What I did for spring break!

No Palm Springs or Cabo for me. Just a lot of preparing for my new Applied Econometrics course. Plus a hike up North Chalone Peak in Pinnacles National Park (not the best hike in the park by any means, but featuring condors, clematis, and commanding views); and a visit to the UC-Santa Cruz Arboretum, a very special place. If I weren't a committed California native plant gardener, I'd surely find myself collecting proteas and banksias.

Pinnacles, again

No condors this time, but a spectacular wildflower display, the emphasis on shades of blue and purple: abundant larkspur, shooting stars, and fiesta flowers. The unseasonably warm weather brought out a couple of snakes: a lazy king snake on the road coming in (photo courtesy AF), and a beautiful gopher snake near the Balconies Cave entrance.

Oh, did I forget to mention lichens?