Cruisin' on the Carrizo

The pavement curved a bit and then became dirt. Dusty, dusty dirt. There were hordes of people. Minivans, SUV's, trucks and sedans were everywhere in sight. All there to appreciate the wildflowers. My sister and I saw them pulled over on the sides, the people hunched over and squatting trying to get the best shot. Some had binoculars, some had umbrellas, some laid out blankets and picnicked in the sun. The ignorant and impatient walked through the flowers, creating an unsightly trampled path in their wake. It was a Saturday, so we expected some level of traffic. But not like this. Even now, weeks after the hight of the bloom, the Carrizo Plain was still drawing visitors. 

We drove on down the road, taking in the sights from a distance. Many a time we became enveloped in a cloud of dust from somebody driving wayyy too fast. At one point a couple of dudes on some dirt bikes zoomed past us, coughing up a good amount of dust in the process. Way down the road, towards Soda Lake, we could see more dust rising off the plain. Lots of people, lots of people indeed.

It was strange seeing the plain like this. The hight of the bloom had passed, the colors were fading. The grass was beginning to turn golden, the air hot, and the sun more menacing. These are things that turn the average tourist away. They want to see things in full swing, they want to get the full deal. So with that in mind, we had thought that the plain wouldn't be so popular this late in the season. But I guess we weren't the only ones with that idea. 

But no matter. The Carrizo doesn't care about people. It just does it's own thing. Its vastness and beauty were enough to swallow up the sounds of the cars and the dust. Standing on a small hill, we could barely make out the cars on the road. They looked like little beetles crawling down a sandy path. 

As we looked across the vast plain we cold see little blotches of color. It looked like some giant had been carrying a paint bucket and had spilled product all willy nilly. Here and there would be a big splotch of yellow, over yonder a smatter of magenta, and way off in the distance a daub of orange. All of these colors were spilled onto a boundless canvas of golden green. Taken in as a whole, it appeared like some abstract modern art painting; like a less chaotic Jackson Pollack piece. After enjoying our lunch on this hill we descended and drove farther along the road, towards Soda Lake. 

The little overlook right next to Soda Lake seemed to be the place to be. Everyone and their mother was there. It was packed—cars lined down the road and everything. We were lucky and managed to find a spot close to the base of the overlook. There was an information tent and portable toilets right at the beginning of the climb. People of all walks of life were coming and going, out and about, walking around. At the top was a tremendous view of Soda Lake, which, surprisingly, was pretty dang full. It looked like one of those reflection pools you'd see at the National Mall. Wanting to get a closer look, we descended the hill and drove a little ways back down the road to a path that led right up to the water's edge. 

Soda Lake

After seeing the lake we turned around and went back the way we came, stopping at a few places we thought were interesting. When it wasn't dusty we rolled down the windows, letting the aroma of the plain flush its way through the car. The air was warm and sweet and grassy. Couldn't really smell the flowers all that well, but that's alright. A strong flower smell can be a little much at times, you know? Better to mix it with dirt and dust. 

We reached the pavement near the border of the plain and the dust was no more. There, we saw a whole army of caterpillars zooming across the road. I've never seen anything like it before. There were hundreds of them dashing as fast as they could to get to the other side. Splattered remains of those that were unlucky covered the road like the dots on a Dalmatian. Don't know why they were so desperate to cross the road. Maybe the grass was better on that side or something. 

Blurry picture of lone caterpillar crossing the road

The drive back was long and uneventful, but it was nice seeing the surrounding area. The was still snow on the Emigdio Range, something that I wasn't expecting see. It's almost May and there's still snow on the mountains—how crazy is that? Come summertime I plan on giving that area a proper exploration. As for the day's adventure, well, it was a goodun. Other than the caterpillar slaughter, it had been a real chill kinda day. Just drivin' around and lookin' at pretty flowers. Can't beat it. Life's not all about going on crazy hikes and climbing mountains and busting through brush. Sometimes you gotta chill out and experience the mellow things. And that's all I gotta say!

Snow!