Going, going .... but not
quite gone. Yes, some of the
leaves seem to realize that winter
doesn't officially start until December
21st, as they hesitate to drop to
the ground. As was aptly stated by
J. Davies on
Plumas County News online, "..nature
seemed to be a bit independent in
showing the change of season nearly tree
by tree" which has meant visitors and
residents have been witness to fall
colors longer than usual.
During this time of seasonal transition,
towns around Plumas County are gearing
up for the holiday season. This
past weekend folks enjoyed an evening
walking around
downtown Quincy and viewing the work of
several featured local artists. And
during the day, store merchants in
Crescent Mills, Taylorsville and
Greenville had 'open house' days to
welcome in the holiday season. As you
can see from the photos, below and
right, from Ryan Exner of Indian
Valley, a good time was had by all.
This is just the beginning of the
festivities scheduled to happen Plumas
County, so keep checking the
calendar
of events and the
Plumas
Buzz to see what's ahead....
November 8, 2008
We knew it had to happen
eventually .... the wonderful autumn
colors that painted the
riverbanks and hillsides of Plumas
County this past month are fading as
more trees drop their leaves. The
magnificent maple outside the Visitors
Bureau has lost most of its leaves,
which have created an interesting mosaic
in the courtyard (at right.)
In Quincy, the morning fog has
finally given way to blue skies and
views of the surrounding hillsides where
patches of autumn color are still
visible (below).
Though the last leaf hasn't fallen, the
Awesome Autumn blog (this is its
11 year anniversary!!) is
coming to a close very soon. What
started in the mid-90's as a way for the
Visitors Bureau to deal with the
increasing number of phone calls related
to fall foliage in the northern Sierra,
has led to a very successful and
informative blog enjoyed and used by.
Each year, something new is brought to
the Awesome Autumn campaign, and this
year it was the ad in AAA Westways
magazine, which is distributed to
Southern Californians. The response was
overwhelming ....
The Visitors Bureau experienced 419
walk-in visitors and 60 of those said
the Westways ad was the way they had
discovered Plumas County as a fall
destination. Most of the walk-ins
were first time visitors to the area
(some from as far away as Thailand and
Korea!), but we also enjoyed catching up
with a number of repeat visitors.
It was a busy, but fun time for the
staff at the Visitors Bureau as they
answered 165 phone calls and emails
regarding fall colors, handed out 189
leaf-peeper windshield cleaning kits,
and answered the many questions of
prospective leaf-peepers. We hope
that all our visitors had a great time!
It is also time to thank everyone
who contributed to the Awesome Autumn
blog by sending us leaf-peeper reports
and photos - you are AWESOME!
We will post one more time on Monday
before switching back to the Plumas
Buzz blog, so if you have any last
reports, comments or photos you would
like us to include, send them along!
November 6, 2008
We're
in the final stretch of fall foliage
here in Plumas County. But there's
still a lot of beauty out there and the
leaf-peepers are still coming!
We've heard from several folks heading
up today to take advantage of the good
weather before the weekend, when it
looks like rain may be returning, at
least on Saturday.
These pictures taken on Hwy. 70
between Graeagle and Quincy
(westbound) show that there's still some
color yet to come (yellow cottonwoods at
Massack Rest Area) but the oaks at
Spring Garden (below) are definitely
gettin
g
that "dotted" look, meaning that leaves
are soon to fall. We expect that the
Feather River Canyon is doing well
now and would be an ideal route to
either travel up or back.
Already in the mood to holiday
shop? You can take in two special
events happening this weekend. The
Indian Valley area has a Merchants Open
House Fri-Sun, with lots of refreshments
and great deals. Quincy Merchants also
will be offering their Holiday Preview
on Saturday from 8-4 p.m. with
drawings, goodies and free gift
wrapping. And while you're at it, you
can even get the holiday spirit really
early -- and
cut your own Christmas tree. There
are plenty of conifers to choose from in
the forest and a tree-cutting permit is
just $10.
November 4, 2008
Just as the weather folks
predicted, today is starting out to be
gorgeous in
Quincy, with patchy clouds
and plenty of blue sky.
Despite the heavy rain last night, the
cottonwood and oak leaves are hanging on
and as vibrant as ever, and look amazing
with the snow-dusted peaks in the
background. But it is quite nippy
out there, so bundle up!
These photos were taken by
Terri Rust this morning on the drive
from Meadow Valley to Quincy.
