Shasta Cascade – Page 16 – California Fall Color

Freeway of Love

Bigleaf maple, Moccasin, CA-89, Plumas County (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Black oak, CA-89, Crescent Mills (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

There’s something about taking a long, slow weekend drive in a classic Cadillac, especially on a beautiful autumn day.

Roll down the windows and take in the sweet smells of autumn leaves as they tumble about you.

I recall drives like that in my mother’s two-toned mint/forest green ’56 Sedan de Ville with satin brocade seats.

Dad had gotten it for a song after it was returned to a dealership when its sale went bad. Suddenly, everyone thought we were rich and snooty. Neither was true, though mom liked to pretend that we had more than we really had.

Indian Creek, CA-89, Crescent MIlls, Plumas County (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

To a kid, mom’s Cadillac was magical. The lights would dim automatically when cars approached. In other cars, the driver would stomp on a floorboard button to dim them. The gas cap was hidden under one of the tail lights. You pushed a reflector to open the fin-shaped dome. And, at 214.5 inches long, there was plenty of leg room for a kid, two kids, three kids, a whole Pack of Cub Scouts, and no seat belts.

In the ’60s, Cadillac was the automotive brand most mentioned in songs. I found a couple of dozen songs that mentioned or were about Caddys, before I gave up counting. Cadillac still holds the number three position for most songs ever written about a car, and they’re some of the best songs ever written. Sure, Brian Wilson wrote “Little Honda,” which is a great song, but it’s about a motorbike, not about a Civic.

So, what do my reminiscences about Cadillacs have to do with fall color? Only that Plumas County color spotter Jeff Luke Titcomb is like me. He knows there’s little in life better than listening to old songs as you slow-drive an oldie-but-goodie down a country road past fall color. And, he did it along the backroads and byways of Plumas County in his classic Caddy, this weekend.

Now, let’s roll down the window, let that warm/crisp autumn air blow our cares away and listen as Aretha sings …

“Oh, we got some places to see
I brought all the maps with me
So jump right in, it ain’t no sin
Take a ride in my machine … “

— Aretha Franklin, Freeway of Love

Indian Valley, Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Round Valley, Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Black oak, Round Valley Reservoir, Greenville, Plumas County (10/27/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

October 28, 2018/by John Poimiroo

High Sierra, Shasta Cascade, Weather

Less To Cheer About

June Lake Loop (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

McGee Creek (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Color spotters may have less to cheer about Sunday afternoon, should strong winds (20 – 30 mph) blow across the High Sierra and Cascades, as now predicted.

Locations shown in this article were photographed within the past week. Today (Fri., Oct. 26), tomorrow (Sat., Oct 27) and Sunday morning (Oct. 28) may be the last days to raise your arms in celebration at these locations, if it is windy on Sunday afternoon.

So, if you wanted to see peak color this autumn at Mono County, Lake Tahoe or Plumas County, change your plans and GO NOW!

McGee Creek (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Convict Lake (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

In anticipation of changing peak areas, we’ve shifted the weather forecast on this site from Mammoth Lakes to Quincy. When judging weather (temp., precip., wind), please keep this in mind.

Should high winds arrive Sunday afternoon, peaked leaves will be stripped quickly from the trees and the peak color you see in these photos will be gone.

That does not mean, however, that California’s autumn show will end.

Trees still carrying green, lime or freshly yellow leaves will not lose many from the wind. And, areas not yet at Peak will continue to develop fall color. They include the: Western Sierra (Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, Kings Canyon NP, Calaveras Big Trees SP) , Southern California mountains, Trinity County, North Coast, Gold Country, all wine country regions, Central Valley orchards and California’s urban forests.

Nevertheless, if you want to see June Lake, Lake Tahoe, or Plumas County this autumn, get there before Sunday afternoon. Any later and we may be reporting, YOU MISSED IT!

