Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) on Skinner Ridge. Read the rest of this entry »
Wildflower of the Week: Douglas Iris
May 3, 2012
3 Comments | 
Big Sur, History, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | 
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Posted by xasauan
Death on the Little Sur
April 12, 2012
North Fork Little Sur
Among many wild and beautiful streams in the Santa Lucia Mountains, the North Fork of the Little Sur River stands out as one of the wildest and most beautiful. Rising on the north face of the Double Cone, it drains a deep, nearly trail-less, basin heavily forested with redwood and, unusually for the Santa Lucia, Douglas Fir; then squeezes through the narrow gap between Pico Blanco and Bixby Mountain to reach the coast. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Big Sur, Santa Lucias | Tagged: Bottcher's Gap, Pico Blanco, Ventana Wilderness | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Silver Lupine
March 26, 2012
Well, we’ve fallen a little behind in choosing a wildflower of the week, so we’re going to make up for it by choosing silver lupine (Lupinus albifrons): one of California’s most ubiquitous flowers. Although it leaks across the border a little into Southern Oregon and Northern Baja, this perennial shrub is a true Alta Californian. These are blooming near Soberanes Creek in Garrapata State Park – one of the many State parks scheduled to be “closed” this year. Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments | Big Sur, Insects, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Some Real Rain … Finally
March 19, 2012
While the Santa Cruz Mountains may have gotten most of the rain and left our rainfall totals still languishing way below average, at least there’s now a little water in the creeks and some snow on the hills. For the first time since last fall it’s … finally … starting to seem like a rainy season again. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias, Water | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Cycling the Peachtree-Cholame Country
March 12, 2012
The long road across the Salinas Valley. The high ridges of the Southern Diablo Range beckon us on. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Cycling, Diablo Range, Gabilans | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Crimson Columbine
March 8, 2012
Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Although we spent last weekend riding around on bikes and sailboats, rather than out in the hills, we are reliably informed that crimson columbine is now coming into bloom. So we’re making it our Wildflower of the Week. A member of the Buttercup Family (the Ranunculaceae), this hummingbird favorite is native to western North America, from Alaska to Baja. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Wildflower of the Week: Pacific Hound’s Tongue
February 25, 2012
Pacific Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum grande) Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Fooling Around on Skinner Ridge & Devil’s Peak
February 22, 2012
The views of Pico Blanco and the ocean from Skinner Ridge are at their best in the winter, when the black oaks (Quercus kelloggii) are leafless. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Big Sur, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Monterey Bay Backroads Bicycling
February 20, 2012
Somewhere near Aromas
An unusually dry February means an unusually nice February for grabbing a bike and hitting the backroads of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. Read the rest of this entry »
Wildflower of the Week: Western Wakerobin
February 17, 2012
As anyone who read our previous post could easily have predicted, Western Wakerobin (Trillium ovatum) is our Wildflower of the Week. T. ovatum flourishes, as indicated by the photo, in damp forests – which, around here, means redwood forests. They reach the southern end of their range, along with the redwoods, on Big Sur’s South Coast. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Big Sur, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Xasáuan Today 