To give you an idea of the snow level,
the summit of Spanish Peak, above, is at
an elevation of 7,017 feet while the
meadow in the foreground is about 3,700
feet.
Elsewhere in the the county .... on
her way to Quincy from Graeagle,
Suzi reported this morning that there
are several areas along the drive (Hwy
70) where the cottonwoods are brilliant,
especially near the Massack Rest
Area.
Two very nice visitors,
Dwayne and Lynn, all the way from
Georgia, stopped into the Visitors
Bureau on their way to Lassen Volcanic
National Park today. They had been
down the Feather River Canyon (Hwy
70) yesterday and said it was
looking pretty nice - that was
through the rain! Their enthusiasm
and appreciation for this special place
was obvious and we hope they come again
someday!
While most locations in northern
California are saying good-bye to fall
as they welcome the first winter snow,
Plumas County is still enjoying the
best of both seasons due to the wide
variation in elevations throughout the
county. As regional leaf-peeper
coordinator John Poimiroo gave his final
fall color report today wrote, "...snow
provides spectacular contrast in
locations where you can see fall color
in the foreground and snow-covered
peaks in the distance. That's
happening in the northern Sierra of
Plumas County..."
Weather is predicted to be clear
through the week, so catch the leaves
before they fall....but don't forget to
layer and bring a warm coat!i
November 3, 2008
Everyone must be wondering
about the weather, and how this is going
to affect the
leaves. Despite the rainy weather,
leaf-peepers are happy to report that
there is still plenty of color and
though some leaves have dropped, it
still looks like "peak" out there.
In fact, the rainy conditions
actually make the colors, especially
yellow, even more vibrant! Check out the
photos taken this morning right
outside the Visitors Center!
The drive from Lake Almanor
to Quincy, especially around the
Greenville area, was surprisingly
beautiful this past weekend, according
to Terri Rust, whose enthusiasm wasn't
the least bit dampened by the fact that
she had to work outside in the rain over
the weekend.
"The contrast of bright yellow
cottonwood and bronze oaks against a
misty background was breathtaking and
there were definitely opportunities to
take pictures during lulls in the rain,"
Rust said.
Reports from Eastern Plumas
area are similar -- the leaves are still
hanging in and it's beautiful. "They are
starting to have that look of an
Impressionist painting, especially in
the mist," says Suzi Brakken of
Graeagle.
As for the weather ... the
forecasters are predicting a cooler
storm system moving through for today
and tonight with a possibility of snow
down to 5000 feet. However, this
is expected to clear on Tuesday with
a return to clear skies towards the
middle/end of the week ... and as a
reminder of what fall in Plumas County
looks like under blue skies, check out
these beautiful photos that we received
from photographer, Tony
Mindling last Friday.
"I spent a day in the
Graegle area, heading down to Clio
for some nice photos of gorgeous
cottonwoods along the Middle Fork of the
Feather and Sulfur Creek where they join
at River's Edge RV Park. (see right)
A polarizer and tripod helped to
dramatize the sky and bring out the
colors reflected in the mirror-like
water - lucky it was a windless
morning."
Tony also took a drive toward Lake
Davis, "From Portola I followed
the Lake Davis Road and found aspen at
their peak just before reaching the
summit."(below)
Imagine what the fall
colors will look like against a backdrop
of snow-dusted peaks ... !
November 1, 2008
Even though the rain is still coming
down, you can still take some nice
drives to see fall foliage. The oaks
and cottonwoods along highway 70
from Quincy to Graeagle are still
orangey-red and yellow, and
the color along the banks of the
middle fork of the Feather River
is beautiful. The bridge that
crosses over the middle fork in Sloat
near Cromberg has some nice
color, and you can either drive or take
a hike back by Poplar Valley. Of
course you can always take in any number
of indoor activities including visiting
any of Plumas counties wonderful museums
or stopping in at one of the many
charming local shops to browse.
With the first day of November comes the
first sign of the upcoming holidays.
Christmas tree permits
officially go on sale throughout the
county today. The visitors center
in Quincy is just one of many
locations where you can purchase one. A
$10.00 permit buys you any size
and type of tree, and you can purchase
two permits per household. When
was the last time you bought an 9 or10
foot (or taller) Silver Tip or Douglas
Fir tree for $10.00? Families from
all over have made it a tradition to
visit Plumas County, find a great place
to stay, and then go out to find “the
perfect tree” to take home and
decorate. It’s a wonderful way to spend
time together by getting away to a
serene, pine scented forest in the
mountains and just having some good
old-fashioned fun!
