amphitheater benches, set aside during construction
So what else to do on a drizzly Monday afternoon than drive a couple hours to go hiking at Big Basin, huh? Driving through the narrow roads under a dense canopy of Redwoods, Madrones and Douglas Firs seemed like enough of an adventure in itself- wow, those curves!
We enabled each other to actually get out of the car and amazingly hiked for a couple of miles in gear not suited to rain (I had a scarf over my head). Perhaps the canopy sifted the rain down in small doses, but I was far from drenched when we reached the car at the end of our hike.
The Ceanothus stretched gauntly towards the light, but shot out incredible displays of powdery puffballs. They looked like giant bouquets. The branches on this Oak seemed so gestural and dramatic- it's so hard to capture tall things in a photo!
As we left, I had to stop the car and jog back to this mysterious lavender-flowered plant. The batteries in the camera died before I could get more than one photo, but the saw-toothed leaves are slightly sticky like a monkey flower (who were blooming nearby), but strongly scented like a sweeter version of a Pacific Wax Myrtle. The plant had slightly purple stems and branched upright, growing about three feet high. The flower clusters sat upon the tips of the branches and the flowers themselves were about 3/8 inch long. It grew in an open area (previously Redwood forest) that had been through a fire maybe ten years ago? What is it?! It's driving me crazy not knowing! Please, someone put me out of my misery and identify it for me!
Also spotted in the same place, a Pearly Everlasting (blurry. darn). Oh. . . now I know why it's called that! The residual water droplets shone like little diamonds in between the pearl settings. Wondrous!
