Thank you, Amy, for this week’s Lens-Artist’s Photo Challenge, Hello April!
Hello April! April is life bursting out all over, wildflowers as far as the eye can see, all manner of joy and celebration.
April is sweet spring skiing, all the sweeter because the tourists have gone home. Walking around is getting sloppy, though. Mud season is nearly here, and it’s time to go to the desert. It’s the excitement and anticipation as I plan my spring adventure.
April is breakup. Think mud season on steroids.
April is when it starts to get HOT in the Valley. As temps climb into the triple digits, it’s time to leave the desert.
April has meant many things in my life. This year I’ll combine them all.
April is time for my spring road trip to Alaska. Time to head back home, after a detour south for one more peek at the desert bloom. I’ll joyfully celebrate life bursting out all over, wildflowers as far as the eye can see. I’m excited as I anticipate my spring adventure.
I don’t usually escape breakup. It generally catches me in Canada. But this year, I just might. Photos from friends on Facebook show bare ground in Alaska, unprecedented in late March. Spring is already happening there, over a month early.
It’s definitely time for me to escape the Valley. I’ve been a bit restless the past few weeks. Way back in September I made a commitment to stay in Death Valley for most of March. I knew it would be an El Nino year and I was trying to position myself ahead of time for a possible spring bloom.
So, of course, everywhere else in the desert except Death Valley got the December rain that led to an amazing bloom. Death Valley got lots of rain in 2019, over 3 inches, in fact, but spring is very late, over a month late.
I spent three weeks in March stuck in Death Valley while Joshua Tree had a full on superbloom. Anza Borrego had great wildflowers, too. Death Valley had next to nothing. I should have worked at Ocotillo Wells instead.
Death Valley is always great and the rocks are still incredible, but I’m definitely ready to leave.
So this year April is flowers, flowers and more flowers in Joshua Tree. It’s the cactus and agave blooming in Anza Borrego. It’s finally crossing the California Poppy Reserve off my bucket list on my way to Carrizo Plain, which just might be peaking when I get there.
After that, who knows? I could take the coast, or check out the burn areas in the Sierra foothills. For April this year, I’m following the flowers.
Lovely as ever xx
Thank you, Paul!
Thank you for showing us the beautiful flowers in the Desth Valley and Josha Tree. They are beautiful! So glad to hear you had a great trip!
Thanks, Amy! No flowers in Death Valley, though. Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego are where the flowers are.
Great article and gorgeous photos. See you on your way north?
You know it! Glad you liked the article. I was just in Carrizo Plains NM. The flowers were amazing. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted to stay another day but my little Toyota truck had different ideas. All the roads in the Monument are rough dirt roads. I’d made it from one end to the other, turned to go back along another 45-50 miles of dirt road and camp in the backcountry along the way when the check engine light went on. I had to turn back 5 miles to pavement, cuz I certainly can’t afford to break down where AAA won’t tow me. When I got to town, 70 miles away, the light mysteriously went out. The little girl was just telling me she was tired of the rough stuff! See you in 10 days to 2 weeks.