Monument Plant and Paintbrush

Frasera speciosa and Castilleja sp.

We drove to Schneider's Camp (about 8,000'), where I had seen spectacular flower fields two years ago, and hiked from the trail head to the top of Meiss Ridge at 9280'. There were flowers from start to finish and beyond. The lush greenery at the lower elevation gave way to short, alpine versions at the top. We followed the trail for a bit on the ridge and ate our lunch with a view of Lake Tahoe.

In the afternoon, we hiked an easy, short trail along Oyster Creek (elevation 7200'). Again, we had spectacular flowers, many of them different from those we had seen on the previous hikes. Lilies, onions, and columbine were abundant in this riparian environment.