance to the park, even more flowers started to appear. Several large patches of Sand Blazing Star dotted the roadside sand rocky hillsides. Once I got out to photograph these, I saw more flowers, such as Desert Pincushion and "bellyflowers" such as Mojave Desertstar, Forget Me Nots and Bigelow Monkeyflower. You really have to get down on your hands and knees to see these guys. I took lots of photos and then made my way back to Cottonwood Spring to take a short walk to the palm trees, just to kill some time, as I wanted to get some sunset shots of the Joshua Trees back on the west side of the park. I saw a few wildlife around here, such as Desert Cottontail Rabbits, a Coyote, and several birds, such as California Quail, Phainopeplas, Ravens, Cactus Wren, and Black Throated Sparrows.
I eventually made my way back to the west side of the park to get a few pics of the Joshua Trees at sunset, but I arrived later than planned and the sun had already set. I didn't leave the park til well after 8:00 pm. I intended to camp out, but all the campgrounds were full. Sigh. I forgot that it was spring break. So, I didn't get home til around 12:30 am, tired as heck and a tad sunburned, but still happy for having gone.
I posted pics below. Enjoy!
Til next time, happy trails :)
Links to check out:
Joshua Tree National Park
Wikipedia - Joshua Tree National Park
Wikitravel - Joshua Tree National Park
Wildflower Reports - Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park - Prince's Plume - 4/7/12
This member of the mustard family grows from 1 1/2 to 6 feet tall and produces dense spires of bright yellow blooms. They prefer dry areas, 1,000 to 5,000 feet in elevation. Their flowers bloom April thru September. They grow in selenium bearing soil, so they are toxic to livestock.
Joshua Tree National Park - Black Throated Sparrow - 4/7/12
And now for a bird.... this Black Throated Sparrow was spotted singing in the shrubs in the eastern part of the park. It was the only bird I managed to photograph on this trip. I also spotted several Phainopeplas and a few Catus Wrens, as well as Ravens, and California Quail, but they were just not cooperating with me - lol.
Joshua Tree National Park - Sand Blazing Star - 4/7/12
This member of the Loasa family is also known as Silver Blazing Star. Large patches of these pale whitish-yellow flowers were blooming in the eastern part of the park just east of Cottonwood Spring in the roadside washes and rocky slopes. The flowers bloom January thru May.
Joshua Tree National Park - Purple Mat - 4/7/12
This plant grows in dry, sandy washes and produces dense patches of low-lying, brilliant purple flowers that can cover large patches of the desert floor. The flowers bloom February thru May.
Joshua Tree National Park - Yellow Cups - 4/7/12
This member of the evening primrose family is also known as Golden Suncups. The plants grow 2-30 inches tall and prefer sandy areas. The bright yellow flowers bloom February thru May.
Joshua Tree National Park - Bigelow Monkeyflower - 4/7/12
Also known as Yellow Throat Monkeyflower, these small plants produce rather large flowers for its size. The bight magenta flowers bloom March thru June.
Joshua Tree National Park - Mojave Desertstar - 4/7/12
You have to get on your hands and knees to see these tiny flowers. They prefer gravelly ground and bloom February thru May.
Joshua Tree National Park - Chuparosa - 4/7/12
Also known as Hummingbird Bush, these shrubs produce numerous bright red flowers throughout the year. They grow on gravelly or rocky slopes.
Joshua Tree National Park - Notch-Leaf Phacelia
Also called Scorpionweed, these plants like to grow along gravelly roadsides. Their purple-blue flowers bloom February thru June.
Joshua Tree National Park - Chia - 4/7/12
Also called California Sage, these fragrant plants like to grow in gravelly washes and roadsides. Their small blue flowers bloom March thru May. They are found throughout the park.
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