California's Serengeti

Sunrise on the Carizzo Plain

Wildflower season for us means checking websites and hotlines daily, to get the most current updates on the blooms. And sometimes it means getting up and going to find out for ourselves.

Leaving right after work last Wednesday, our adventure began soon after hitting the road. We passed through the beautiful back country of the Sespe Wilderness, driving over Pine Mountain and finally coming into the California Valley. Our destination was



Carrizo Plain National Monument.
The last of California's historic grasslands.
"here in this remote part of California where ravens and prairie falcons dip and rise with the play of the wind and wildflowers color the hills each spring, it's still possible to look out over hundreds of miles of open space and to watch stars spread across a dark sky."




We arrived after dark to find the campsite almost all to ourselves. Oh there weren't any other campers, our company was two Great horned Owls perched in the tall eucalyptus above our tent. We went to sleep and woke up to Hoot~hoot, hooty~hoot~hoot!

KCL Campground


...breakfast was served (and lunch and dinner!) to me.
Thank you husband.

The view from our tent...

...checking out an old barn...

...and now the hunt for wildflowers!

....LOOK! we found them, like a golden carpet on the Plains...

...the scent comes almost before the flowers appear, standing in a field of these natural beauties is a heady experience, I wanted to stay for hours...

...look!, my husband is color coordinated to the fields!...

...here is a sign showing the Pronghorn Antelope, we were hoping to see and photograph these also. There is so much to see out here, according to the visitors center there are "more than a dozen species of reptiles and amphibians,100 species of birds and 45 species of mammals that live seasonally or year~round in the Carrizo's spacious grasslands, shrublands and wetlands. And of course...the spring wildflowers...

San Joaquin blazing star
...hillside daisies...

...silver bush lupine...

We had a great morning driving around looking for and photographing flowers and critters, but there was another reason we'd come out here and since it was going to take most of the day we had to get going. We packed up our stuff and made our way over to another camp, Selby, which was conveniently located next to the trail head for the hike we had to go on. A 12 mile hike. 6 miles of it up. Steeply up. Carrying heavy camera equipment. Gulp. Oh, and did I say it was very warm out?

So, off we went...

...up...

...our destination was going to be the highest point in all San Luis Obispo County, Caliente Mountain, 5106 ft (1556 m)..

...and up... on the way we saw more wildflowers, and hawks, San Joaquin antelope squirrels and meadowlarks, and...

A baby horny toad! We put this little beauty right back down as soon as I got it's photo. Isn't he great?!

Well, we got to the top and I could have sworn it was further than six miles, but my husband with the G.P.S. in his hands tells me that this is the true distance....

...can you make out the trail in the background of this photo? we are a loooong way from the campground. Chuck and I separated at this point, he scrambling around the mountain for more pics and me hightailing it back down. When I saw the "one more mile" marker I nearly started to skip, I was never more happy to see our tent. No sooner had I gotten my sweaty shoes off when Chuck appeared over the ridge. We weren't done yet. Next up was Soda Lake (still in the Carrizo Plain) for evening pictures...

...on the way to the lake...

....gold fields (a wildflower aptly named)...

...one last hill to climb for the day. See our truck down there? we are all alone at the Soda Lake lookout....

...and here is one view of Soda Lake. The road through the Plains is visible too, its partly paved and part asphalt. I think it's that and the Antelope and the grass and the rock outcroppings that are all reminiscent of the Serengeti. It's a spectacular place, but to really appreciate it you have to look close, I guess it's just like anything else...

Caliente Mountain(the peak we were on)

~sunrise at Selby camp~

we woke to the yelping sound of a pack of coyote's...

...knitting (a little project) at camp before heading out...we're leaving here today, we'd love to stay, but there's more to do (always!) and not so much time...

driving out, away down the long solitary road, our eyes scanned the meadows and plains for one last thing we might see...we'd already been so lucky, seen so much...

and sure enough, as we neared the exit I saw a small mound in the distance. I told Chuck I think I see ground squirrels, it's something. So he stops the truck and turns the binoculars on the mound of dirt. Slowly, he lowers the glasses and says quietly to me, "Keep calm, but you've just spotted a pair of burrowing owls" WHAT???? It is the thing I've always wanted to see. My husband said he'd try for a photo for me.

We didn't stay long, they were sitting at a nest and were agitated by us. But he got some photos and I am thrilled. And then we packed away all the big lenses and congratulated ourselves on a fantastic trip. And then 5 minutes later, I saw a Pronghorn Antelope!

way too far away for photos but hey! what a day!

...now we're back at the coast, but not at home, we're in a little motel, there is a lighthouse we've been wanting to see...

xxx love, lori