The Sun was setting as I hiked down Bishop Peak on Saturday, and the fast-moving storm clouds lit up in bright colors for a few short minutes before twilight began. A long exposure shows some of the motion in these clouds. Those boulders are the summit rocks of Bishop Peak, and the true summit is inaccessible without climbing gear.
It may only be February, but here on the Central Coast it appears that February means spring. While hiking on Bishop's Peak yesterday, I noticed some brightly-colored shooting stars already in bloom. With the on-and-off rain, everything was covered in water, which made for some great macro opportunities.
Also, the live oak forests at the base of the peak, normally dry and dusty, were lush and green today with dripping water and fresh plant growth. Winter in California is wonderful.
After a week of drenching rain back in January, the hills are greening up quickly. In this view, you can see Bishop Peak in the distance with the slopes of Cerro San Luis in the foreground. On my recent hike at Cerro, I saw that every gully and creek was flowing and that the wildflowers are already starting to bloom.
It's gonna be a great spring.
Here's an example of the coast live oak, a rustic and beautiful California tree. This one, in the hills above Cal Poly, marked the beginning of a small grove of the trees. You can find them all over the California coast ranges.
Most SLO residents flock to Bishop Peak, the mountain you can see in the distance in this photo. Few, however, make the trek to the top of Cerro San Luis, a prominent peak with a large "M" on it's southeastern side (the "M" stands for Mission High School).
Cerro San Luis has absolutely stunning views from the top: Morro Bay, Los Osos Valley, the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly, Edna Valley, Pismo Beach, and even the Santa Ynez Mountains 70 miles to the south.
With the recent torrential rains, every creek and gully on the mountain was flowing, and some of the fern-covered rock walls were dripping with water. Also, early spring wildflowers are starting to bloom, with species such as johnny jump-ups and California poppies.
The johnny jump-ups are starting to bloom on the Central Coast of California. With abundant rainfall and mild temperatures, it's looking to be a great spring for wildflowers. Winter's not even over yet and we've had at least 17 inches of rain in San Luis Obispo.
For years I have wanted to capture the parabolas the show up when a ball bounces to the ground. With a 39-cent light-up bouncy ball I was able to do just that.
Storms pounded California all last week, and the wild weather made for wild photography conditions. In a break between storms, the Sun kept poking through the clouds over San Luis Obispo. I got this photo after 80-mph winds blew over my camera and nearly smashed the lens...thank goodness for lens caps!
How's the weather in your part of the country?
Brizzolara Creek is flowing like never before today because of the 6 inches of rain we got this week. The soil was already wet when it started to rain on Monday, so the additional precipitation quickly filled up the creeks.
In the summer, Brizzolara Creek is little more than a few muddy puddles at the bottom of a ravine, but today it flows swift and fresh. This waterfall is located just before the Cal Poly barn.
