Antelope Valley Wild Flowers: When? Who wants to go?

[gjman]

We seem to have pretty good rains this year. I was wondering when would be a good time to goto Antelope Valley Wild Flower preserve (Lancaster,CA). Oh and if other SoCAL/Central Coast POTNer wanna join me for a day trip?

[KirkHMB]

Last time I went was in late February many years ago. There was a phone number to call in, they'd give you the progress of the bloom, tell you when to expect it to peak, and where to go. I don't have the number, but a google search should dig it up.

[Calicajun]

Sounds like it could be a fun photo outing for all who like flowers. Usually late February thru March is the best time to see the wildflowers. So far none have started to pop up yet but I'll keep an eye open and let you know when they show. Oh, I live near the Poppy reverse here in Lancaster, CA, guess that give me a slight edge.:)

[gjman]

.............Oh, I live near the Poppy reverse here in Lancaster, CA, guess that give me a slight edge.:)

It don't get any better than that. Will keep an eye for your posts on bloom.

[gjman]

Well are the flowers blooming yet?

[Calicajun]

Well are the flowers blooming yet?

Wow, can you read minds? I was planning on looking up this thread tonight in order to add my Poppy findings. Yes, they have been starting to pop up all over town this week, saw a nice row of them on the way into work just today. So that means the the Poppy fields should be starting to bloom as well.:lol: Only problem is it has been real windy here and Poppies close up in the wind, hoping the winds will die down by this or next weekend.

For general information the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve does charge $5.00 a car load, not sure what the record number of people in one car is but beat it's a lot.

[SoCal69]

Check this thread... we have a group planning an outing at the end of March.

http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=748461

[Calicajun]

Check this thread... we have a group planning an outing at the end of March.

http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=748461

The more people more fun and learning, sounds good to me. Read through the link but didn't notice what date you decided on March 29 or 30. Also, you may want to update the directions in that thread and tell them to get off at Ave I from the 14 freeway follow Ave I all the to the Poppy fields as Ave I will turn into Lancaster road. :D

[gjman]

So we do it this coming week: March 15th or the week after March 22?

[Calicajun]

So we do it this coming week: March 15th or the week after March 22?

Sounds like fun, March 15 is pretty good for us (wife, daughter, son and me, we all shoot), I don't have to be at work until 3:PM. Should be a good day for shooting, would suggest starting at 9:AM as there is less chance of wind and is cooler then too. :)

[joayne]

You All better get going.. From today near my house in Coachella Valley (Palm Springs)

252314

252315

[gjman]

I am trying to get some infidels (noink shooters) to join us. Will keep updating this thread.

Joayne:
According to calphoto there are only buds out there folks expecting bloom next weeked or the week after.

[Calicajun]

I am trying to get some infidels (noink shooters) to join us. Will keep updating this thread.

Joayne:
According to calphoto there are only buds out there folks expecting bloom next weeked or the week after.
Looking good, everything is just starting to bloom here too, btw nice pictures.

[joayne]

From what I saw today, it is not just the start of the bloom, it is the bloom bust.. Get going and show what you encounter.. It really is going on strong

[Calicajun]

Well, maybe I can get out Wednesday morning, have to do bills tomorrow and the wife works Tuesday. It's not safe to leave the wife out of a photo shoot, beside just looked at some pictures taken today at a local park fair and I need more practice shooting with my 40D.:o

[Calicajun]

From what I'm seeing all over town this weekend March 15 and 16 should be great for shooting Poppies. They're popping up all over town and looking really good, plus the winds have gone away too.. :D

[evorgsumaf]

I have subscribed to this thread, if there is a firm date and I am off of work I will be there.

Brandon

[Calicajun]

Not sure if the date is set in stone, I did throw out March 15 at 9:00AM if that is good for everyone. If not toss some dates in the hat and we'll all pick one.

There is also a link in this thread for another group (didn't know there was any other group than P.O.T.N.:)) that is planning on March 29. I plan on meeting them there on that date too, I can use all the help I can get any time.:oops::lol:

[gjman]

From what I'm seeing all over town this weekend March 15 and 16 should be great for shooting Poppies........

