It’s been a fine wet spring, but we are drying out a bit this week. All that moisture means wildflowers, and it also means that Ceanothus has been great for the past month. Flowering California lilac, or mountain lilac, or “those pretty purplish-blue-ish bushes,” are an indicator of the changing of seasons in these parts.
Purple being my favorite color, it makes the regular rides a little more enjoyable. The greening grasses and warming air, too, add flair to the rhythms when riding ribbons of trail.
Ceanothus is all over the foothills and mountains of San Diego and I love it, despite that on windy days it might set my breathing back with all of the pollen flying around this way and that way. Slopes of purple isn’t something you see too often, is it?
Then you can duck in and tuck in, getting lost in the purple haze. Turn pedals and roll tires. Smile and let it all sink deep into marrow, deep down to where maybe you actually feel something, something that reminds you of why started mountain biking in the first place.
Was it to be a racer? Get that FKT? Ride with Strava?
Pfffft. Nope. Nah. Probably not what got you started.
We threw our legs over a mountain bike to get away, to go farther, to get out there and see what’s on the other side of that ridge, what the view is like from that peak up there, experience the trail on the other side of the water crossing.
And along the way, we get to take in all the wonderful natural beauty that surrounds us, perhaps unbeknownst of what it actually does for our well being. The science is catching up, though.
Ceanothus in spring is a delight to see in southern California. Get on that magic blu-rple ride to wherever it takes you. If you miss it, no worries at all, as it’ll be back next year.
No Dabs is a monthly column by James Murren that celebrates our mountain biking community and lifestyle.
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The colors of soCal in our little slice of life😍