Pechanga

Last week, on Monday, March 9th we took a trip to Pechanga. I went to the school campus a bit early again to check out a camera. I ended up with the Canon Rebel again. I like this camera because it's proven to be pretty simple for me to use. I met up with Andy a little bit before 2:45. I had forgotten to bring a jacket with me, so we stopped back by my apartment on our way to the I15. We took Deer Springs Rd. to the I15, got off at Temecula Parkway, and turned onto Pechanga. We found the gas station easily, and Deborah and some of our classmates were already there waiting. Andy and I went inside the gas station to buy some snacks.

It was so windy while we were waiting! I was worried that I was going to get too cold, even having stopped to get a jacket. It took quite a while for everyone to show up, but once they did we all boarded the shuttle, and we were off.

Our first stop was at the Great Oak. It was really neat to see something so huge that has been around for at least 900 years. I loved the way that the light came through the branches. The huge limbs reached down to rest on the ground. I was a little disappointed at how difficult it was to take pictures of the tree without having a bunch of people in them, but it was a really cool thing to see.
We all piled back into the shuttle, and our next stop was at a small pond. Here, we got out and walked around for quite some time. Willie Pink talked to us about the camp that takes place there every year, and all of the structures that they build and tear down every year for that occasion. There were two different types of structures that they built. It was interesting to walk around and see all of the native plants that were growing there. I especially liked the wild cucumber, which has a pretty, little white flower, but I also saw white sage, mojave yucca, deergrass, and a small, yellow flower that I didn't catch the name of. I didn't get any pictures of it, but I also enjoyed hearing about the ringing rock. I had no idea that something like that existed.
We got on the shuttle once again and our last stop before going home was at the nursery. By this time I think we were all freezing in the wind as the sun went down. After Willie Pink showed us several things there, we got back on the shuttle and we were dropped off at our cars. Andy and I were both pretty tired and hungry at this point, so we just decided to get home as fast as possible. Luckily, it was still relatively light on the drive back because of the time change the day before.

I was really grateful for the privilage of going to this site and hearing Willie Pink talk about all of the native plants and trees. It was a great experience.