Los Padres Nat'l Forest - Figueroa Mountain

[billie_morini]

All three of us in the Morini family made a mid-week trip to see wildflowers on Figueroa Mountain. This mountain is located within the San Rafael range and within the Los Padres National Forest. The San Rafael range is one of the few Transverse Ranges in North America. The range trends East-West instead of North-South. There is a ring road entirely around Figueroa Mountain and, of you travel it clockwise, you finish on Happy Valley Canyon Road.

Before getting too far into the trip, Roxy Ridgeback wanted to make a tourist snapshot at an internationally known location. Here she is posing at the gate at Neverland Ranch.

[billie_morini]

This is nearby Grass Mountain. It has the largest superbloom wildflower fields on it in 10 years.

[billie_morini]

Here's some of the wildflowers and other natural views we captured with our camera.

[billie_morini]

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Now for some views that do not include wildflowers.

[billie_morini]

This is the nearby Nojoqui Falls. The falls flow only seasonally, so it is a treat to see them. This year's flow is tremendous due to the significant precipitation received this Winter.

"Nojoqui" is a Chumash Indian word. It is pronounced "NAH-ho-wee." This word is interpreted as "meadow."

There is a unique characteristic about these falls. Most waterfalls gradually erode upstream and cut backward into the incline. The Nojoqui Falls do the opposite. They've built themselves outward from the cliff. Calcium and magnesium carbonate from rocks above the falls continually dissolve in the stream water, then are deposited as this water evaporates from the rock around the falls. The resulting limestone rock is called travertine. Look closely for grooves in the main travertine deposit and a gently curved notch at the base of the falls formed where the rock has dissolved once again into the flowing stream.

[billie_morini]

Forgot to share: Falls are a little more than 100 feet (30 meters) tall. The rock is the Jalama Formation.

[billie_morini]

Ha, ha -- just knew Ol' Man would like the photo of Roxy at Neverland's gate! Roxy and billie thank him!