Subtitle: Don't Trample the Damn Flowers People!!
So happy for a wet winter and the promise of at least a partial Superbloom in Southern California. And it's looking good for a prolonged one unlike the last one which was stunning but quick.
I made it to the Mojave Desert and the Carrizo Plains for that one but missed making it to Anza Borrega Desert in San Diego county. So I was thrilled to have a second chance!
So see the two ends of the SuperBloom 2016, click HERE for Mojave Desert Amboy Crater Area, and then HERE for South of Barstow, and then HERE for Carrizo Plains! I guarantee that if you love nature and flowers, you do NOT want to miss these!
Just like I could not miss another opportunity to hit the road and check out the first amazing blooms this year. Of course it was another slam-bam trip. I drove down and stopped at a rest area in Yucaipa for a few hours sleep. Bad idea. I actually wasn't sure if there was another rest area coming up and I didn't want to miss the chance to get some sleep. But it was COLD! And yes, there was another rest stop within a half hour...on the desert floor. haha Oh well, I survived.
I'm posting these out of order as I actually went to Salton Sea first. But it's Superbloom time! And I want to post that part first. :-)
These shots are all from State Route (SR) 22, just above the Borrego Badlands and about 20 miles out from Borrego Springs.
My original intention was to explore more of beautiful Anza Borrego State Park and try to find some bighorn sheep as well as hike, but it wasn't in the cards on this abbreviated trip. Luckily this bloom is anticipated to HOPEFULLY last for a couple of months because the rainy season was much longer than the burst of rain we had in 2016. But heat and other factors may impede the bloom at any time, so fingers crossed I'll make it back down there!
Honestly, I want to take a jeep tour into the badlands at some point. It looks so cool! But very desolate, so imagine my surprise as I came around a few bends and started seeing more and more flowers!
I came around one curve and was alerted to the presence of photo-quality wildflowers by a number of vehicles driving slowly and looking for a place to pull over with several cars already parked on the sides of the road. I found a place to park a little bit further on and got out to (CAREFULLY) roam the road and trails to get some photos.
This next photo has an Ocotillo plant with green leaves on it, which apparently only happens after a rain. I had never seen one before and didn't even know what Ocotillo Wells, CA was named after!
One of my fellow photographers carefully capturing the blooms.
This one turned out kind of weird. lol I'm not sure why, but the yellow flowers looked weird and then got weirder in Photoshop.
In the desert, you don't see the large "fields" of flowers all over the place like you see on hillsides and in places like Carrizo Plains National Monument. But I was thrilled to find a couple of beautiful fields near Anza Borrega! This one below had red and yellow flowers surrounded by purple and pink.
I've driven through the desert so many times and not really looked. When you're in a car on I-15 going 80 mph it's hard to see much more than a brown blur.
But if you go through on a smaller road (or as a passenger) and really look during the Spring, you'll be surprised at the varied colors and types of flowers you'll spot!
Another Ocotillo plant, this one blooming with beautiful crimson flowers.
My faithful bae. :-)
Count the people among the flowers!
I was SO SO happy to find this spot with the purple flower fields swirling in front of the blue and reddish mountains! THIS is what I came for!
Once you get to Borrego Springs, there was a lot more green around. Beautiful in a different way.
I had originally planned to get a couple hours of sleep and then drive through the night, but I listened to the promptings that encouraged me to just get on the road. And I was so very glad I did for many reasons. Since I've never been in that area before, I was delighted to drive during the day and observe the beautiful surroundings.
But the real prize came once I got to Riverside County on I-15. It was absolutely STUNNING. I'm sure you've heard about the poppy fields, but it wasn't just that...there were ENTIRE mountains dressed in purple, yellow, and orange!
It was not easy to find spots to pull over and the couple exits I saw were completely FILLED with cars/people already parked and walking amongst the flowers. So I just drove and appreciated the wonders around me for the next two hours.
But I did want to show what it looked like, so I grabbed some photos from around the interwebz.
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| Via Buzzfeed Credit: Maria Toma Getty Images |
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| Riverside County via Newsweek |
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| DesertUSA |
I'm so glad I dragged myself out of my apartment to head down and see these amazing sights and refresh my spirit. I hope I get back down there before the flowers go away! I'm greedy, but I really want to go to the Antelope Poppy Preserve. I'll be sure to let you know if I make it. haha
xoxo