Conway Summit (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

(10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Conway Summit (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Beaver Ponds, Lundy Canyon (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Aspen, June Lake Loop (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Cyclists, June Lake Loop (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

June Lake Loop (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Silver Lake, June Lake Loop (10/24/18) Josh Wray/Mammoth Lakes Tourism

Twin Lakes, Mono County (10/21/18) Rodney Chai

Conway Summit (10/21/18) Rodney Chai

McGee Creek Canyon (10/21/18) Rodney Chai

McGee Creek Campground (10/21/18) Rodney Chai

Lundy Canyon (10/20/18) Crys Black

Upper Summers Meadow (10/20/18) Crys Black

Twin Lakes, Mono County (10/20/18) Crys Black

Luther Pass, CA-89 (10/20/18) John King

Black oak, Greenville (10/21/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

Black oak, Hideaway Motel, Greenville (10/21/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

October 26, 2018/2 Comments/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Shasta Cascade

Shasta Reflections

Burney Falls, Burney (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

Lake Britton, Burney (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

Mt Shasta, Siskiyou Lake (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

Siskiyou Lake (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

Siskiyou Lake, Mt Shasta (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

Siskyou Lake (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

Few color spotters explore Shasta County, as it has a fairly narrow window of color due to similar elevations. It’s also a long drive for many, though worth it, if only to visit McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park.

President Theodore Roosevelt called Burney Falls in the park, “The eighth wonder of the world.” It’s a spring-fed waterfall whose stream both falls from above and pours through thousands of openings in its porous volcanic basalt rock cliff.

Emerald green moss on the cliff is framed by orange-yellow black oak and yellow bigleaf maple. The scene is a fantasy setting.

Ravi Ranganathan was there on Saturday. He also visited Lake Siskyou and scored First Reports for Britton Lake and the Upper McCloud River.

All are Near Peak, so there’s time to plan a trip to the Shasta County, which will be at peak for the next week and a half.

Upper McCloud River (10/20/18) Ravi Ranganathan

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, Burney (2,783′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Lake Britton, Burney (2,717′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Lake Siskyou, Mt Shasta (3,185′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

October 25, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Shasta Cascade

Coffee Creek Perks

Pacific dogwood, Coffee Creek, Trinity County (10/21/18) Jeri Rangel

Bigleaf maple, Coffee Creek, Trinity County (10/21/18) Jeri Rangel

Trinity County’s Coffee Creek is beginning to perk with pink Pacific dogwood, yellow bigleaf maple and orange-red Indian rhubarb peaking concurrently.

In other parts of California, dogwood and Indian rhubarb have peaked, but at Coffee Creek, it’s still possible to find forests blushing with their colors.

Coffee Creek (3,068′) – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!

Fremont cottonwood, Strawhouse Resort, Trinity River (10/23/18) Julia Ellis

Indian rhubarb, Coffee Creek, Trinity County (10/21/18) Jeri Rangel

October 25, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Shasta Cascade

Surprising Susanville

Susanville, CA-36 (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

We didn’t expect much as we drove toward Susanville on CA-36, this past Sunday.

Willows along the Susan River were dry and colorless, but then the hills surrounding Susanville began to light up with orange-yellow black oak sprinkled along a ridge of conifers.

Then, “Surprise, surprise,” the drive through Susanville, then south on US 395, beside Honey Lake and past Janesville and Milford, massive black oak and Fremont cottonwood popped with gorgeous color, backlit by the afternoon sun.

Susanville (4,186′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Susanville, CA-36 (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Black oak, Milford, US-395 (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

October 24, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Hike of the Week, Shasta Cascade

Hike to Faery Falls

Faery Falls, Mt. Shasta (10/21/18) Laura Jean

Trail to Ney Springs, Mt. Shasta (10/21/18) Laura Jean

Ney Springs Creek, southwest of the town of Mt. Shasta, was the site of a busy resort in the 19th century. A series of springs there attracted patrons in search of rest and recuperation, writes HikeMtShasta.com.

“Today, the resort is gone and nature is reclaiming what little of it remains,” the site explains.

A short distance from the site of the old resort is idyllic Faery Falls. “The falls are easily accessed on an old road that is, like the resort, slowly being taken over by the surrounding forest.”

