Yesterday we drove out to Anza-Borrego State Park to see the desert wildflowers in bloom. With as much rain we've had this season, reports indicate a great display.

We left early, got out there in the late morning and saw hillside after hillside coated with yellow flowers like the one shown below. From a distance all the hillsides sported a yellow sheen, so the reports of there being many flowers were true, but the lack of variety disappointed us.

And while we knew we could not take the dogs on trails, we did not realize that the washes and dirt roads we could take them would be so dull and lacking in flowers. A few popped up here and there, but compared to 1997, there wasn't much to see. Probably this is a result of bad timing on our part.

Anyway, we settled for an ice cream cone back here after our 400-mile round-trip drive there and back. Next time we'll pay closer attention to what's actually blooming before we just head out to see the flowers.



Large numbers of these yellow flowers covered the desert hillsides profusely!




A splash of contrasting color found in a wash.




Close-up of a cactus flower.





A different kind of cactus flower.