March 24, 2011
March is certainly the time to visit the desert and spot the beautiful flowers that bloom in the spring.
We were not disappointed, and the day proved to be perfect as the weather was sunny around 70 degrees.
Three of us, M.J., Enza, and Carol left from Temecula around 9:30 and met Carrie and Karen who left
from Poway area to meet up with us around 11:00. We connected at the visitor center in the park.
We started out on the Hellhole Canyon Trail which is about 6 miles round trip. We hiked until around 12:45 or so
and then returned around 2:30. It is a moderately difficult trail with slight incline upward, but we were all up to it.
Close to the end of the trail, we reached an area of boulders with some running water forming "mini- waterfalls".
Karen, M.J. and Carrie stopped at this point as the rocks were pretty daunting. We ate some fruits and nuts and
waited for Enza and Carol to explore just a little further beyond the boulders. They trekked out a bit more,
pretty much the same with more boulders and running streams.
Awesome views of the desert flowers along the trail. Karen took some great pics with her camera.
There were a variety of plants and flowers to see; an abundance of ocotillo plants were tall and very much in bloom along
with a large variety of cactii. We also got to see a huge jackrabbit running through the desert floor. On the way to and
from the desert a carpet of yellow and purple flowers could be seen from the car window. It sure feels like spring is here!
Great day! Karen and Carrie headed back to San Diego and M.J., Carol and Enza headed toward Temecula.
We Temeculans finished the day with happy hour at Harry's in Temecula.
