I admit: I may be just a little obsessed with this year’s Superbloom. It has been an exceptional year for wildflowers, and the last couple of months have brought a celebration of them. Temporary and dynamic, they represent life. Like life, it goes by quicker than you realize, and some seasons are better than others. This Spring 2019 just so happens to be one of the best Superblooms I’ve seen in my life.
While places like Carrizo Plain and Antelope Valley get a lot of attention these days, and rightfully so, you don’t have to travel far to see wildflowers in action. The green, undulating hills of California make the perfect landscape for the Spring bloom. One of the best places on the Central Coast to see them is Toro Park near Salinas and Monterey.
Its steep, grassy hills were uplifted along the San Andreas Fault system over the last few million years, raising sandstone and small outcroppings of metamorphic gneiss to the summit at Ollason Peak, elevation 1,800′. Oak trees, shrubs, and chaparral habitat dominate the landscape. I’ve been following the Superbloom at Toro Park this year. My first trip was in late March; I then returned a few times in April. This is my third update for the season, and you can definitely see the difference in landscape over the last two months.
Enjoy the last of the Superbloom; it’s fading out and soon the hills will be golden again. Make the most of their fleeting beauty, whether a slow stroll, a ripping bikeride, or just a nice place to sit. I certainly can’t get enough of it! Here’s a video of mountain biking down Gilson Gap and Meyer’s Loop Trail.
Flow and Grace 