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As I hike in the Box Springs Mountain Park all the time, I decided to get to know the plants. Some have been easier than others. Poison Oak – Easy. That is one you should learn as a young Boy Scout. As for the others, some are easily looked up. Then there are those that I have searched and cannot find a good answer.
I also decided to create a page of plants for the pictures that I have taken. That will be a work in the future or an ongoing work. As for this blog post, it has several plants from the hike I took this evening.
Datura wrightii or Sacred Datura is the name of a poisonous perennial plant and ornamental flower of southwestern North America. It is sometimes used as a hallucinogen. It is also poisons.
 Datura Wrightii Adenostoma fasciculatum is a flowering plant native to Oregon, Nevada, California, and northern Baja California. It is more commonly know as chamise or greasewood.
 Adenostoma Fasciculatum Cirsium occidentale var. californicum, a dicot, is a perennial herb that is native to California and is endemic (limited) to California. It is more commonly know as Bigelow thistle, California thistle, cobwebby thistle.
 Cirsium Occidentale Eriophyllum confertiflorum, known by the common name Golden yarrow or Yellow yarrow, is a flowering plant in the daisy family
 Eriophyllum Confertiflorum Penstemon spectabilis is a species of penstemon known by the common name showy penstemon. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the coastal mountain ranges.
 Penstemon Spectabilis Calystegia macrostegia, with the common name Island false bindweed, is a species of morning glory. It is also known by the name of island morning glory
 Calystegia Macrostegia As for the hike, it was a good hike. It took a little longer as I was taking pictures. In the end, it seemed to take more time to figure out what some of the plants are as compared to the hike. Go figure.
Today was the Show and Go car show. There were lots of great cars. Jacob and I met Emily and Elizabeth downtown to walk around and look at the cars. The tradition is to walk to the other end of downtown and get lunch at Carl’s and then walk back home.
On our way back we stopped at the Boy Scout area where they were having the Mt. Rubidoux District Pinewood Derby finals. Elizabeth picked up a crown advertising the upcoming Cub Scout Day Camp.
We looked at more cars and I was tempted by ice cream until I saw the price – $7.00. I did not need ice cream that bad. I work to hard to get rid of the extra stuff in my diet.
As for the got to have, we were walking along and Elizabeth came to a stop. She just stood there. She then walked over to some people sitting and watching the cars cruse the street in the Show and Go. She was making a beeline for a dog. She was there for several minuted enamored with the dog. In fact, when the dog licked her face, she stuck out her tongue. That may be a fact saved for a later date. Just wish that picture turned out . . .
We finally got moving again and Elizabeth was not happy about leaving the dog. At least the dog smiled for the picture. There may be a dog in her future.
Today I went for a quick hike up Box Springs with my backpack loaded with about 30 pounds. It was a slow first hour as I was climbing the first two miles. As I was slowly moving uphill I took a couple of pictures of plants that were in bloom.
 Mimulus aurantiacus – Bush Monkey Flower, Island monkeyflower, Sticky monkeyflower  Penstemon spectabilis – Showy penstemon I will need to bring back a different camera and get some closer pictures.
This evening I went on my usual hike up Two Trees trail into Box Springs Mountain Park. What was unusual about this hike was that it was my first attempt to use my backpack and I included 30 pounds in it for good measure. The evening started off warm and the hike was slow. However, as I hiked down the trail back to the truck, I was treated with a nice sunset.
 Sunset from Two Trees Trail – Box Springs Mountain Park
I had the opportunity to spent the evening with my granddaughter Elizabeth tonight. I have been out hiking the last two evenings, so why not a third evening. Mom dropped Elizabeth off and we got packed up. We had jackets, water, snacks, a first aid kit and a flashlight just in case we went on a long adventure. As Elizabeth was in shorts, the first aid kit had the possibly needed band-aid for a scraped knee.
We hiked northwest towards the river bottom bike trail. Once on the trail we we headed west. Elizabeth was quick to point out he dogs and birds along the way. We even touched the leaves of a few things like a tamarisk tree and wild grape. We soon were padding Carlson Dog Park. Elizabeth always gets excited seeing all the dogs. A large yellow Labrador retriever came to the fence where we were and rolled over on his back and stated moving around in the grass on his back. Elizabeth got a kick out of the dog scratching its back.