I think March 15th sounds good. I believe that the LA shooters group is going to be there on March 29th...but that weekend does not work for me.

As of now Lancaster, CA (93586) weather shows that its partly cloudy on Saturday March 15th (10% precip) while March 16th has 30% precip. I think March 15th sounds good.

So me and my infidel friend (noink shooter) are confirmed, waiting for another friend from the Bay area to confirm.

Now:
1) What times is best for shooting?
2) Do we have to walk into the fields to shoot poppies? When I was at Joshua Tree I saw way too many holes in the ground and then the Park office said they have 7 types of rattle snakes....and it was good ol asphalt for me. The only wild life I see is the "bird" on the 405.:D
3) Is this place really the "wilderness" or is this family friendly? I mean very young kid friendly. Like is there shade or something?

[Calicajun]

gjman,
So March 15 it is, bring as many people as you can, the more the better. There is a $5.00 per car load parking fee which gets you right at the trail head, visitor center and picnic area with vending machines. As to your questions;

1) A 9:00AM start time would be best, cooler for the non-desert folks and better chance of no wind which usually picks up in mid to late afternoon. Poppies don't like the wind either, they close up if it get to windy.

2) No you don't have to run through the fields they are trails you stay on and plenty to shoot from the trails.

3) Yes and no, kids love to run around on the trails and all trails lead in a circle back to the visitor center. The trails are nice enough for people with strollers or photographers with so much gear they have to a wheel bag.

Looking forward to a fun shoot,
Craig

P.S.
I will post a avatar of myself tomorrow so as not to scare anyone when they first see me.:lol:

[gjman]

Yeah about that 9am. You live right next to it, its gonna take us about 90 mins to get there. Do I have to be there at 9am? What about 11 ish?

[gjman]

I was reading the park update:
Wildflower status: 03-11-08
It looks like it might be a great year! There are tiny poppy plants germinating everywhere, and a handful of flowers are now scattered around. Most seem to be along the sidewalk between the visitor center and picnic area, and around the parking lot, where rain runoff has given them an extra boost. Also along the sidewalks, there are tiny purple and yellow flowers blooming. Otherwise, no fields of flowers yet, but we expect in the next week or two it potentially could go off the hook- stay tuned. Wildflowers are blooming all over in the areas surrounding the valley, but we usually get our blooms starting and ending later.

Do the LA shooters group have the right idea would March 15 be too soon and March 22 or 29th be a better time?

[Calicajun]

I was reading the park update:


Do the LA shooters group have the right idea would March 15 be too soon and March 22 or 29th be a better time?

That could be true, waiting another week or two may be a better idea. As you said I live close (10 minutes away) so no problem setting a new date for the shoot.

[Calicajun]

If anyone is planning on attending the Antelope Valley Wild Flowers for a photo shoot on Saturday March 15, 2008, please add a post letting us know, otherwise we can start looking for a new date.

Thanks,
Craig

P.S.
The pictures posted in my reply above were taken four years ago using a Sony F717. Hopefully my new 40D can do as well as my old camera.:lol:

[gjman]

P.S. The pictures posted in my reply above were taken four years ago using a Sony F717. Hopefully my new 40D can do as well as my old camera.:lol:

Those are quite nice. If they don't have that sort of bloom tomorrow (and there wont be from the looks of it) its not worth driving 1-2 hrs to get there this weekend.

I will try and do march 29th too.

[Calicajun]

Sounds good, see you on the March 29.

[manuchicago]

Hi,

Can anyone suggest when the peak will be?

Thank you, Emanuele, Chicago

[Calicajun]

Hi,

Can anyone suggest when the peak will be?

Thank you, Emanuele, Chicago

Normal peak time is right now but things are running a bit late (thought I was the only one behind) this year. Looks like the peak time this year will be the last weekend of March to the first weekend in April (IMO) early in the morning. One thing can be said for sure today would have been a poor day for shooting, as it's cold and windy and the Poppies don't open up if it's windy.

