Hope Spring's Eternal

I went out on a mountain bike ride today; down the old North Shore Trail. Before the fires of 2003 and 2007, and the floods of 2003, the trail use to be one of those amazing places that was almost right out the back door.

There were bracken ferns and wild tea rose lining the trails. In the lower portion, Bear Creek meandered along through a lush canyon filled with wild iris and tiger lily. At the bottom, as the canyon opened up, there were tangles of blackberry bushes hidden amongst the grasses. I remember when my wife first learned she had skin cancer. I went on that trail to clear my head and ended up getting dehydrated because I dumped both of my water bottles in order to fill them with plump berries for Tami; Probably 2 pounds worth!

But today, it's gone.... The loggers have come through and clear cut all of the scorched trees for lumber. But, they have left the slash to divert water and runoff paths and destroy the trail. Now, it's just a brown monoscape with an occasional cat's claw bush to add a bit of washed out green to the view. Sad.....

Flash forward a couple of hours. I found myself walking with Tami through another burn area; this time over in Running Springs. We were enjoying the daffodil gardens, which has been devastated twice in the last 5 years by fire (in 03' it destroyed the owner's home).

Despite the fires, the gardens were cleared and ready to welcome visitors. For tourists, it's a chance to see a quaint local landmark. For us locals, it's a chance to see color instead of the dead browns, blacks, and tans we've become accustomed to.

So, here's the photo of the day. Tulips against a blue mountain sky taken in Running Springs.