Healthy stand of chicory.
This was, perhaps, the highlight of our trip. I spotted a large bird flying above us carrying.... a branch of some sort? A quick look in the binoculars revealed it to be a Red-tailed Hawk carrying a snake! As it soared off, it kind of resembled a kite with a kite-tail from a distance.
observation for snake: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/222102416
Beaumont, Riverside County, California