On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!
Today, pictures from valued commenter ?BillinGlendaleCA.
After the Fire…
Last year was a particularly devastating fire season in California. In early November the Woolsey fire burned from just west of the San Fernando Valley all the way to the Pacific(the bathroom on the beach at Leo Carrillio State Park burned). While not a devistating as the Paradise fire in Northern California, the Woolsey fire killed 3 people, burned down over 1300 structures, and evacuated almost 400,000 people. This past winter has been wetter than average, though not enough to cause the mountains to flow to the sea, it’s been sufficient for the mountains to bloom. A photographer friend asked if I wanted to shoot over at the coast last week and we stopped midway over the mountains and found this incredible bloom.
Taken on 2019-05-25 00:00:00
Kanan-Dume Road, Santa Monica Mountains, California
The first four pictures were shot with exposure bracketing, you take the picture with the correct exposure and the camera shoots 4 more pictures, two at a higher exposure and two at a lower exposure. This was necessary because I was shooting into the sun and the sky would have been washed out otherwise. The hillsides in this part of the mountains were covered in these flowers. What kind are they? The flower ID app on my phone says they’re Dwarf Morning Glorys, opinions differ(even among jackals).
I selected the wrong date on the introduction, the date below is correct(I don’t have Obama’s timemachine, yet).
Taken on 2019-05-25 00:00:00
Kanan-Dume Road, Santa Monica Mountains, California
This looks from the hill with the most flowers west down the Santa Monica Mountains. The Santa Monica Mountains run from Griffith Park in the east to Point Mugu(near Oxnard) in the west.
Taken on 2019-05-25 00:00:00
Kanan-Dume Road, Santa Monica Mountains, California
This looks up the hill, the flowers reach all the way to the rocky ridge at the top. The yellow flowers in the foreground are wild mustard.
Taken on 2019-05-25 00:00:00
Kanan-Dume Road, Santa Monica Mountains, California
A tree among the flowers, it’s probably not noticible against the bright sky, but the tree actually has new growth that’s grown since the fire in November. The last three photos were processed using dedicated HDR software(Lightroom’s built-in HDR wasn’t producing the best results).
Taken on 2019-05-25 00:00:00
Kanan-Dume Road, Santa Monica Mountains, California
This is a panorama that looks from the mountains to the sea. The hill with all the flowers is at my back.
Thank you so much ?BillinGlendaleCA, do send us more when you can.
Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.
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Baud
California is pretty.
What flower ID app do you use?
OzarkHillbilly
Nice vistas
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: PlantSnap.
@OzarkHillbilly: It’s a nice drive over the Santa Monicas.
OzarkHillbilly
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I’d like to see them some day.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: We got alot of natural beauty out here in California. I was out at Joshua Tree* on Saturday, incredible place.
*Milky Way shoot.
HinTN
That is the truth @?BillinGlendaleCA:. I never cease to be amazed at the beauty I discover every time I come to California.
ETA – Thanks for the photos of the flowers. Once upon a time Mrs H and I were driving near Big Sur and the were wildflowers almost leaping into our car from the hillside and also just capturing the flat below between the road and the sea. It was a tough choice as to which way to look.
HinTN
@HinTN: @HinTN:
carpeting not capturing
?BillinGlendaleCA
@HinTN: That’s a nice drive. There’s an old lighthouse near there(just past Hearst Castle, that I’m going to try to shoot this year.
JPL
Beautiful!
debbie
Anything purple is beautiful! Imagine these and jacaranda trees together!
J R in WV
Just realized that I browsed through all those sweet landscapes without say a word about them…
Great job, wonderful photos of phenomenal natural wonder. Thanks again for yet another great spread.
But no puppies!! ;-)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@JPL: Thanks.
@debbie: We’ve got lots of jacaranda around here too, just not there.
@J R in WV: Wait until you see pics of the coast, that was where we were going anyway. No puppies there either. I did take my girls to Joshua Tree.
arrieve
So beautiful. I grew up in the Bay Area and (mostly) don’t miss California but pictures like these do make me homesick.
p.a.
As usual, A++ BinG.
Never been further W than Vegas (don’t judge me!… oh go ahead judge me…) but Cali for the natural beauty, not the cities so much (well San Fran…) is on my list. Even a winger NRAer of my acquaintance enjoyed the railroad wine tour his wife forced him to take.
Dmbeaster
The profusion of purple flowers are Parry’s Phacelia, and for all my years in the Santa Monicas, I have never seen a bloom like it. The plants are ridiculously large – almost unrecognizable in dimension, but the blooms are the same. The picture looks like the stand I saw along Kanan Dume Road just north of the first tunnel as you drive inland from the coast. I recognized the shot looking down to the coast as the canyon that the road follows, which is a nice hike from the trailhead right at the tunnel.
Dmbeaster
Actually, probably its cousin largeflower phacelia (Phacelia grandiflora) which I do not see as often and is very similar. That would explain the ridiculous dimensions of the foliage.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@arrieve: Heh, my fiendish plan is working…
@Dmbeaster: Ah, another ID in the mix… I’ve never seen a bloom like this either, but you do get them after fire has come though an area. Your geo-location is correct, it’s just north of the first tunnel(though we here headed south).
?BillinGlendaleCA
@p.a.: LA has it’s own charm, especially from above(Mt. Lowe, Mt. Wilson, and Griffith Park) and at night. But once you get outside the cities, there’s some amazing natural beauty from Mt. Shasta to Joshua Tree.