Garland Ranch waterfall
April 8, 2006

This is the most water I have ever seen here thanks to lots of rain this spring.

California poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Papaveraceae

Much to my disappointment, this was one of the few flowers blooming at Garland Ranch on our wedding day. The heavy rain for weeks before delayed most blooms this year.

lizard

This is likely a western fence lizard that we spotted on our wedding tree. What fun!

oaks ~ 04/08/06 ~ Garland Ranch

oaks

Fagaceae

Spring is the best time in my opinion for hiking at Garland Ranch. Everything is so lush and green... at least by CA standards.

wedding day ~ 04/08/06 ~ Garland Ranch

our wedding day tree
Fagaceae

Here's where we exchanged marriage vows, under the natural arch of this oak tree. It's about a 45 minute hike from the parking lot, up the hill past the waterfall in Garland Ranch (or an hour and a half hike with a pregnant maid of honor who needed to stop every few minutes to rest). Incredibly, with a month of nonstop rain before and after, we had a clear sunny day for our wedding. Everything was lush green from the rains, but there weren't too many wildflowers. Nature was our venue, and we had umbrellas as a gift.