Carrizo Plain is well known for the “super blooms” that follow wet winters inland from the central coastal area and the wonders of springs, creeks and lakes formed as a result of the tectonic activity creating the San Andreas Fault. The lack of rain this season did not put a damper on the biking adventure of four leaders and eight scouts loaded up early Saturday morning enroute to the Carrizo Plain. Our first stop at the southern end of the plains was to visit the grave of a homesteader, Mary Morris and learn of the hardships encountered by the early settlers. Setting up camp on Padrones Canyon Road we ate lunch and rolled out on a short trial bike trek along the dirt road to Lawson Spring. Each day the scouts prepared their own meals, set up camp; broke camp, dug latrines and in the evening enjoyed a pleasant camp fire. First thing Sunday morning, following a hike up the hill, Mr. Schley instructed us on map and compass usage. With our lunch packed and using these learned skills, half of the scouts biked a challenging ten miles around a mountain range, investigating the Padrones Spring and an old homestead and the other half opted for a more level road also touring by Padrones Spring.
Monday morning, all the scouts biked over ten miles to the new base camp in the Wells Ranch area again using our navigational skills, frequently checking the map and natural features for direction down dirt roads and cross country. We enjoyed our lunch under a gazebo on private property generously shared with visitors and had fun looking at the ruins of the old Wells Ranch. Tuesday, biking 6 miles, we were fortunate to have Mr. Hey instruct on geology, describing how the Wells and Semper springs that we visited evolved. And, on Wednesday, packing up the camp, we drove to the visitor center and viewed the tectonic activity of the San Andreas Fault which created an offset in Wallace Creek, very fascinating. It was a great trip with no need for first aid skills and the scouts earned credit toward various rank advancements.
