LONG VALLEY >> The sky was gray with an unseasonable overcast but the ground was alive with color as Eleven Roses Ranch kicked-off its annual wildflower tours by mule-drawn wagon.
Early morning drizzle Sunday gave way to cloudy and cool conditions and the precipitation stopped long enough for the 90-minute tour that started around 11:30 a.m. but a light drizzle resumed by mid-afternoon after the tour ended.
The dreary weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 10 people who accompanied Eleven Roses owner and tour hostess Anne Austin on a guided romp around the ranch, stopping several times along the way for wildflower photographs.
It’s usually impossible to predict how good a year it will be for wildflowers and this year is no different, although blooms this spring are more diverse and more profuse than in drought years, Austin said.
“People call and ask me when is the best time for seeing the wildflowers,” Austin tells guests on Sunday’s trip. “I tell them let me put you on hold while I call God.”
Austin started offering the wildflower tours in 1999 along bloom-rich Bear Valley Road in Colusa County. The tours moved to her family’s 3,200-acre Long Valley working cattle ranch in 2005 and have continued yearly.
The tour begins in the ranch’s pavilion with wines from Cache Creek Vineyards and Winery, appetizers, conversation and neo-Flamenco music by guitarist Travis Austin, Anne’s son, of Kelseyville. From there, guests proceed outside to board their old-fashioned transportation.
The wildflower wagon has two shallow steps, padded seating, a covered top for protection from the weather and seats 18-20 passengers. The journey travels at a very slow pace so almost no dust is kicked up by the mules or wagon on dry days. Austin is very accommodating if a guest wants to make an unscheduled stop to take photos.
Along the way, Austin talks about some of the history of her family and of Lake County and Long Valley — dating back to the Gold Rush era — and their interconnection.
The ranch was settled by Austin’s great-great grandfather in 1883, who followed a few other hardy souls into the area known as Long Valley. The first structure in the valley was a log cabin built in 1859.
Her ancestors came to California from Missouri specifically to farm in the Napa valley and were very successful, Austin said. However, they were teetotalers and when the vineyards and wineries started sprouting up in the 1880s, the clan moved to Long Valley.
On Sunday, the wildflower wagon was pulled by the brother and sister team of John and Sally, well dispositioned mules that are reluctant to stop once they get moving, making them seem eager rather than their undeserved reputation as stubborn animals.
There are about a dozen varieties of wildflowers and bushes in bloom on the ranch although about half of these only blossom in sunlight. Flowers on display Sunday included yellow buttercups, purple wild iris, magenta owl’s clover, white popcorn flowers and red and purple delphiniums. Among the blooms that closed-up in the overcast were orange and yellow poppies.
The tour concluded back at the ranch with more wine and a chuck wagon-style lunch of slow-cooked pit barbecue beef, ranch beans, green salad, dinner roll and a dessert of peach cobbler with whipped cream. If notified in advance, chicken can be substituted for the beef and for vegetarians, a grilled portobello mushroom option is available. The meal was prepared and served by ranch hand Shellie Vincenti.
After lunch, guests talked about their tour experiences over wine.
“It was wonderful,” said Sherry Nickel of Rockland who took the tour with her husband, Mark. “The people here are very kind and warm and the ranch has a comfortable atmosphere.” She had no complaints about the lack of sun. “I have allergies so this weather is perfect for me.”
Another first-timer, Rhonda Lunt of Lakeport, said she was glad it didn’t rain during the tour but added that the clouds didn’t bother her.
“I enjoyed the beauty and the peacefulness of the ranch,” Lunt said. “The wagon ride felt like a tour of local history.”
The tour costs $60 for adults, $50 for seniors over age 60, and $40 for children between the ages of five and 12. Children under age five are free when accompanied by an adult. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted but not debit cards.
Wildflower tours are offered on weekdays and weekends for both individuals and groups until early May, depending how long the blooms last. Advance reservations are required by calling (707) 998-4471 or by emailing info@elevenrosesranch.com. The ranch is located at 5456 New Long Valley Road in Long Valley, about 12 miles north of Highway 20.
