October 17, 2008
Fall color is kicking into gear
slowly -- still not peak, which is odd
for Plumas County on this date -- but
gorgeous weather and scenery
nonetheless. It looks like another week
to go. But if you're already here, once
again, the best advice is to head for
places where there's water. Be sure to
look in creek beds and along lakeshores.
Most of the best spots are still going
to be those listed in our Fall Color
Guide. The photo to the right was
taken this morning at the Snake Lake
Road turnoff about 6 miles west of
Quincy on Highway 162.
Larry and Sara of Granada Hills,
CA (LA area) stopped in today to get
some advice -- they're up celebrating
their 56th wedding anniversary! They
flew up to Reno, rented a car, and are
off in search of fall foliage that Sara
remembers growing up in North Carolina.
We suggested Taylorsville since Sara's
also interested in rocks -- the Indian
Valley Museum in that small town has a
wonderful gem and mineral collection.
KCRA-TV's meteorologist Eileen Javora
this morning promoted Chester-Lake
Almanor and Graeagle/Portola for
fall foliage, so we hope Mother Nature
will soon comply! The station from
Sacramento included Plumas County along
with Yosemite and spots in Lake Tahoe.
Donyale Logan from the Chester-Lake
Almanor Chamber reports that fall
foliage is looking good along Chester's
Main Street, particularly around Leisure
RV Park where you'll see some reds and
yellows. She expects that Deer Creek
Canyon will be good along Hwy. 32 toward
Chico, and also Hwy. 36 east towards
Westwood.
Teacher Susan Schultz of Pioneer
Elementary School took her
first-grade students out on a
leaf-peeping, leaf-collecting outing
yesterday in East Quincy, off
Mill Creek Road and Center Street. The
class found lots of non-native maples at
peak, along with other orange and purple
leaves that are looking good in
residential yards. Be sure to stroll or
drive along the residential roadways in
all of Plumas County's small towns for
some non-forest ornamentals and domestic
trees that are peaking now.
October 16, 2008
Jill Iuculano of Bodega Bay
has been camping down at the Pioneer RV
Park in Quincy, where she's been
watching several trees turn color within
the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds.
Her photos, sent yesterday and today,
appear to show that the color changes
are happening literally overnight!
Incidentally, the fairgrounds will be
the site of Saturday's
Mountain Harvest Festival, which
includes micro-brew and wine tasting,
plus daylong music featuring local bands
and headliner, blues legend Norton
Buffalo!
So far today, we've seen visitors
from Ontario/Chino area and then a
couple all the
way from Carlsbad, New Mexico! And if
you think that's far away, a group of
five from Bangkok, Thailand visited this
afternoon on their way to Lassen
Volcanic National Park! Richard
from Carlsbad, California who has been
getting "leaf-peeper" information over
the phone from Kari (Plumas County
Visitor's Bureau Information
Specialist), stopped by just to
say thanks for helping him plan such a
great trip.
Latest reports from the Lakes Basin
Recreation Area are that the the
best color is around the Lakes Basin
campground ... but again comments from
those who have been in the area for a
long time, are that this year is "very
interesting."
Karen Whitaker of the Shasta Cascade
Wonderland Association received reports
that aspen are 20-30% color
change at Manzanita Lake in Lassen
Volcanic National Park. Big-leaf
maple are predicted to follow soon.
October 15, 2008
Okay, it’s late. The fall color
is definitely later this year, and
not just here in Plumas County.
We’ve heard from our Lake Tahoe
neighbors that color down there is 15-30
percent, and Tahoe usually peaks before
Plumas County!
Joe
Willis took this shot of the silver
maples in front of Quincy High
School, and they are looking better
every day. So maybe we just need some
patience!
This year's
phenomenon has botanists, like Jim
Belsher-Howe of the Plumas National
Forest, a bit stumped. "If I
had to bet, I would bet they will turn,
it's just going to be later," he said.
"I don't think it's one thing. We don't
have the formula or timing of it,
otherwise would have known this three
weeks ago." However, Jim appreciates the
unpredictability of nature. Knowing
exactly when the leaves turn "takes the
mystery out of it," he says. "It's not
fun. I mean, how much fun is gravity?"
Hey, we know why
it's late! The reason fall color is
delayed this year is because Congress
passed that law extending Daylight
Savings Time!
Unfortunately, we
can’t perfectly time the weather or the
change! But those leaf-peepers
who’ve been traveling here are happy
just to be outdoors in the forest,
and the weather has been gorgeous! And
we know the foliage will be changing,
probably by next week!
We
checked out the Fall Photo Workshop
going on at Greenhorn Creek Guest
Ranch yesterday, and observed instr
uctor/photographer
Cheryl Hogan (below in yellow) of
Truckee and her class. At the time, the
group was learning to shoot fast-running
horses heading for an upper pasture.
They were also planning to get out for a
full moon shoot. There’s so much
stunning scenery around to photograph,
even if it’s a little early for fall
foliage!
Returning
leaf-peepers Tracey Sterling
and Chris Cox of Santa Rosa stopped
by the Visitors Center to introduce
their dogs, rescued racing greyhounds
Safari and Sierra. Note
they’re wearing fall leaf collars bought
especially for the trip! The dogs
demonstrated their speed while romping
around the neighboring ball field. The
couple was headed for a hike at Bucks
Lake, and have been enjoying a quiet
cabin at Gray Eagle Lodge.
