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March 2005
 
When we returned from South Africa we found how lucky we had been to have missed all the heavy rainfall.  This ushered in one of California’s four seasons – Mudslide Season.  (The other three are Earthquake, Fire and Drought.)
Anyway, we decided it would be a good time to see if the desert received any benefit from the rains.  E.g., flowers.
 
We packed a picnic lunch, loaded up our fellow traveller, Zena, and headed over the mountains toward Borrego Springs.
 
Heading up into the mountains, the road passes through Cuyamaca State Park.  The last time we were here was shortly after the fires, and everything was burned up.  We were delighted to see how green everything is now.  Even more surprising is the condition of the oak trees.  We thought they were all dead, but a lot of them are sprouting green leaves.  It looks a little strange to see a charred trunk and branches with all those little green sprouts.  I guess the deer and cougars must be moving back into the area by now.
 
After leaving Cuyamaca, the road takes you to Julian.  We saw a lot of new houses under construction and realized just how close to town the fires came.  We are happy to report that all the pie restaurants are intact and still in business.  We had heard that business was off a bit, so we felt it was our duty to stop for a piece of apple pie and a cup of coffee.
 
At first we didn’t see the huge fields of wild flowers we expected.  As we got closer to Borrego we began to see ocotillo plants in bloom.  It’s not often wesee green ocotillo plants, let alone red flowers.
 
We drove to the visitor center for Anza Borrego State Park and asked where all the flowers were.  The ranger said “how far do you want to walk?”  I explained that we really wanted to stay on paved roads.  Fortunately there are a couple of areas in bloom right now.  It appears the whole process is somewhat sensitive.  Too much rain and the seeds are washed away.  Not enough rain and the desert stays the way we normally see it – brown.
 
We followed directions and learned that all we really needed to do was look for a bunch of parked cars.  We were surprised at how many people were out looking at flowers – most of them senior citizens.  I guess all those old retired folks need something to do to pass the time!
 
According to the display in the visitor center there must be 20 or more kinds of wild flowers in the area.  We only saw a half-dozen or so varieties.  Close up they are a little sparse, but looking across the desert you can see blankets of yellow or purple or white.
 
If I were really clever, I would name them all for you.  Guess that shows I’m really not very clever.
 

As you can see, there are purple flowers, yellow flowers, and oh yes, those white flowers.
 
The fun is in going out to the desert, remembering all the weekends we spent camping and driving our dune buggy around the washes.
 
 
 
 
 

Now this is more my idea of a real desert!  The Salton Sea is way in the background.  We drove on over there and had our picnic lunch, watered (and unwatered) the dog, and headed back over the mountain. 
 
 
Retirement sure is great!