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Carrizo Plain Wildflowers

September 8, 2018 by Lee 2 Comments

The rainfall of winter 2017 enlivened wildflower growth throughout the Southwest.  A weekend visit to the Carrizo Plain at just the right time in the spring allowed us to see one of the greatest flower shows in the world.

Tourists were arriving from Europe and Asia, some as groups touring California’s 2017 wildflower season and they were not disappointed.  The flower colors blended into the blue horizons of the mountain tops and filled the valley in a Shangri-La surrrealness.  The dominant hue was yellow, purple was close behind, there were broad fields of oranges and acres of reds, pinks and whites, all amid billions of stalks of green sprouting from every shade of soil.

Click on any image below to enter manual slideshow.

This post is under construction.

Windmill along Highway 58

A solitary windmill contrasts nicely with wildflowers against the hillside.

Field of flowers, Temblor Range in the distance

Any stop along Elkhorn Road provides the photographer with a dazzling landscape.

McKittrick Peak view

Called an artist's palette by some, this popular view to McKittrick Peak is reached by hiking a mile into the Temblor Range from Elkhorn Road.

Carrizo Plain entrance sign, Hurricane Road

Road access from San Joachin Vallley to Carrizo Plain along Hurricane Road is long, winding, narrow and unpaved but rewarding, especially at the crest of the Temblor Range.

Visitor Center-issued map of Carrizo Plain

A map obtained Visitors Center provides a single view of the expansive plain through which runs the San Andreas Fault.

Boundary of Carrizo Plain jurisdiction, 2017

This brochure map shows the sawtooth shape of the monument's boundary, which carves around a number of ranches.

Waypoints in the Carrizo Plain

A wide aerial view of the plain with some of the waypoints as entered into the GPS.

Soda Lake

The ephemeral lake is a haven of blue in the yellow and green covered hills surrounding it.

Desert Candle toward Midway Peak

Proud stalks shoot up into the afternoon, looking east toward the approximate middle of the Temblor Range, Midway Peak.

Elkhorn Plain Phacelia

Vast "lakes" of Phacelia, up to a half mile across, could be seen in the lowest places of valleys in the plain.

Elkhorn Road view of erosion

Taken with a 40X pocket zoom camera from a mile away, an outcrop of "badland" form spires of eroded ancient seafloor.

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Comments

  1. David says

    April 15, 2021 at 3:14 am

    Anyone would be able to locate the location of the wind mill in the Carrizo plain?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      April 17, 2021 at 5:45 am

      Yes, it can be seen from Highway 58 about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) northeast of Seven Mile Road, and seen in Google Earth at lat/long coordinates 35°20’14.39″N/119°50’36.49″W.

      Reply

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