One reason I enjoy staying at the Fort Ross Lodge is the open field between the motel buildings and the ocean cliffs. There is plenty of room to wander and enjoy the view without risking your life along the narrow, winding road that is Highway 1. Our previous stay here was back in November 2020, and while the natural area between Windermere Point and Timber Cove was lovely then, it has literally come alive in the springtime. There is always lots of iceplant along the cliff edges, but on this trip I found so much more besides.

Cultivated Flaming torch lilies light the way to the cliff edge

Greater quaking grass (Briza maxima)

Yellow lupine

This bumblee kept circling the top of this seaside daisy

Broken stalks echo the Bufano Peace Statue in the background

Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)