We went walking

SGH, the Doggins, and I went for an Easter Sunday hike in northern SB county.  The hike was the Willow Spring trail which leaves from rte 166 about 1/2 hour east of Santa Maria.

This is definitely a hike about the experience and not the destination.  The turning point, a spring that has been set up with a water pipe and a tub, is not that exciting.  But the climb takes you through some beautiful oak woodland to a high meadow. 

The hike up to the meadow is a steady climb first up a grassy slope to some power lines, and then through a mixed oak area.  The views are partially obscured but we could see vast stretches of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county: northeast toward Caliente ridge, southwest toward Figueroa mountain, and northwest toward Montana de Oro.  It was cool to look across the Cuyama river valley and down into the landscape on the north side of the river.

We saw some pink poppies (not California poppies), shooting stars, indian paintbrush and lots of other wildflowers towards the top.  Definitely needed lots of water and sunscreen, should have brought bug dope.  We flushed a rattlesnake near the start of the trail.  Only saw one other person, the whole afternoon, an intrepid mountain biker.

Blogger is not letting me post a picture for some reason, so you will have to imagine a scruffy terrier inspecting the water tank.