How about a Spring Time WTW Rally - Carrizo Plain ?

[billharr]

Just throwing this out there for discussion. Missed not having a fall rally, Meadow Lake was fun last year.

From the BLM Carrizo Plain web site:
"Mid March to mid April is the usual time frame for wildflower season on Carrizo, but it is dependent on many factors, including temperature, rainfall and the timing of the two that determine which flowers bloom and their distribution in any given season. Every year is not spectacular and only a few flowers may prevail in some years.
Another source of information about wildflower blooms is The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants. They post information about flowers blooms on their website: http://www.theodorepayne.org. "


I have never been to Carrizo Plain so I do not know if the area will work for a rally. I do plan on going some time in the first half of April. Easter is early this year so April might work for more people. The last couple of years have been a bust for flowers do to the drought. They have got some rain this year so should be better.


I know several WTW site members have gone and would like their opinions.


I will post updates with dates below.
UPDATES-
12-9-15
Date picked April 9 and 10, 2016

1-20-16
Went through post and made a list of going and maybes.
Please PM me to add your name, number going or any updates.

Going .................................................... Total in party
Tuff Guy 62 3

billharr 2

craig333 ?

Bseek 1

Basin Deranged 2

camelracer ?

K6ON (2 rigs) 3

Missing Link 2

marc 1

RandyP 2

srileo 3

Vintage62 2

wc6glenn ?


FishBamboo 1





Total Rigs 15 People 25 ? counted as 1





Maybe ...................................................... Total in party

wuck 2

MotoDave

random4983

 

[Lighthawk]

Great idea, Bill! We haven't been either, but it's on our bucket list.
Springtime is going to be busy with a potential DV Super Bloom and other plans, we're a 'maybe'.
Thanks for the link for flower reports.

 

[hoyden]

Only about 9 hours from me! Okay loooong weekend!

 

[longhorn1]

I'm jealous. Indiana is just to far away. Maybe when I retire and we can all have a party out there.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Wander The West mobile app

 

[Cayuse]

That could be fun. I have a tentative departure date of march 18th and need to be at Red Rock for a climbing event on the 29th so I'm just now starting to look at trip possibilities. Yosemite and DV are in the mix so this could work but Grand Gulch and some desert towers are in the mix as well, probably will depend on the weather as the time draws near.

 

[Tuff Guy 62]

Count me in, I know the area well. I've lead several geology field trips to the Carrizo over the past 25 years.

It's usually deserted with the exception of a good wild flower bloom, then it can be a bit overrun.

Only two designated camp sites (KCL & Selby) dispersed "car camping" is permitted in designated areas but is limited to 20 people.Groups over 20 require special permits.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/Carrizo_Plain_NM/recreation/camping.html

Touring has become a bit more of a pain since it's National Monument status. For example, the last time (2011) I ran a Boy Scout troop on the Plain working on their geology merit badge Painted Rock was a self guided tour. Not any more....
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/Carrizo_Plain_NM/tours.html

I do have some "local" contacts for dispersed camping on private ranch land on the plain or in Parkfield just to the north.

 

[craig333]

That'd be a fun one to scratch off the bucket list. Work should be relatively slow then. Looks like about a six hour drive for me. Count me as a "highly likely".

 

[Bseek]

Great, I was planning on hitting it if it was a good bloom year. This way I will go either way. So count me in.

 

[Basin Deranged]

Sounds great to me! It would be nice to meet some of you folks face to face.
Sign me up for Tuff Guy's geology class.

 

[Lighthawk]

Sign me up for Tuff Guy's geology class.

x2

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Not a bad idea. Like Tuff guy only a few hours away. Might
Throw in the Pinnacles and the coast. I'm sure by spring a
Trip will be needed.
Frank

 

[allanb]

Would be fun to see again after 12 or 15 yrs? Was thinking of heading to Az. to see the spring bloom in the same time frame.
Only 15 hrs away. Would be great to meet some of y'all, and will sure have a lot of questions on the northsatars maiden voyage!
Count me as highly likely.

 

[Foy]

At 3,000 miles distant and right during the middle of my busy season, I won't be spending an April weekend anywhere in California anytime soon. I heartily recommend Carrizo Plain NM as a place to visit, based on the one drive-through I enjoyed so much in 2007. I spent about 2 hours at the Wallace Creek site and could have spent much more. The San Andreas fault and the erosional/depositional features related to it are classic textbook pictures--in fact my structural geology textbook, published in the late 1960s, includes aerial photographs of the Wallace Creek offset and nearby features.

By all means go, and take Tuff Guy's geology tour.

Foy

 

[mitch h]

To far for me too that time of year. I guess we will meet up with Longhorn in April somewhere west of Indy and watch the dandelions grow.

 

[billharr]

Looks like we have enough interest to make this work. Need to pick a date to start planing, I am going to throw out Apr 9th and 10th. I will probably drive down Thursday of Friday. Everyones calendar fills so fast these days. Weather will be a roll of the dice until at least the month before. Some time in January after we get an idea of how many are gong we might need to get a permit. I can do the leg work on that if need be. Tuff Guy 62 will have a full class. I would like to have a pot luck on Saturday night other than that open to ideas...

 

[hoyden]

April 9th and 10th works for me

 

[Basin Deranged]

It's on my calendar!

 

[Tuff Guy 62]

Looks like we have enough interest to make this work. Need to pick a date to start planing, I am going to throw out Apr 9th and 10th. I will probably drive down Thursday of Friday. Everyones calendar fills so fast these days. Weather will be a roll of the dice until at least the month before. Some time in January after we get an idea of how many are gong we might need to get a permit. I can do the leg work on that if need be. Tuff Guy 62 will have a full class. I would like to have a pot luck on Saturday night other than that open to ideas...

Bill, I'll send you a PM to coordinate.

 

[craig333]

I think i can make that work.

 

[clikrf8]

Just saw this. We attended the Fall 2014 rally and met some super folks. Too close to LA for us. We like to stay away from large metropolitan vicinities. Maybe fall 2016? April plans are GSENM and vicinity-really explore this area as the two times previously we just drove several trails. Have fun!