Chino Hills State Park: After The Fire

I finally got out to go on a mountain bike ride after a long time of not riding. I decided to go to Chino Hills State park with a friend. I have to admit we could have chosen a better day though. The reason is two-fold. One is that it was wet which made it muddy. While this was fun at times; it was annoying at other times with mud sticking to my tires like super glue. The other problem is that it was foggy which is not great for photos. Still the photos I took capture how the park is now post fire. Basically I was surprised at how quickly the grass has come back. The trees on the other hand are not so lucky. Most of the trees in the park grow in small ravines or valleys and it appears that this is where the fire was the hottest. The grass that is growing back looks similar to yard grass. This is nothing like the shoulder high wispy grass that used to be there. The park is green but you can tell that life is only starting to return to normal. Most of the wildlife has no place to hide so the only things we saw were small birds who can quickly return. Jack Rabbits and insects where nowhere to be found. The ground still smells kind of like a wet camp fire. I fully expect the park to bounce back this spring and in a few years the place should look like normal again. The only thing which will take some time is for the trees to come back. That really is the saddest part about the fire ravaging the place. It was nice to see the park again and get some riding in. A small part of me was happy the ride ended with me being coated in mud from head to toe.