Photo Essay: The Wildflowers of Anza-Borrego

The only other time I visited Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, it was the end of summer, officially still the off-season, and about as deserted as a desert can be. Its brown, dusty flats showed no stark contrast against the brown, rocky mountains. We saw a few red ocotillos hanging onto their color, but otherwise, we drove through its monochromatic palette and focused instead on brilliantly-colored sunrises.

Since then, I kept reading about how colorful California's largest state park is in the spring, when wildflowers sprout along the road and up the trails if the winter rains have been plentiful enough.

This was my only free weekend to check them out.

Along with legions of Japanese tourists, Californian hikers, and pint-sized day campers.



















It was quite a turnaround from my last visit, but it was nice to see so many other people enjoying the place I love so much. Hopefully that means it'll stay open for a while, unlike some of California's other state parks...

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