California has been in quite the drought over the past few years. There hasn’t been enough rain/snow storms to fill up the reservoirs, rivers and lakes. This winter has been one for the books in the rain department. There have been a few heavy storms passing through that have made the hills greener then I have seen in long, long time.
A massive rain storm passed through, dumping 5 inches of rain in 24 hours. Rivers were overflowing everywhere and mud slides closing many roads. I saw that in an area up in the hills we ride bikes to had been filled into a giant pond. It hasn’t been filled with water in years and I wanted to see it. Dan was up for the muddy challenge to get up there to go experience this watering hole. It felt like it took twice as long to get up there as we crossed creeks and our wheels got caked in mud.
Getting to the top felt great and to our pleasure the hills were a vibrant green. The trails we normally ride on now turned into waterways. All these led to the pond at the lowest point. It was much larger then I’d imagined. This area is what southern California was like before development. It was used by herds of cattle and sheep to graze. Now a days it is a protected area that you can only access by foot or bike. Seeing the mind loaded up with water and the abundance of grass great. Little outings like this, just a few miles from our house, really makes us appreciate our backyards.