Color spotter Laura Jean hiked the old road to Faery Falls through a forest of Peak bigleaf maple.

Maple leaves lie floating upon a clear pool at the base of the falls, which is surrounded by emerald green moss, qualifying this beautiful trail as Hike of the Week.

Faery Falls, Mt. Shasta – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

October 24, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Shasta Cascade, Special Report

Legends and the Land

Keddie Ridge, Plumas County (10/21/18) Jeff Luke Titcomb

All cultures pass stories and legends from generation to generation. Some are related to religious or origin beliefs, others to civil or moral codes. Some are intended as guidance to children, while others are of family or tribal history.

California native people retold many legends about land features, and it is impossible to scout for fall color without being at places that were described in these legends.

When filing a report about fall color in the Indian Valley, Jeff Luke Titcomb mentioned “Indian Head” a feature of Keddie Ridge in Plumas County that is now skirted with golden yellow maples and orange/yellow oaks, saying the Mountain Maidu people of Northeast California tell stories of its origin.

In Jeff’s picture above, rock outcroppings on the ridge resemble the face and body of a sleeping man. According to Mountain Maidu legend, an ancient giant once traveled the world measuring the depths of lakes and streams. After measuring a lake atop the ridge, he was so fatigued that he lay down to rest and fell into a deep sleep. He never awoke, and his reclining figure is seen to this day. According to Maidu elders, when he eventually awakes, it will mark the end of our time on Earth.

By learning legends, such as this, we enrich our search for fall color, gain a greater connection to the places we visit, better appreciate the cultures that preceded us, and sustain their memory.

To know more about Mountain Maidu legends that are connected to auto tours of Plumas County’s Indian Valley, CLICK HERE.

October 23, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, Shasta Cascade

One Fine Day

Courthouse Park, Quincy (10/21/18) Michael Beatley

Plumas County Veterans Memorial, Courthouse Park, Quincy (10/21/18) Michael Beatley

Plumas County Superior Court, Quincy (10/21/18) Michael Beatley

Yesterday was one fine day in Quincy.

I got there about noon, and it was beautiful. I could see, however, that it would get better later that day. Regretably, I had a schedule to keep that didn’t involve lingering to see it.

Michael Beatley didn’t have the same restriction and got there in the late afternoon, to capture Quincy at its best.

Plumas County’s fall color is everywhere you drive, right now. It rolls over ridges and down hillsides in avalanches of muted orange, auburn and yellow.

Along highways that wind through Plumas National Forest, sparkling splashes of lemony yellow and deep gold appear at every turn.

Black oak are an emerging blend of evolving green, yellow and orange leaves.

Country villages like Greenville virtually glow from towering, iridescent-yellow Fremont cottonwood and pop with spots of hot red.

As for Quincy, I was lucky to be there on one fine day (my photos will appear in a separate post).

Sky-scraping crimson, orange, electric yellow and lime foliage crowned the town’s skyline on approach. Once in Quincy, the color was everywhere. Though, the Thieler Tree, Quincy’s famous sugar maple, had just passed Peak. Its red and orange leaves had curled and were sprinkled like confetti at the corner of Lee Way and West High St.

Peak color will continue to be seen through this week, but will weaken slowly throughout town as more leaves fall.

Plumas County, on the other hand, has two more weeks of peak, conditions permitting.

Quincy – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!

Quincy (10/21/18) Michael Beatley

Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Plumas County Superior Court, Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Courthouse Park, Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Plumas County Superior Court, Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Courthouse Park, Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Courthouse Park, Quincy (10/21/18) Michael Beatley

Quincy (10/21/18) Michael Beatley

Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Feather River Hot Springs (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

Plumas County Superior Court Annex, Quincy (10/21/18) John Poimiroo

October 22, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Adventure, Fall Color Report, Hike of the Week, Shasta Cascade

Hike of the Week: Cascade Trail

Cascade Trail (10/21/18) Ravi Ranganathan

In summer, Plumas County’s Cascade Trail is a short hike to swimming holes. In autumn, it’s a favorite hike to fall color reflected in Spanish Creek.

