San Antonio Creek 2

I walked the San Antonio Creek trail again today.

The Trail

A Felled Oak

I couldn't help snapping a few more wildflowers. There were more than when I walked here six weeks ago!

Thistle

Rose

DYF

These delicate yellow flowers

come from this tree:


I don't know what these pretty orange and yellow ones are. I posted a photo before, but this is a better one. I can't find my darn wildflower identification book! I think these are sooo pretty!

A kind of Indian Paintbrush?

The California Sagebrush was blooming. I can hear BobBIE sneezing from here!

California Sagebrush

Here is a visit to a favorite boulder, a piece of Sespe formation. I found this rock at the top of the trail by Highway 154; it was dumped there after it was cut for road construction.



The rock is red because it was above sea-level when it was formed (oxidation was able to happen). The sediment formations of this area are mostly marine sediments. The Sespe layer is the only one that is not. For a short period about 25 million years ago, the coastline was above sea-level. This event was right about the same time that the North American plate overtook the Pacific plate. Think: speed bump!

You can see the story of the ancient water way. Here, the water was calmer and smaller grains of sediment settled.



Here, there was a period of swifter water flow, and bigger clasts are easily seen.



On top of that layer, a later calm period is evident.



I think rocks are cool!

The San Antonio Creek waters are starting to wane. Here you can seem some feathery algae.


I think it looks like the long green hair of some lost Maiden of the Creek. Hmmm....there's a story in there somewhere. Perhaps her name should be Ophelia? or Clementine?

Also in the creek you can spot some little polliwogs. I'm not sure what species of frogs they are, but they sure do make a racket on summer evenings!

Friendly Neighborhood Polliwogs (click for bigger pic)

Can you believe this area burned in the June, 1990 Painted Cave Fire? 18 years later, you wouldn't know it had burned.

View from Highway 154