Since we last rode the Arroyo Seco -Indians Rd., in 2012, increasing amounts of loose rock and sand have made the ride a bit trickier, but a road bike (in this case running 32mm tires) still works fine. Read the rest of this entry »
Cycling the Arroyo Seco – Indians Road: 2019
May 4, 2019
2 Comments | 
Cycling, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | 
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Posted by xasauan
Beyond the Valley of the Super Bloom
April 9, 2019Where once there were full moons, high tides and wildflower seasons, there are now “Super Moons,” “King Tides,” and “Super Blooms.”
If you miss this month’s once in a century Super Blue Blood Double Wolf Moon, don’t worry. You may rest assured that the once in a millennium Ultra Eye of Sauron Apocalypse Moon coming next month will more than make up for it.
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3 Comments | Big Sur, Fungus, Gabilans, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Dudleya
May 13, 2018
It will take a bold poacher to snag this Dudleya
If a year ago someone had said that Dudleya poaching was about to become a problem along the California Coast, it would have been difficult to believe. But in an increasingly globalized and irrational world, we should probably not be surprised when the not-so-invisible hand of a distant market suddenly reaches out to rip a random thread from the local web of life.
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4 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Giant Trillium
February 28, 2018Giant Trillium (Trillium chloropetalum), also known as Giant Wakerobin, is currently in bloom in the Santa Lucia Mountains. This plant is a true California native, inhabiting the coast ranges from Santa Barbara to Siskiyou, as well as the Sierra foothills. It is closely related to, but much larger than, the Western Wakerobin (Trillium ovatum) found in our coastal redwood forests.
Impossible to mistake for anything else, Giant Trillium consists of a robust stalk, rising as much as two feet above the ground, topped by the distinctive three leaves than make a trillium a trillium. The Giant Trillium’s single flower emerges directly from the branching top of the stalk and is not lifted above the leaves on a stalk of its own, as is the case with T. ovatum.
Giant Trillium
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Leave a Comment » | Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
April Wildflowers
April 19, 2017All that rain has really gotten the wildflowers going this month. Here are some highlights from the past few weeks:
California goldfields (Lasthinia californica) and Gray’s clover (Trifolium grayi), share a meadow at The Indians in the upper Arroyo Seco watershed.
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6 Comments | Coastal Development/Erosion, Fungus, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Soberanes Loop Closed for Maintenance
April 7, 2015
Here’s something you don’t see every day. Actual State Parks employees at Garrapata State Park. They showed up this morning with a CCC crew, coned off a lot of the parking area and fenced off the access points for the Stone Ridge and Soberanes Canyon trails. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Big Sur, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Ardea alba, Castilleja latifolia, Garrapata, Great Egret, Seaside Painted Cup, Soberanes | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
March Wildflowers: Garzas Creek & Vásquez Knob
March 7, 2015
The Carmel River’s last major tributary, Garzas Creek, flows through Garland Regional Park.
Here’s some of what’s currently blooming along the creek and on the trail to the top of Vásquez Knob… Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Carmel River, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Antonio María Vásquez, Garland Regional, Tiburcio Vasquez, Trillium chloropetalum, Vásquez Knob | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Cone Peak Directissima: Going Sea to Sky on Big Sur’s Stone Ridge
June 16, 2014Big Sur’s Cone Peak rises out of the ocean about as steeply as any mountain on the planet. It’s summit, at 5,155 feet, lies less than 3 miles, as the condor flies, from the beach. This delivers an average gradient of around 33%; steeper than the rise of Mt. Whitney from the floor of Owens Valley. Making the journey from the beach to the summit on foot takes only a little over 5 miles, thanks to the open slopes of Stone Ridge. And it’s one of the most spectacular walks in Big Sur. Which is saying something.
1 Comment | Big Sur, Insects, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Santa Lucia Sticky Monkey-Flower
May 8, 2013
Santa Lucia sticky monkey-flower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. grandiflorus) blooming at The Indians last weekend.
It’s been a hot, dry spring so far, and most of the wildflowers are already disappearing. That just makes the Santa Lucia sticky monkey-flower, which doesn’t mind the heat, stand out even more than usual; and makes it a natural choice for our Wildflower of the Week.
Leave a Comment » | Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Indian Warrior
March 29, 2013
Indian Warrior (Pedicularis densiflora)
We’ve been seeing some good displays of Indian Warrior lately, so we’ve decided to make them our Wildflower of the Week. A former member of the Figwort Family (the Scrophularaceae), Indian Warrior, together with other local favorites like Paintbrush and Owls Clover, is now considered to belong to the Broomrape Family (the Orobanchaceae). Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Gabilans, Plants, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
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