{"id":1697,"date":"2019-04-13T15:27:59","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T22:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marvista.com\/Yukiko\/?p=1697"},"modified":"2019-06-12T22:20:15","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T05:20:15","slug":"1697","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marvista.com\/Yukiko\/en\/archives\/1697","title":{"rendered":"Drive to a California State Park to feel the spring season!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
<\/a>1+<\/span>\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n\t

\uff24rive to a California State Park for one day trip\u00a0<\/span> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We had more rain than usual this spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Finally, warm and fine weather came back to Los Angeles!<\/span><\/p>\n

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We went to a one day trip to see bright orange poppy flowers which start to bloom this time of year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We went there in the middle of the month of March.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The flowers have just started to bloom so they were not fully blossemed yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The location where we could see the poppy flowers is Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

in the\u00a0Mojave Desert<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
The entrance of Poppy Reserve.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Just one and a half hours, about sixty-eight miles from Los Angeles city by car.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The map is as below<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Map<\/p>\n

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Actually, the Poppy was designated as the California official state flower in 1903.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I did not know this fact.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Many years before, we could see poppies were everywhere in California.<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, the poppy numbers are decreasing year by year and now only can be seen in this <\/span><\/p>\n

Antelope Valley and a few other places.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is because the Poppy was negatively influenced by land development and by lack of rainfall.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Poppies with bright orange petals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This state park protects poppy flowers by keeping them natural and undisturbed by humans.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Also, there are many trails in the park so we can enjoy hiking as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
There are many trails among the hills.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Great landscape, view from the hill covered with poppy flowers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The beginning of Poppy Reserve\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This area was designated as a Poppy Reserve in 1976.<\/span><\/p>\n

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One woman was dedicated to protecting Poppy named\u00a0Jane Seymour Pinheiro.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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She moved to Antelope Valley in 1940 with her husband.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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She became intrigued with desert plants, and she began to sketch and make paintings of them<\/span><\/p>\n

as a self-taught artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Her watercolor renditions are so botanically correct that they are used for identification purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
One of Jane’s paintings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Later she was to become an authority on local desert plants.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So the Jane Seymore Pinheiro Interpretive Center is named in honor of her.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
This building is Jane Seymour Pinheiro Interpretive Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
The volunteer members explained about Poppy’s specific information.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Poppy is a very sensitive flower<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, did you know that these bright orange Poppies are significantly influenced by weather and <\/span><\/p>\n

they are a very sensitive flower?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Poppies need a rainstorm that deposits at least 1\/2 to 3\/4 inches of rain before any significant number <\/span><\/p>\n

of seeds will germinate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Maximum poppy germination occurs following storms that deposit 1 1\/2 to 2 inches of rain.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Any more than two inches in one storm and poppy seed germination decreases.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Also, the number of rainfalls in the winter season is important.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Covered with Poppies inside the park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Reserve has had outstanding poppy displays with as little as seven inches of total rainfall, <\/span><\/p>\n

but with that small amount, the timing and strength of the individual storms are particularly important.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Over last twenty years, the Reserve’s annual rainfall has averaged about twelve inches per year, ranging<\/span><\/p>\n

from a low of three inches to a high of twenty-six inches.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The best season to start germinating in late October or early November.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
These are buds of poppy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Earlier than this, there is a risk that the germinated plants will die in the still-high autumn temperatures <\/span><\/p>\n

or the delay before the next rainstorm may be too long.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If storms start too much later than this, the soil has cooled and the young plants have shallower root<\/span><\/p>\n

systems that are at higher risk from freezes or early spring hot spells.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rainstorms in late February and March and even April are necessary to allow the plants to continue<\/span><\/p>\n

to grow throughout the flowering season.<\/span><\/p>\n

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For maximum peak color, it is better to have had a single storm with the optimum rainfall, rather than<\/span><\/p>\n

a series of moderate storms spread throughout the winter months.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now I know how important is each rainstorm and the number of rainfalls for Poppies.<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, nowadays the weather is extremely variable so I hope that poppies can survive in such <\/span><\/p>\n

a climate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the first half of the blooming season, when the soil is more moist, the orange dot is large enough to<\/span><\/p>\n

completely cover the petals, creating the orange blossoms associated with the California poppy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Later in the season, when the soil is drier, orange dot and the yellow starts to show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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At the end of the flowering season, the petals are almost all yellow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
When we went to the Reserve, poppies had not fully bloomed yet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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As a sensitive flower, Poppies bloom in a different area and the numbers of flowers change every year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So if you want to see poppies, check the timing on the website in advance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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About\u00a0Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2193\u3000\u2193\u3000\u2193<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.parks.ca.gov\/?page_id=627<\/a><\/p>\n

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Warning points in Poppy Reserve<\/strong><\/span>\u3000<\/p>\n

There are some warning signs in the Poppy Reserve.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
There are some warning on the boards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Do NOT pick the wildflowers!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Everything is protected, from the tiniest wildflower to the rocks on the trail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Damaging or collecting anything from the park is prohibited.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Poppies wilt immediately after being picked, and they hold the seeds that poppies need for the <\/span><\/p>\n

next year’s wildflower.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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I saw some tourists were taking photos while they were sitting on the poppy flowers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Volunteer members told them not to sit on the flowers, but they ignored the instructions!<\/span><\/p>\n

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After they left that place, the poppy flowers wilted.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stay on the official trails only!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Taking a picture, while standing off the trail, will crush all the plants along the way and<\/span><\/p>\n

compact the soil, leaving lifeless bare dirt for the next few years or longer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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We saw a family walking in the plants’ area.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Volunteer members shouted to back to the trail, but the intruders ignored the warnings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I felt bad about these kinds of rude people.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Do not bring dogs!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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No foods inside the Reserve other than water!\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Warning for Rattlesnakes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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And I recommend visiting the park in the early morning<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
Long line of cars going to the parking lot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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We got there around 10 AM.<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, already the parking lot was already almost full.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So we parked on the road, outside of the park then walked to the park.<\/span><\/p>\n

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When we got back to our car, even though the roadside was busy and almost packed with many cars!<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
When we back to our car, the road was so busy with many cars\uff01<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Also, the road is a “no parking” area according to posted signs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We were lucky because some cars were getting a parking ticket by police.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So these are the reasons why I recommend to visit there in the early morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Information about Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\uff08You can search the exact time for the season of poppies.)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2193\u3000\u2193\u3000\u2193<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.parks.ca.gov\/?page_id=627<\/a><\/p>\n

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The famous big rock formation ” Vasquez Rocks”<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, after we visited Poppy Reserve then we drove to the famous rock formation called<\/span><\/p>\n

” Vasquez Rocks”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
The entrance of Vasquez Rocks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Why these rocks are famous?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Because these rocks are used in many films, TV dramas, and commercials.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Star Trek, Austin Powers and The Bionic Woman are familiar to Japanese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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These had episodes filmed here.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This place is in about 50 minutes by car form Poppy Reserve.<\/span><\/p>\n

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