Back to color –
what’s interesting this year is how some
plants of varying species are, in fact,
changing, yet others nearby have not. It
doesn’t appear to be a uniform chorus
this year, but that’s what makes it fun
– it’s different every year!
October 13, 2008
So it would appear that Mother
Nature
is taking her time this year bringing on
the dazzling foliage. Last year, we
declared "peak" on Oct. 17, but this
year we're seeing a late start and it's
probably going to be best the last two
weeks of October.
However, if you've already planned your
leaf-peeping trip, never fear. We've
scouted out some good spots. Some
reports we are receiving from our
regular leaf-peepers who were out and
about this past weekend ….
Richard McCutcheon of Indian Valley
was on the south side of Grizzly
Ridge and sent this
photo showing some nice reds and Bracken
fern in various shades of yellow.
John Sheehan had this to report
from his weekend excursion to Bucks
Lake …
“The Big Creek Road (Forest Road 423)
between Meadow Valley
and Bucks Lake was aflame on Saturday,
in the good way. Beginning about a mile
above Meadow Valley, the dogwoods
started blushing pink. By the time the
road got to the Middle Fork Feather
River overview, about five miles further
up the road, it had become a full on
chorus of dogwoods (pink and red),
big leaf maples (bright yellow)
and Mountain ash (orange to red). It
seemed like every little draw had its
own combination of colors. Just above
Haskins Valley, in the areas where the
forest has been thinned to reduce
wildfires, the ferns have taken over and
are every shade of green to gold which
can be imagined. It looked like there
was a lot more to come so head on up
from Oroville or Quincy. “
And Joe Willis took a hike up
Boyle Ravine above Coburn Street
in Quincy and took these photos …
Joe also commented on the color around
town…
”
The several varieties of maples around
Quincy are becoming spectacular.
The row in front of QHS (at right) is
going to be great this year - in another
week or so - and there's a beauty
visible if you take Coburn to Boyle to
Foothill. As you make the two left
turns you encircle a great maple that is
rapidly becoming flame red. Also, in
this neighborhood and along Alder there
are some great staghorn sumacs turning
bright red.”
The Lakes Basin Recreation Area
reports the fall foliage is not at peak,
though a short hike on one of the scenic
trails will lead you through some nice
areas of color.
Carol of Bassett's Station (near
Sierra City) reports there are
cottonwoods looking good along the Yuba
River on Hwy. 49. But the aspens along
Gold Lake Road haven't yet turned,
according to Bret Smith of Gray Eagle
Lodge. "From here to Long
Lake, you'll see a bit of color,"
Smith suggested, which means venturing
on foot.
Coming up on Friday, October 17,
Lassen National Forest will conduct
its last fall driving tour through the
scenic front country and Ishi
Wilderness. For more information,
contact Barbara Jackson at 258-2141.
On Saturday, October 18, the Plumas
County Museum is offering a tour of
Historic 1867 Quincy – La Porte Road.
Spectacular scenery and stops at several
historical sights, with lunch in La
Porte and a visit to the Frank C. Reilly
Museum are on the agenda. Call
(530)-283-6320 for more information.
Also on Saturday, is the sixth
annual Harvest Festival and Micro Brew
Tasting held at the Plumas-Sierra
County Fairgrounds in Quincy..
Along with great brews from a number of
area microbrewers, will be organic and
domestic wine tasting, music, dance, and
a silent auction. Call
(530)-283-3402 for more information.
October 11, 2008
Kids love fall
no matter what stage of color change
the leaves are at!! Sam and
Logan
spent Th
ursday
afternoon having a ball with all the
fallen leaves at their daycare in
Quincy – reminding us that this is a
great season to be out and about! Yes,
we are experiencing a little cooler
weather for the next couple of days, but
don’t let this keep you from having a
good time. Just add another layer
(or two) and go for it!
Though we are
seeing many trees donning their fall
colors, we are not yet at peak and so
the “corridors of color” that we all so
eagerly anticipate are yet to arrive.
However, this time of transition
can be as interesting to see and
photograph as much as the peak. If
you’re willing to go off-road
along some gravel or dirt roads, you can
be surprised by finding small groves of
aspen or Big-leaf maple, along with some
Indian Rhubarb along the creeks.
Many of the trees
that are the most striking at the moment
are those that adorn the streets and
yards of the county’s quaint towns, like
the famous "Theiler" tree
(left) in historic downtown Quincy.
Take a walk about and explore the
museums, variety of unique shops, art
galleries, or just sit down and enjoy a
quiet place to have a hot drink and bite
to eat.
The Plumas
County Museum is remaining open on
Sundays through the month of October.
Hours are 8 am – 5 pm, Tuesday through
Saturday, and 11 am – 3 pm on Sunday.
If closed, there will be a note on the
door with a phone number you can call,
and a docent will come open up.
If you're up for
some outdoor activity and camaraderie,
you can join a group of trail-builders
today who will be
working on the Long Lake Trail in
the Lakes Basin Recreation Area. No
experience is necessary, just meet at
the Smith Lake trailhead at 9:30 a.m.
near Gray Eagle Lodge. You'll be
rewarded with breakfast and a barbecue
following the maintenance work.
