We went on our favorite hike yesterday, the Windy Point trail in the canyon of the North Fork of the American River, just below Cape Horn on the Transcontinental Railroad. Usually, this area is spectacular in early April, but I guess we didn't get enough rain this year. The poison oak is lush, healthiest I've ever seen - but the flowers are unremarkable. Last weekend, we went hiking in the wooded ravine next to our home, and saw over twenty varieties of wildflowers in blossom. Here's our list: brodeia, scarlet pimpernel, buck brush, wild cucumber, wild mustard, buttercup, dogwood, larkspur, blue-eyed grass, ceanothus, Sierra Nevada pea, star tulip, Hartweg's Iris, baby blue eyes, fivespot, ginger, popcorn flower, trillium, fawn lily, manzanita, mock orange, mountain misery, miner's lettuce, hound's tongue, pine violet, poppies, vetch, dandelion, lupine. We also saw a new sign posted on one of the trails next door:

DANGER! Mountain lions have been sighted on this property!

Well, I haven't encountered any yet - and I hope I don't. The flowers sure are pretty, though.
-Joe Offer, Colfax, California-