We slowly climbed our way to the top. Once on top, it was time for a snack and some water. Elizabeth has got the idea that going for a walk with grandpa is fun because it is more like a ride. After a long ride up a hill, a girl has to get a drink.
After snacks and water it time to climb and explore. It was a little difficult in flat bottomed shoes to climb rocks. Especially with a little decomposed granite rolling around. However, Elizabeth tried her best to go everywhere.
Soon enough she was tired of her shoes. She wanted them off. I checked the surrounding are and there was nothing but rocks or decomposed granite. She loved running her feet through the decomposed granite. She also liked the traction she got with her bare feet.
The wind was blowing and it was getting a little cool so she asked for her jacket. We spent a little more time and then started our way down. I let Elizabeth walk for about a third of a mile which took 20 minutes. With her on my back I was going uphill and covering more than a mile in less than 20 minutes. I would have to say that she is easily distracted. I also used the first aid kit to firmly attach her shoes as she was inclined to take them off.
It was a fun hike. We covered about about six and a quarter miles. We saw lots of dogs and a few birds. Both Elizabeth and I had a great time.
Flora and Fauna is just a different way of spelling “plants and animals” with less letters. As for today’s activities, it was another hike in the Box Springs Mountain Park. A couple of things caught my eye this evening. The first was the colors the seemed to be popping in one area. The pinks of the larger blooms along side the reds and yellows of the smaller blooms. One day I will research what the plants are.
A little further down the trail I found what looks like a freeway daisy. Years ago, they planted daises all along the freeways in Southern California, hence the name Freeway Daisy. Why there is one in the side of a mountain miles from a freeway, I will probably never know.
Of course, I have seen things that I would consider a little crazier. I have walked past this hole in the road several times. It is on a dirt road past a gate and gets very little traffic. It also is apparent that someone lives in the hole as the dirt is generally cleared in the opening of the hole. It is also a hole about 6 inches or more in diameter. If you click on the picture you can see the footprints to compare to the hole size.
So the indication would be that there may be some fauna in that hole. The real question is, is it fuzzy like a ground squirrel or not fuzzy like a snake?
Today on the trail there was one Snakes and many Lizards. The hike was a felt little warmer than usual due to higher humidity. My pace was about the same as in the past. No new records. Just a few pictures of Snakes and Lizards.
This one is a garter snake. Probably the Mountain Garter Snake
As for the lizard, it looks like a Granite Spiny Lizard
Both nicer than a rattle snake . . .
For about 5 years I have worn the Asolo Power Matic 250’s. I love the boot and I have put on about 400 miles on them. The soles are showing wear. Additionally, my toes are starting to touch the boot on downhill descents. I hear your feet grow a little when you get old. They also seem to get wider along with other parts of the body.
The solution was to purchased some new boots. I chose the Asolo Power Matic 200’s. The form factor of the boot is almost identical. The lacing system is the same as well as the sole. They are just a size larger than my last boots. The thought of a bigger boot scared me a little. I thought i would float in them.
When I purchased the boot, I went to a couple REI stores and they did not have size 13 to try on in the boot I wanted. I checked on line and could not find a size 13 either. I called REI and they did a search. There was one pair in the Columbus Ohio store. I called and purchased the pair in Columbus and had them shipped.
I started by wearing them around the house in the evening. They seemed to work fine. Then on a short walk around the block and everything was good. The next step was to wear them to work all day. I survived that step without any problems. I wore them to work a couple of more times. It was then on to a couple of longer walks around the neighborhood. All of this was on fairly flat ground.
Tonight, it was a field test going 4.2 miles with a 1,600 foot elevation gain. As for the hike, it was good. The trip up the trail was the same as any trip uphill. Slower than I would like. I did take time to notice some new things. As we had a lot of rain a couple of times a few months ago, the was a lot of movement in the soil on the trail. I happened on to a shell in the gravel. Was it a transplant or was this part of some shoreline of an ancient sea? Who knows.
