October
3, 2008
True to its nature, fall often
brings a bit of cloudy weather into the
county as it has today. But don’t let
this dampen your enthusiasm for getting
out enjoying Awesome Autumn. In fact,
cloudy days actually make for great
photographic opportunities as cloud
cover diffuses the brightness of the
sun’s light. This produces a soft even
light that often enhances the quality of
outdoor pictures. The softer light
also makes for better portraits and
candid people shots. Get more helpful
photography tips on our
Awesome
Autumn webpage.
While
it's easy to get caught up in the
panoramic scenes that are typical fall
foliage pictures, don’t be afraid to get
closer to the trees or focus on one
brightly covered tree from a unique
angle. As one our more avid leaf-peepers
and photographers, Joe Willis of
Quincy, puts it:
”You'll notice my style could be
summarized by the phrase "a closer
look." Before the peak of the season,
during which time many folks enjoy the
wide panoramic views of swaths of orange
oaks and cottonwoods, red dogwoods,
etc., one must look closer to find the
best color, much like looking for the
occasional red pebble on an otherwise
gray or tan beach. There are great
bunches of red bushes along the creek in
Indian Valley, especially noticeable on 89 either side of the Taylorsville
T and along Stampfli Lane.”
Joe sent us a couple of nice photos of
the California black oak (above) and the
sweet gum to the right. Thanks
Joe!
These photos were taken near
Sloat in a small grove of aspens
near the railroad tracks. There
were a few chokecherries and maples
turning, and plenty more aspen that are
still green …. “This area promises to
be very picturesque in a week or two”,
says Terri Rust of Meadow Valley.
Can’t wait to go back and check it
out!
October 1, 2008
It's already October!
And that means prime leaf-peeping month
in the forests and small towns of Plumas
County. We're still in "low" range,
(15-30 percent) but may be moving up to
moderate range (30-50 percent) within
the week. Baloo, one of our favorite
office mascots, can’t wait either!
Yesterday's
sprinkling of rain helped to put a
little sparkle
on the color today, and chokecherry
is turning quite red along Hwy. 70
east of Quinc
y.
The willow nearby (with horses in
background) has a ways to go, but the
ornamentals like Virginia Creeper are
at peak, and silver maples
around town are starting to show their
pinkish
side.
Over on Cemetery Hill, the
cottonwoods
are right on track, with hues of bright
yellow and
lime green.
Having tracked the "peak" for over a
decade now, we're still predicting it to
fall somewhere between Oct. 13-25.
From other areas of the county…. Lillian Basham
of the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce
called in to say that “the colors
along Stampfli Lane are
absolutely beautiful. There are a
variety of hedges and multi-colored
plants in shades of burgundy, red,
orange and gold. Some of the trees
along west Main Street are starting to
change color as well as a few
cottonwoods by Big Springs Meadow.”
Lillian also noted that there is a lot
of color as you come in to town along
the railroad tracks.
And from Jay Reed of High Sierra
ATV Tours in Chilcoot, we hear that
the trees are turning “pretty well”
below Crystal Peak. The tour
service has a Fall special going … a
4-hour ride through the beautiful
mountainous region of Eastern Plumas
County that includes lunch … all for
just $150.
September 30, 2008
We have our first fall foliage reports
in from a couple of the numerous Forest
Service lookouts scattered around Plumas
County ….
Caleb Lief at Red Rock Lookout
tells us that he is seeing yellow
amongst the shrubs and the aspens are
just starting to turn along the
headwaters of Indian Creek up by
Diamond Mountain … “Today’s not
normal” in terms of weather … It’s a
little cool up here today, he says
…about 55 – 60 degrees due to the
clouds….though prior to this it has been
in the 70’s … awesome autumn weather.
Jim Cannon up at Dixie Mountain Lookout,
reports some aspens are beginning to
turn near Horton Ridge. This is the
first day he says it is really starting
to notice color. For those wanting to
explore this area, the
Plumas County
Fall Color Tour map outlines
a nice route (#8) that takes you through
large stands of aspen, willow,
cottonwood, maples, and oaks.
Meanwhile,
closer to Quincy, local
leaf-peeper, John Sheehan tells
us that he is seeing more red in the
dogwoods and yellow in the big-leaf
maples along Big Creek Road, as
well as Bucks Lake Road on his
way to Bucks Lake this past
weekend. He also reports that the
fishing has been good …
And in Taylorsville, Richard
McCutcheon sent us a photo this
morning of a particularly large Virginia
creeper that has nearly covered a
house. Though not native to the area,
these vines have crept their way into
alot of yards and do like to show off
their fall colors!
Fall is a great time to get out and
enjoy playing a round of golf on one of
the many beautiful courses scattered
throughout the county. Watch out,
though, we have some pretty good young
aspiring golfers like Sam,
pictured below at Whitehawk Ranch. Several of the courses
have started or will be starting soon
with their Fall rates.
Plumas Pines Golf Resort:
Starting mid-October, $55.
Bailey Creek: Fall special,
$72, play all
day, Mon-Thurs, thru Oct. 26
Graeagle Meadows:
Starting mid-October. $35 week, $50
to ride, Mon-Thurs, $45 and $60,
Fri-Sun.
Lake Almanor West: Month of
Oct., golf,
cart, $30 for 18 and $20 for 9.
Whitehawk: Fall rates, $100
Mon-Thurs, $115 Fri-Sun.
Check out the
Plumas County
website for course locations
and contact information.
