Monday, January 17, 2022

Into the mountains, the San Gabriel Mountains

The San Gabriel Mountains are part of the Transverse Ranges that lie between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert. I think of these mountains as the (sometimes) snowy peaks that lie beyond the Huntington Garden, the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (now the California Botanic Garden), and the Los Angeles County Arboretum

While planning our November trip to the Los Angeles area, Andrew hatched a plan to fish an area up in the mountains. I was thrilled to have the chance to venture up and see them close.
It turns out they're full of Yucca whipplei, aka Hesperoyucca whipplei, aka chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, and Spanish bayonet

We drove for miles up, up, up on very curvy roads, I was in awe of the yuccas hugging the rocky sides of the cliffs.

There were small yuccas, huge yuccas, and bloomed-out dying yuccas.
 


The plan was I'd drop Andrew off, he'd fish for a few hours, and I'd backtrack down the mountains and visit the LA Arboretum. Then—at the appointed time—we would meet back up by the side of the road. Except he had no cell phone service, so if anything went wrong (broken leg, nefarious visitors) I'd have no way of knowing where he was, or how he was. I left him here, and hiked back to the car...

When the time came for my return trip I was worried (would he be there?), but still managed to stop to take a photo of the mountains and the reservoir on the way. 

I arrived, parked, and waited. I decided to get out and take a few more photos to pass the time.


Oh! Pay attention to the base of this tree...

It's grown and busted the rock, taking some of it along as it grew.

Thankfully Andrew walked up to the car as I turned after taking this shot. We both had a great day and were off to enjoy dinner and a glass of wine...

All material © 2009-2022 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

12 comments:

  1. I never flip to the end of a mystery novel to discover whodunit, but I scrolled to the end of this post. Once I realized it ended well I went back to reading it. This looks like a beautiful day up in the mountains, perfect for relaxing and recharging.
    Are those burrows openings next to some of the yucca? The tree in the rock is amazing.

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    1. It was amazing... a great day for both of us! I am not sure about the openings. I don't recall them being anything unusual in person, maybe just a trick of the light.

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  2. What a fun day for both of you! Enjoyed the photos.

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  3. I thought this post sounded too confident for it to have an unhappy ending. Glad it all worked out as it looked like you had a great day. Hope Andrew's was as successful.

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  4. I'm so happy you got to see Hesperoyucca whipplei up close. They're spectacular, aren't they? Every time I drove over the Grapevine on Interstate 5, I have a hard time keeping my eyes on the road because I get distracted by the thousands of H. whipplei growing on the hillsides as you descend into Santa Clarita.

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    1. I love that! I remember when we drove from T or C, NM, to Phoenix one time and I was in awe of all the Yucca elata marching along beside us. It was good Andrew's hands were on the wheel.

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  5. The tree is very impressive!

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  6. Always cool to see plants growing in their native environment. That tree is amazing. The power of the seed to the plant.

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  7. IHow fun that you both had the opportunity to combine your hobbies. Does Andrew flyfish? I think we are similar in that I also love driving through rocky mountainous areas with my eyes glued to the side of the road. You know how much I love rocks. Half the time I am thinking how I'd like to take a few of those rocks home with me. Even in barren landscapes I will scan for signs of plant life.

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    1. Andrew uses a tenkara rod rod, kind of similar to fly fishing.

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  8. Replies
    1. Nope, he's catch and release only. Plus... one of the bonus features of traveling is I don't have to cook!

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