Sunday, May 6. You have been warned! _

The first part of the trail didn't burn. This looks much like it did in 2012, save six more years of growth on the trees and shrubs. _

The MIRA (Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy ) Oliver Observing Station up on the top of Chews Ridge.

The burn begins at the top of the ridge above the trailhead.

Underneath the first burnt shrubs, a field of miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata).

Phacelia douglasii (Douglas' phacelia). Mats of these next. I initially identified this as Nemophila pulchella var. pulchella (Eastwood's baby-blue-eyes) -- and said so in an on-line trail report (!) -- but all those bristles and the leaves clearly don't fit.

Then some open and dry ground.

A very red hillside to the south.

Lupinus bicolor (miniature lupine) with popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys or Cryptantha sp.) and chia (Salvia columbariae).

Add Leptosiphon sp., probably L. parviflorus, (common linanthus). A few popcorn flowers in there too.

Saltugilia splendens (splendid gilia) in the mix too.

Lupinus albifrons var. collinus (silver lupine) was also in the present, but there was much less of this than L. bicolor. The silver lupine is a more mat-forming variety of the familiar silver bush lupine.

Chorizanthe douglasii (Douglas's spineflower). CNPS 4.3 (limited distribution).

And then just grassy hillside for a while.

That's the Church Ranch Road down there. On Friday I'll come out past the wind caves area (left), then intercept the road on the back side of the big bend that's in view.

More Lupinus bicolor. Lots more.

Views down Church Creek.

The Church Creek Divide is ahead. (The top of the saddle is toward the right and the trail junction there is, I think, a bit hidden by the hillside in front.)

I took a careful detour around this guy, who needed only to shake his tail to get my attention. The rattle is at the very lower left.

Ceanothus papillosus (warty-leaved Ceanothus) in a patch of chaparral. Lupines weren't the only blue up here. _