SEARCHING FOR SPRING, PART 5: Red Rock Canyon State Park (CA)

My Spring 2017 search for wildflowers drew me to California’s Red Rock Canyon State Park a couple of times.  I was hoping for a repeat of the glorious display of Desert Dandelions I had seen back in Spring 2015.  Alas, that was the not the case.

But there were flowers to augment the iconic iron-laden sandstone that welcomes visitors to the state park.  It was a relaxing afternoon—and I might go back again later this spring to see what else might be in bloom.

The iconic cliffs and buttes have been used in many movies and television shows over the years, including Buck Rogers (TV series), The Big Country, The Outlaw, Jurassic Park and 40 Guns to Apache Pass (Audie Murphy’s last film).  For size comparison, the “little” mushroom like formation is 25 feet tall.

Throughout the grounds of Red Rock Canyon, various spring blossoms were evident.  No one type of plant was very abundant, but their colors jumped out from the muted grounds.

The drive into the park from both directions offered some colorful flowers as well.  The golden fields were found along Highway 14 north of the park, while the Globe Mallow were starting to blossom along the highway to the south.

I could not have asked for a better afternoon drive!

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“Spend the afternoon.  You can’t take it with you.”   Annie Dillard

“In my afternoon walk I would fain forget all my morning occupations and my obligations to society.”   Henry David Thoreau

Wildflowers in Death Valley 2016

El Nino has brought rains to California over the last several months.  More rain is still likely, so maybe—after enough rain and extensive snow pack throughout the year—the state’s long, long drought will start to subside. I certainly hope that the drought comes to an end sooner, rather than later.

But I am also hopeful that this year might generate some impressive wildflowers. 

In late March 2015, I saw some great wildflowers in Mojave’s Red Rock Canyon.  The California Poppy Preserve is hopeful for a good bloom this year, again in late March or April.  Thus far no extensive blooms are evident in the park or on the Gorman Hills along the Grapevine.  I figured I would start my hunt for wildflowers in about a month.

Then I heard about the 2016 Superbloom erupting in Death Valley.

A Ranger posted the above YouTube video on this year’s blossoms in early February.  Even though I did not notice the video until late February—so the blooms would have started to fade—I decided I would head to Death Valley for a wildflower adventure.  If nothing else, I knew from my Death Valley trip last spring that I would enjoy the great scenery and fun curvy steep roads.

I started my trip, heading east on Highway 178.  Its route along the Kern River is always lush and green after a good rain.  This year, California Poppies adorn the hills and other wildflowers jumped out along the roadside.

Lupine

Yucca

My quick detour through Red Rock Canyon confirmed it was too early for extensive flowers this early in the spring.  About all I saw were the yellow blossoms of the Creosote Bushes that dot the area near the Visitor Center and an occasional Yucca starting to bud.

Creosote Bush

The next day, when I first started into Death Valley, I did not see much color.

Eventually, gold and purple bushes dotted the roads, but the color was still minimal.

Golden Evening Primrose

Just as I was thinking the Superbloom must be over, I hit a stretch along Highway 190 where Desert Gold bushes spread out across the fields.  Although the blossoms were rather muted and starting to wane, they were quite impressive as they stretched across field after field throughout the park.  Other wildflowers jumped into view at various places, adding to the colorful palette.  Obviously, the Ranger was right:  If this more extensive blanketing of color only happens about once every ten years, my trip to Death Valley was well worth the effort.  The wonder and diversity of nature is always impressive!

Gravel Ghost

Phacelia

Red Mat

Cream Cup

That’s a Woman Out in the Field

Desert Gold Sunflower

The next day I headed home, traveling Highways 14 and 58 through Tehachapi.  Once again, some California Poppies and a few other wildflowers painted the hills and roadsides.

Desert Dandelions

Gravel Ghost

California Poppies

All in all, it was a beautiful and colorful couple of days!

NOTE:  I’ve done my best to give the names of some of the flowers, but if you can add a name or make a correction, please do so.  Thanks.

Do you have any favorite places you visit to see wildflowers in bloom?

SOME QUOTES ABOUT WILDFLOWERS

“Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like a stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass.”   John Steinbeck

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.”  Sheryl Crow

“Love is like wildflowers; it’s often found in the most unlikely places.”  Ralph Waldo  Emerson

“It is easier to tell a person what life is not, rather than to tell them what it is.  A child understands weeds that grow from lack of attention in a garden.  However, it is hard to explain the wildflowers that one gardener calls weeds, and another considers beautiful ground cover.”  Shannon L. Adler

“There are as many ways of loving as there are people, and that wildflower variety is the great beauty of this dimension of existence.”  Rumi

“Wildflowers are the stuff of my heart!”  Lady Bird Johnson

“The more often we see the things around us—even the beautiful and wonderful things—the more they become invisible to us.  That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world:  the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds, even those we love.  Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.”  Joseph B. Wirthlin

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.  See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence, see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence.  We need silence to be able to touch souls.”  Mother Teresa

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”  Henri Matisse

“Earth laughs in flowers.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.”  A. A. Milne

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter. . . to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in the spring—these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”  John Burroughs

A Couple Last Views from Death Valley Superbloom

 

Spring in Red Rock Canyon State Park

California’s Red Rock Canyon State Park sits in Kern County, about 80 miles from Bakersfield, 25 miles from Mojave, and maybe 150 miles from Los Angeles.  For me, these details indicate the park is a local attraction.  But one I rarely visit.  The last time was about 20 years ago.  I am so glad I corrected that mistake this spring.

When first entering the park, the area may not seem that impressive.

 

 

But Red Rock Canyon is impressive. It was established as a state park in 1968 and covers nearly 27,000 square acres.  It is a lovely little place with first-come-first-serve camping sites and a range of hiking trails.  The 300-foot cliffs are marked with rust staining caused by the iron oxide in the sandstone.  The cliffs and buttes at the entrance off Highway 14 are breath-taking! That little mushroom-shaped outcrop is about 25 feet tall.

The vistas once inside Red Rock Canyon are also impressive.

 

 

Various trails let visitors wander into the desert landscape to explore some of the cliffs’ nooks and crannies.

At the end of March, when a friend and I visited this little gem, we were overwhelmed with the wildflower display.  We could not have picked a better day for our adventure.

Desert Dandelions carpeted the floor of Red Rock Canyon.

There were several other wildflowers bursting forth as well.

Creosote Bush

Owl Clover

Goldenfields

Poppies

Chollo

Joshua Trees were abundant, dotting the landscape in all directions.  Some were starting to bud.

I returned the next week to see if the Joshua Tree buds were in bloom or other flowers had made an appearance.  Very little luck.  The flowers we had seen were waning, and no impressive Joshua Tree blooms were evident.

The Indigo Bush was more apparent, and some little white and purple flowers were starting to bloom.  Dozens of Painted Ladies were flying around—although they were very camera shy.

Indigo Bush

Shy Painted Lady

Beavertail Cactus by Visitor Center

Leaving the park after the first visit, we headed north.  In about 25 miles, Highway 14 becomes U. S. Scenic Route 395—and we were moving on to see what we could see.  En route, these Globe Mallow caught our eye and the Desert Dandelions were still carpeting the desert floor.  I love the vibrant colors!

If you have not visited Red Rock Canyon, put it on your list.