Chico – Kaching!

Çolor spotters are beginning to cash in by heading to Chico, as autumn color is sprinting through Patchy toward Near Peak.

Less than a week ago, we were reporting Chico as Just Starting, but these photographs sent to us by color spotter Robert Kerman show a different story… one worth a road trip and worth photographing.

Robert visited a few of his “favorite haunts for fall color,” including the U.S. Forest Service’s seed farm in Chico (First Report), whose main road is lined with colorful Chinese pistache, now just approaching Near Peak. They should be good for another two weeks.

He passed through another “pistache tunnel” along the “Midway” between Chico and Durham, near walnut orchards featured on 10/23; and found “awesome colors” at forested Bidwell Park in Chico, where The Adventures of Robin Hood was filmed in 1938, winning three Oscars.

So, Sherwood, do you plan to be one of Chico’s Merry men and women this weekend? If so, it looks like the fall color hunting will be Oscar-nomination-worthy.

Chico (197′) – Patchy (10-50%) – While Chico doesn’t yet show enough color to get a GO NOW! alert, fall color there is progressing rapidly. Chico should be peaking the first week of November. On our must-see list are: Midway (between Durham and Chico), walnut orchards, Bidwell Park, Esplanade and Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina.