| Central California Ranges | |
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Significant parts of the Idria serpentine country are bare. Whether it's because of the nutrient-poor soils, timber harvesting by miners, the dry climate or a combination of all three I don't know. But there is a great deal of windblown dust here. The Bureau of Land Management, which administers the region as the Clear Creek Management Area, warns visitors not to breathe the dust for long periods of time due to its asbestos content. The area is attractive to rockhounds, hikers, mountain bikers, hunters and geologists.
The road is dirt by this point. It leaves Clear Creek and climbs steeply into the mountains, leaving the San Benito River drainage and entering catchments that drain to the Central Valley.
All photos (c) 2003 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Headwaters of Clear Creek.