My hike continued up the trail and I noticed something that I had never taken a good look at. What I thought was white sage had yellow flowers. Pictures of white sage do not have yellow flowers. So the question is, what is it? I will have to do more research.
As for the hike, it went well. Up hill had no problems and the downhill had no slippage towards the toe. The boots worked great. My time for the 4.2 mile loop was 3 minutes faster than last time. Not an earth shattering change, just nice to think I am getting faster.
It was blazing hot when I started and I made it down before the sunset. I will have to do this again soon.
It was a little cool this morning and very cloudy. With as warm as it has been, it was nice to have a change. It would be a good hiking day so I headed to Box Springs Mountain Park. I made it up to the spot where I took pictures of the sunset a couple of days ago. Thee grey sky was nothing like the vibrant sky of the sunset.
One thing I was noticing today was an abundance of black fuzzy caterpillars. They were climbing to the top of flowers or anything that they could find. I thought it would make them a target for birds. I did a little research and I believe they are the arachnis picta caterpillar for the Painted Tiger moth.
I was moving at a record pace for my hike I wanted to beat my last time of almost two hours and thirty two minutes for the 6.64 mile hike. I then came to someone sunning themselves in the middle of the trail. I quietly and slowly moved around him while taking pictures. You can click on the picture if you want the snake to get bigger.
I got the the other side and shot a little video. I then went to put my phone back in my pocket and my hiking poles struck each other making noise. The noise got the snakes hackles up. Then again, I do not think snakes have hackles much less armpits. Nonetheless, the snake was alarmed and took a defensive position. Some may say that it was an offensive position. However, I just think he wanted to be left alone.
As for my hike, I was just under two minutes longer than the week before. That is 6.64 miles in 1 hour and almost 34 minutes. I guess next time I will have to pick up the pace to allow me a little time to take pictures of the Fuzzy and not so Fuzzy.
It was another warm night. Elizabeth’s mom had a final to take on line so I offered to take Elizabeth for a walk. When she saw the backpack, she started saying “walk, walk, walk” excitedly. She may not understand that she is really not going for a walk. Grandpa is going for the walk.
We made our way towards Mt. Rubidoux. Tonight was going to be a shorter walk, so we went up the Buena Vista trail on the north east side. Then we went on the road up towards the top in time for the sunset.
We went to area with the flag pole as the area with the cross because of the number of people that congregate there in the evenings. The breeze felt great. The sunset was even better.
We then began the trek home. I was already well on my way down the up-road when I realized that i went the wrong way to make it a short trip. It ended up being a 5 mile trek with an actual walking time of 1.5 hours. One thing is for sure, the weight of a grandchild seems like more as the day goes no.
As anticipated, it was in the 90’s today, 92 to be exact. I wanted to go hiking, but it is was hot outside. I decided to wait until about an hour before sunset knowing it would be a little dark on the way back down the trail.
One of the first things I noticed is that the plants were a little dryer. Additionally, I saw a lot more reptile life. One snake and countless lizards as the day was coming to an end. The spring was fairy dry, or should I say, just damp mud.
As I hit almost two miles, I stopped to admire the sunset. It was nice as the air was cooling and there was a light breeze.
As for the trip down, it got a little dark. I used my red headlamp and could see the trail fairly well. I also could see my shadow on the trail the moon is a 64% waxing gibbous. My greatest fear was happening upon a rattlesnake. It was about this time in the evening that I happened upon a rattlesnake. I did not see him, I just heard him and slowly backed away. I got within about 2 feet of a 4 foot snake. I am glad he alerted me with a rattle rather than a bite. On this trip it was only the cottontail bunnies that would zip over the trail or on the side of the trail making a little noise to catch my attention.
As for the hike, it was 4.25 miles in one hour and 43 minutes. Soon I will need to increase the weight of my back to increase the workout and build greater strength.
Today was cool and cloudy. A perfect day for a hike in the Box Springs Mountains. It was in the high 70’s today. Now on Tuesday the forecast is for 93 degrees. Some people are getting tired of the cooler weather. however, I am not really into days in the 90’s in April.