[Calicajun]

Just a update on the Poppies, looks like the weekend of March 29, 2008 should be really good. Poppies are popping (sorry about the pun) up all over the place here in Lancaster, you can even see some Poppy cover parts of the hills just outside of the Poppy reverse.:D

[gjman]

Thanks Craig....I am going to try really hard to make it on March 29th too...

[SoCal69]

The DPC group is heading out on March 29th also... I don't know how many crossovers there are between DPC and POTN, but we should coordinate. Check the DPC thread here for last minute info or details:

http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=748461&page=3#4578667

You can always PM me and I can give you my cell number so we can get the groups together if there is any interest there.

There is also a photography studio open house in Long Beach on Friday night (March 28th). I will be going as will be a couple of other DPCers. Here's a link on how to get your name on their list of guests. It should be fun... they will be doing some body painting and photog Adam Chilson (http://www.adamchilson.com) will be there apparently doing a mini-workshop.

http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php?action=read&FORUM_THREAD_ID=753365

Chuck

[Calicajun]

Looking forward to meeting people from both groups on the March 29, I will keep an eye on your link at DPR also. Driving around town today I was amazed at all the new Poppies showing up all over in just the last three days. Looks like we are having a pretty good year for wildflowers of all types, should make for a great shoot.

[gjman]

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve - 3/24/08 - Milt Stark writes: There are quite a few poppies blooming on Lancaster Road from Munz Ranch Road to the Poppy Reserve. The Poppy Reserve has a fairly good showing. Only other place which I have seen poppies is on the north side of Antelope Valley just west of 170th St. West. Because of no rain in the last few weeks, I do not expect the season to last very long.

What time is everyone meeting up on 3/29? 9 Am?

[Calicajun]

9:00AM is what I saw posted over at the DP forum site. Should be a good year for taking photos as I see more and more wildflowers popping up all over. I can even see the orange poppies covering the hills just in front of the Poppy reserve.

[gjman]

I just sent you a PM.

See you all tomorrow at 9am.

[Calicajun]

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the Poppy fields. We will be there at 9:AM, I be wearing my lucky photo hat the one in my avatar.

Craig

[hlcowan]

The poppies are out in force, howevver the winds this past week have left shooting conditions as something other than to be desired :( However, at the moment there is zero wind, so it's wonderful conditions for folks to come up to the high desert. Here's one that I shot two days ago - the only post processing is cropping and an unsharp mask. Happy shooting folks!
Heather

[kanji1a]

wow...very windy today at the Poppy Reserved, missed the little meet of everyone, but did see lots of people with very nice equipments. I think it is just a start and more poppies will be coming out in Mid April. Here's one i took today @ 2:30pm, Straight from my lil Blackberry Curve camera.

[Calicajun]

Lots of wind out there today :cry: but still was fun. Didn't get to meet too many POTN members, did enjoy talking with the few I did meet. Think they were running a photographers special today there, as I have never seen that many photographers at the Poppy Fields at one time. Guess, I should get one of those POTN patches so other members here can tell which group I belong too.:lol:
If lucky there should be some good shots and will post one or two tomorrow, had to leave the Poppy Fields and go to work.

[kanji1a]

Does POTN have a hat or a photographer's vest with a patch...so anyone wearing these, can be recognized by other members? I actually had to go to work first and didn't get out till 2pm. I think i got wind burned from the winds :o

[Calicajun]

Check out the POTN store, they do have a photographer's vest but no patch but you can put the POTN patch on it, shirts and a camera straps. No hats, then again you could always put a POTN patch on the hat.:)

[yonni]

I'm gonna try to get out there today, winds be damned.:) Wish me luck.

[gjman]

The wind was very strong...but the place was really spectacular. There were a lot of L toting photogs all over the place.

Here is one of the few landscapes that actually made it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/gjman/Antelope_Valley/IMG_8723_P.jpg

[hlcowan]

Just a hint - it seems the wind (and bugs!) don't start up in force until about 10ish... my best shots have been pre-10:00 a.m., before the breeze begins...

[yonni]

Just a hint - it seems the wind (and bugs!) don't start up in force until about 10ish... my best shots have been pre-10:00 a.m., before the breeze begins...

