Multi-use Trails Coalition: You Gotta Love Little Pine In April

Monday, April 20, 2009

You Gotta Love Little Pine In April

I had to head up to LP this past Sunday after hearing that a trail crew had come through and fixed the Santa Cruz Trail. I was happy to find that the information was correct and the crib walls as well as other parts of the trail had been recently worked on and are looking great. If I had to guess, it's probably the best condition I have seen the trail for many years. Sure still some overgrowth but totally rideable top to bottom.

The other really good reasons to head to LP are the flowers are blowing up on top and the heat is only gonna get hotter. Buckhorn Rd was in good condition and hard packed most of the way. The gate a Camuesa Rd was still closed, making the road up to Happy Hollow very hard packed and nice. Only 3 other cyclists on the road this day but they turned around before reaching the saddle-maybe cause it was 95 degrees?

As for the flora, as soon as you can see the peak you can tell there is a yellow color up there. Around the back of LP were once charred hills now looking yellow and orange. Some say that fire helps bring out extra large blooms and from what I can remember there are flowers on the hillsides I never saw before the Zaca Fire.

By the time I reached the Happy Hollow turnoff you could smell the scent of flowers blowing over the still blackened hillside. It reminded me of the time I spilled a whole bottle of Febreeze and made my apartment smell really nice. At the summit of LP is a field of fiddlenecks, lupine, and other flowers all in bloom- but starting to brown. This area at the summit burned during the Zaca but is starting to show some signs of life. Further down the Santa Cruz Trail to the mustard meadow, there is no mustard in sight. Actually one of the first times I can remember riding my bike this time of year through the meadow without having to stop. This meadow burned also and is mostly grass now but several patches of lupine and poppies.

All in all a good ride and if you have time in the next week or so get out there before its all gone. Following this ride I spent the afternoon at the Earth Day Festival helping my friends at Bicicentro park all the bikes that people rode to the event. I think something like 500 bikes were parked all day! Good job to Ed France and the rest of the Bici crew for getting it done.

Dave

Little Pine