In fact, it was probably the best weekend for us to go, since the following weekend (Easter weekend) the weather turned cold and rainy and even dropped a little snow on the higher peaks in Los Padres.
After a trip to the Soda Lake overlook to see a profusion of the hillside daisy,
we backtracked to the 58 and then over to the 41/46 to Shell Creek Road, which had been posted online in several places as a great spot for wildflower viewing. Along the way, we found a few additional opportunities to pull off the road and appreciate more spring blooms, including a field of shooting stars
and a field with coreopsis and bison.
Once we reached Shell Creek Road from the 46, we didn't have to go far before we saw the results of the postings: the sides of the road were filled with cars and the fields, including some private property, were being mobbed by people tramping down flowers. We carefully but quickly bypassed the crowded areas until we reached a part of the road with no people and fewer flowers but plenty of cows and vineyards. Here we also saw towering hillsides with exposed rock and soil, which added additional colors to the palette of oranges and yellows of the far away fiddlenecks and coreopsis.
Then, just a little further down and across from the vineyards, we found what was probably the most colorful hillside yet, one that reminded me of an easter egg. Here we saw many of the same wildflowers as before, with the addition of the purple bird's eye gilia, which had been absent in the plain.
We continued on Shell Creek Road until we reached a fork, then continued along some smaller countryside road that wound through a narrow canyon and past some small farms and houses. We stopped briefly to admire some horses who looked lovely against a background of bright yellow goldfields.
We continued as long as the road did, then finally had to make a U-turn and head back. Along the way , we spotted a roadrunner, a fairly uncommon bird and managed to grab a couple of shots from the car before he ran off with a group of quail.
After that, we reconnected with the 46 and found the turnoff to Bitterwater Creek road, which was purported to have additional wildflower displays. Although it was a peaceful and scenic drive, we didn't find anything really other than fields of fiddlenecks and mustard so we didn't stop until we reached a turn where a collapsed store was settling into the ground.
We continued until we connected back with 46, through Lost Hills.
We made a stop at Blackwell's Corner to pay tribute to James Dean and get some gas, then headed back to Lancaster for the evening.