Thanks for the tip. I was contemplating driving up Sat night and staying in a motel to get out there early for the light and maybe lighter winds, but I made the wrong choice and did the late afternoon thing instead:( It was very windy and the flowers were virtually all closed up. It is a very nice place to hike around though, and the thought of all those flowers opened up will bring me back up there in a couple of weeks, hopefully with lighter winds.

[Calicajun]

Here one of my shots of the Poppy Fields from the Saturday POTN met. Plan on going back in two weeks, hopfuly there will be even more flowers and less wind.

[kanji1a]

Where did you take this shot? Did you have to hike away from the reserved?

[SoCal69]

I took a ton of shots, but am really ambivalent about all of them...I only got one image that I am reasonably happy with...

[Calicajun]

Where did you take this shot? Did you have to hike away from the reserved?

That was taken on the trail heading back, about 1/2 mile from the range station. I can almost see my house at the other end of the valley. Going to take some pictures tomorrow as there is a large field of Poppies just a block from the house and there was no wind today, so hopefully there will be no wind tomorrow.

[yonni]

That was taken on the trail heading back, about 1/2 mile from the range station. I can almost see my house at the other end of the valley. Going to take some pictures tomorrow as there is a large field of Poppies just a block from the house and there was no wind today, so hopefully there will be no wind tomorrow.
Damn, it was blowing like a hurricane yesterday!!!:)

[Calicajun]

All right it's official, the Poppies this year don't like me. This morning there was on wind at all, great I'll take my son to his doctor post opt check up and then shoot some Poppies. Made it home, dropped off the kid, picked up the camera (oh the wife too) and drove two blocks to some Poppy fields by the house. Getting out of the car I thought great no wind at all, perfect, walked half way into the Poppy fields, you guessed it the wind started blowing as soon as I took the lens cap off the camera. :mad: I will beat them before the season is over, even if I have to build a green house over them to get some good shots.

[kanji1a]

if we do get a little more moisture, the rest of the field should bloom and the poppies should peak its blooming sometime early mid April and its getting chilly again with these winds.

You're right about the wind, it didn't start picking up till around 2pm, and it was perfect this morning with no breeze or wind what so ever.

[Calicajun]

if we do get a little more moisture, the rest of the field should bloom and the poppies should peak its blooming sometime early mid April and its getting chilly again with these winds.


If that is true I'll start doing a rain dance, in the back yard of course.:lol:

[Calicajun]

Still more Poppies showing up wach day and with the rain last night there should be lots more in about two weeks.:D

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/calicajun/PoppyTrail72.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/calicajun/PoppiedCups72.jpg

[MrV]

WOW!!
Wish I knew about this thread sooner, I could have met you there and meet people from POTN. :(
On another note, is good to find some Photographers in the Antelope Valley in this thread. I live in Lancaster close to the Poppy Fields. If you ever want to plan an outing I would love to join you and shoot.

--MrV

[Calicajun]

Mr.V,
Nice to meet another Lancaster photographer. I think the is a group planning on going to the Poppy festival in April, know I'm going. Maybe there should be a thread (of find the one I remember reading) to see if anyone is interested in meeting up at the festival.

Thanks for the comment onthe pictures,
Craig

[yonni]

Yeah, those are some poppin' poppies!! I should be up there next weekend.

[shannyD]

man i wish i didnt live so far away from this.

[yonni]

man i wish i didnt live so far away from this.
What, it's only 350 miles from 12th and K streets. About 5 hrs.:D These things don't pop up every year ya know. Get 'em while their poppin'.

[kanji1a]

there is the Lancaster Poppy Festival at the Lancaster Park next weekend i think. Also, the Long Beach Grand Prix will be next weekend April 19 & 20 too...wow..two events happening at the same time.

[Calicajun]

there is the Lancaster Poppy Festival at the Lancaster Park next weekend i think. Also, the Long Beach Grand Prix will be next weekend April 19 & 20 too...wow..two events happening at the same time.

Grand Prix would be more fun but costs a lot more and had bigger crowds. The Poppy Festival on April 19 & 20 is fun too and much cheaper to attend than the Grand Prix, I' ll be going to the Poppy Festival.:)