Off through the clouds is Mt. San Gorgonio. There is snow above 8,000 feet and it tops out at 11,503 feet. I may need to start moving my Saturday morning hikes to a cooler climate soon.
As for today’s hike, it was 6.64 miles in 2 hours and 32 minutes. I made good time. However, as for the mileage, the old guy who got to the parking lot before me did 13 miles running. For his last mile he was not moving much faster than me walking fast. Then again, he was moving a lot faster than I would have been after 12 miles. I am training for Philmont and a climb to the top of Mt. Phillips – 11,742 feet. He is training for Mount Kilimanjaro – 19,341 feet. Perhaps there is a reason that he is training a little harder.
It was another nice evening so I went for a walk and Elizabeth got to ride. I thought about the typical 2.2 mile loop that I do. However, it was just to nice of an evening to not go further. We decided to drop down to the bike path and march on. Last time we did that we saw some fire trucks as there was a small fire in the river
 bottom.
We soon made it to the other side of Mission Boulevard and walked past Carlson Dog Park. Elizabeth likes to watch the dogs as we pass by. We have been working on saying dog rather than wow-wow. Of course wow-wow is cuter, but she also calls horses wow-wows. From the west end of the dog park we eyed our objective.
Last time we hiked this way, we went across the trail on the north side and did not go up to the top. It seemed a little more difficult going up. I took the trail up several days ago without a passenger and it was easier. Go figure.
Once we reached the top by the flag pole we took a couple of pictures.
We then made our way off the east side on the 9th street trail and back downtown. As we walked in front of the Fox Theater, a youthful type said, “Hey, you got something on your back.” I replied, “I do?” I looked and stated, “Oh, this is going to cost me some money.” The group of young men looked at me with a slight blank stare. I then stated, “She is going to be a teenager some day” and walked off. As for now, she is just taking me for a ride . . .
As for the walk, it was 4.71 miles in one hour and 29 minutes with a whole 600 feet of elevation gain. That is 3.2 mph, which is good for carrying 20 plus pounds. On the other hand Elizabeth is lighter than a 40 pound pack. I hope by the time she is 40 pounds she is walking as fast as me and not on my back.
It was rather hot here today. The one time I checked the temperature it was 89 degrees and it is only the middle of March. The weather reports show late snowfall in the east. Frankly I would take a little snowfall here, or at least int he mountains with rain in the valleys. We need the moisture.
When it cooled off enough I grabbed Elizabeth and put her in the baby backpack and we were off. Just as we rounded the turn in the road overlooking the Santa Ana River, which is usually only a five to 6 foot wide stream, we caught the sunset. It was nice to see the glowing orange sky along with the cool breeze coming out of the west.
We like walking and looking for animals. Dogs are her favorite. She also like the birds. We have a place in the backyard that has water for the birds. They will land to get a drink and Elizabeth will try to sneak up on them. She will walk away and in a few minutes there will be another bird to sneak up on.
It is all part of learning and growing. As we walk I sing the ABC song and count. One of her favorites is when I count with the number that flash to tell you that you need to hurry as they count down at a crosswalk.
All the fun is just part of an evening walk.
I make a trip to the nursery a couple times a month for plants and supplies in the spring. On occasion when I check out I ask for a “bat guano infested bag of soil amendment”. Most of the time they respond, you want “Bumper Crop” to which I reply yes.
Who would have thought I would be mixing bat guano in with the garden soil. Then again, I built a bat house almost 20 years ago and have never had a bat come and stay for a night. If I had a bat house full of bats, I would have a ready made supply of bat guano. I am sure Elizabeth would rather ride in a wheel barrow with a bag of bat guano infested bag of soil amendment as opposed to a wheel barrow of bat guano.
Today the Garden Queen and I planted a basil and a red bell pepper plant. We also planted a row of beets and a row of carrots. We will wait a month on plant the other two rows.
As for why I call her the Garden Queen, she is a lot cuter than a gnome. We also have a lot of fun playing in the dirt.
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