LONG VALLEY >> Spring has sprouted and so have Lake County’s wildflowers, helped along by a wild, wet winter.
One of the best areas in the county for wildflowers, offering more than a dozen different blooms, is Long Valley and probably the best way to see these blossoms is by two mules pulling a covered wagon.
The 3,200-acre Eleven Roses Ranch, a working ranch in the county’s historic Long Valley, is offering wildflower tours via mule-drawn wagons starting April 8.
Ranch owner Anne Garner is the tour guide.
The past few wildflower seasons have been less than spectacular but that’s changing thanks to this winter’s atmospheric river of storms that brought above-average rainfall.
“The flowers love the rain,” Garner said. “New flowers are coming up every day and it’s still early.”
She said she expects a normal bloom this spring, with most flowers reaching their bloom peaks in mid-April although wild irises peak near the end of the month. Because of the unpredictability of blooms and their timing, the weather for the rest of April still can influence bloom activity.
“I promise nothing but a good time,” Garner said. “Mother Nature dictates the flowers and the weather.”
The tour begins in the ranch’s covered pavilion with complimentary Lake County wine, appetizers, conversation and music, depending on day, by guitarist Travis Austin, Garner’s son, guitarist Don Coffin or fiddler Andi Skelton.
From there, guests proceed outside to board their slow-speed transportation.
The wildflower wagon has two shallow steps, padded seating, a covered top for protection from the weather and seats 20 passengers. The mules travel at a comfortable pace so little dust is kicked up by the mules or wagon on dry days.
There are several stops along the route but Garner is very accommodating if a guest wants to make an unscheduled stop to take photos.
The ranch’s name comes from an old cowboy folk story that is best left to ranch owner and tour guide Garner to tell, which she does on every tour, along with a bit of family history.
As Garner puts it, “What I really sell is a little slice of my life.”
Even though there are no roses on the property, it is still a working ranch with Angus beef cattle along with dozens of acres of feed grains, primarily hay and oats.
The ranch was settled by Garner’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 successful, Garner said. However, they were teetotalers and when the vineyards and wineries started sprouting up in the 1880s, the clan moved to Long Valley.
Garner began offering the wildflower tours in 1999 along bloom-rich Bear Valley Road in Colusa County. The tours moved to the Long Valley ranch in 2003.
The roughly two-hour tour concludes back at the ranch with more wine and a chuckwagon-style lunch of pork tenderloin barbecue, ranch beans, green salad, cornbread and a dessert of peach cobbler with whipped cream.
If notified in advance, chicken can be substituted for the pork and for vegetarians, a grilled portobello mushroom option is available. The meal is prepared and served by ranch hand Shellie Vincenti.
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. The food, beverage and entertainment are not part of the tour cost but are complimentary, Garner said. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted but not debit cards.
Wildflower tours are offered, rain or shine, on weekends for both individuals and groups from April 8 through April 30. 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, north of Spring Valley.
