As the big dogs disappeared into the deep grass it was obvious just how much they enjoyed chasing each other through the lush green field.
The only way we could see where they were was when the tips of their tails occasionally bobbed along the top of grass, it was good to back in a land of green.
While hiking through the oak and chaparral filled canyons of Southern California’s Santa Monica Mts it was hard to believe the changes that had taken place since we had last been there just two months ago.
The prolonged drought that had been affecting the western states for years had devastated vegetation everywhere. Now it all looked very different.
The winter of 2016/17 changed life in the Southwest in many ways.
For the past 6+ years the west had endured such a severe dry spell that crops began to wither, produce prices rose, lakes dried up, local residents traded in their lawns for cacti and rocks and washing your car could come with a fine.
Now reservoirs had refilled, dying forests had a chance to recover, people were back to watering their lawns again and the deserts had been transformed into a paradise of lush foliage.
In November and December we were staying at my mom’s house in Thousand Oaks California.
The long range forecasts were predicting waves of storms to pound the western states for the foreseeable future.
We began to realize this was not the optimum place for to us to be for the next few months.
We considered heading for the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico but the approaching storms were predicted to reach that far inland.
Having experienced heavy rain in the Sonoran deserts before we were not excited about the potential for flash flooding while boon docking.
While planning our escape we monitored several long term weather forecasting websites. It soon became evident we needed to travel further afield.
Local news headlines read-
“Atmospheric Rivers to Bring a Mess of Snow, Ice, Flooding Rain to the West”
“Endless stream of snow, rain as Atmospheric River hits West”
One of the things we love about living on wheels is that it allows us to easily follow the weather that keeps us warm and dry.
Our objective is to monitor and track the perfect “72 and Sunny” forecast.
It turned out the Texas Hill Country was just far enough from the west coast and the gulf coast to provide perfect conditions.
Once there we slowed our pace and spent two glorious months wandering around Texas enjoying its great weather and the friendly locals before heading back to the west coast.
Remember our adventures in Texas at the links below:
Big Bend Ranch State Park Texas
But what we found when we returned to the western deserts was nothing short of amazing.
After the non-stop waves of rain subsided the parched deserts had been transformed into a colorful paradise of lush growth.
We began to notice the change as we entered New Mexico and Arizona. Along the interstates the once brown and barren hillsides were now green and ablaze with purple, yellow and red flowers.
There was new growth everywhere.
Trees that were near dead were once again leafing out and even the cacti were plump and full of water. There were vibrant colors as far as one could see.
Anza Borrego State Park and Joshua Tree National Park were in the midst of full blown super blooms of epic proportions.
Thousands of people traveled to these parks on the weekends to witness this rarely seen spectacle.
The California Poppy Preserves were the most vibrant we had ever seen. There were long lines of cars plying the back roads on the weekends.
Trees and shrubs that had not bloomed in years were alive and proliferous.
Hillsides within Carrizo Plains State Park produced outstanding flower displays.
Even the lower elevations of the High Sierra were coming alive with spring flowers.
The epic winter that had set so many new precipitation records had completely energized and changed the desert into a fantastic display of color and growth.
But more importantly it had ended the many years of severe drought… for the time being.
In the end we may have been forced to drive long distances to find a more temperate climate but this enabled us to discover new places, meet new people and partake in Texas barbecue.
We will never forget last winters explosion of color, fields of green and the perfumed aromas of blooming flowers and …. all it took was water.
gone with the dogs 
You two are amazing! The attention to detail, color and shape are captured in rare form. Thanks for sharing the bloom with us, a memorable experience for sure.
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Thanks Mark we really appreciate your always positive comments. It was an amazing bloom not soon forgotten and you were there for it!
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Beautiful, simply, beautiful. Those of us on the East Coast are finally getting rain, but the flowers out West are just beautiful, Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks John, we were very lucky this past spring to experience this event. Hope your spring bloom is equally glorious!
Glad your following the big dogs!
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Your productions just keep getting better and better!
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Thanks Kris, with followers like you its hard to go wrong!
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Your photos are comparable to the most vibrant paint palettes…stunning…and you have captured the most fascinating details of a beautiful flower. The features of that iPhone “9” are awesome. Wonderful video too…love seeing your pups at play. That eclectic song collection continues to make sure I keep the buds wax free.
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As usual your comments make us feel like floating on cloud 9- thank you, It was a stunning spring and we were lucky to have spent some of it with you 4. I wear headphones to reduce the wax situation 🙂
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Lovely photos and video illustrate how amazing nature is. The desert bloom is simply glorious. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for the nice comments we really appreciate them, it was great having you here last week, and thanks again for the Tin Cup!
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Beautiful photos and video. This was a wonderful year of blooms and green. So good to see plants thriving and lakes full again. Thanks for posting this reminder.
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Thank you, yes it was a wonderful winter for flowers and green hopefully the drought does not return to this extent again, but it is a desert…….
Hope you guys are enjoying life!
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