April 24, 2019 - Carrizo Plain

Commenter Dangerman alerted me to the bloom in the Carrizo Plain, so I made plans to drive the Prius up there. The Carrizo Plain is grassy plain(the largest in California) between the Temblor Range on to the east(with the Central Valley on the other side) and the Caliente Range on the west(with the Coastal Range further west). The San Andreas Fault runs along the foot of the Temblor Range and is a noticeable part of the terrain. Soda Lake, a 3,000-acre alkaline lake is in the center of the plain. The northern third of the plain is privately owned and consists of cattle ranches and solar farms. The southern portion is a National Monument, administered by the Bureau of Land Management. On a clear day, Mt. Pinos(the hike to the summit was feature in last year’s Halloween edition of OTR) is visible towards the south.

5 / 5

Lake, what Lake?

Again we’re looking south, but this time at the shore of Soda Lake. I kept the camera low to the ground to show the immense salt flats in the now drying lake and the really spectacular clouds in the sky. Mt. Pinos is in the lower center of the photo. I didn’t notice the stick in the mud just left on center when I was taking the picture, but I think it really makes the photo much better.