Ravi Ranganathan hiked this popular trail on Friday and found it “filled with beautiful colors. I hiked ‘til the point where I could find a couple of wooden bridges. Looking down, the view of the stream was amazing with the fall colors reflected with gold.”

Five small falls comprise the cascade along the trail, which is easy and a mile in length. Take CA-70 west 5.1 miles from Quincy; turn right at Old Highway and follow a paved road .7 mi. past several homes, turn left onto a dirt road and travel .4 mi to a rocky parking area.

The trail is mostly wide and level though narrows at points and can be slippery. It was built originally to transport water for hydraulic mining and was later used as a supply road for the Western Pacific RR.

Cascade Trail is this week’s Hike of the Week.

Cascade Trail, Plumas County – Peak (75-100%) Go Now!

Cascade Trail (10/21/18) Ravi Ranganathan

October 22, 2018/by John Poimiroo

Fall Color Report, First Report, Shasta Cascade

Plumose Plumas

Community United Methodist Church, Quincy (10/20/18) Michael Beatley

Quincy (10/19/18)Ravi Ranganathan

Plumas County is absolutely beatific.

Peak fall color is brightening all its byways and Quincy, the county seat, has never looked better.

Michael Beatley, Phillip Reedy and Ravi Ranganathan have been working the byways, backroads and city streets of Quincy to show Plumas and its environs at plumose perfection.

Beatley describes Quincy as “gorgeous right now. Beautiful peak with blue skies, daytime temps low 70s, nights 25-32 degrees. The wonderful thing about Quincy, is that all its downtown power lines were buried years ago. No telephone poles. The whole town is full of beautiful foliage.”

To get this fabulous light, he was up at dawn to shoot historic Plumas Superior Courthouse and Community United Methodist Church bathed in color so angelic, it makes me want to genuflect.

Ravi began his photo safari in Quincy, but then traveled to Oakland Camp where “the rhubarbs were mirrored gloriously along Spanish Creek.”

Oakland Camp, Feather River (10/19/18) Ravi Ranganathan

The highlight of Ravi’s Plumas County fall color excursion was a hike along the Cascades Trail “with beautiful colors all along. I hiked ’til I came upon a couple of wooden bridges. Looking down, the view of the stream was amazing with the fall colors reflected with gold.” (First Report)

Ravi’s fall color expedition included stops at Thompson Lake, Bucks Lake and Big Creek Road, all “filled with aspen, oak and maple. He had used CaliforniaFallColor.com to research the places he wanted to photograph and gave a nod of thanks to Michael Beatley and Jeff Luke Titcomb for additional guidance and inspiration.

What Ravi accomplished in capturing in a short amount of time was nothing short of astonishing, hitting a number of Plumas highlights.

Plumas County Superior Courthouse, Quincy (10/19/18) Phillip Reedy

Similar to Ranganathan’s photo tour, Reedy began in Quincy, then toured through the Lakes Basin and down Hwy 49 to Downieville along the north fork of the Yuba.

Phil said “Quincy looks lovely, although the maples at the courthouse still have a bit to go to reach full color. Perhaps another week will do it.” That’s good news for anyone reading this, as there’s a week to get there and still see it at peak, though as Ravi’s photographs show, aspen at Thompson Lake are dropping color.

One of the reasons Plumas County is such a great fall color destination is that a variety of trees show at one elevation in successive displays over about three weeks: first pink dogwood, then yellow aspen, then golden bigleaf maple, then multicolored exotics, and finally orange black oak.

Reedy said CA-70 from Quincy to Graeagle is showing “a lot of oaks at Peak color right now and very pretty. There are some aspens in the Lakes Basin area, but nothing too exciting when compared to areas like Hope Valley.”

Yuba River, Sierra City (10/19/18) Phillip Reedy

Salmon Creek, Sierra City (10/19/18) Phillip Reedy

Yuba River, Downieville (10/19/18) Phillip Reedy

Black oak, Quincy to Graeagle (10/19/18) Phillip Reedy

Sardine Lake (10/19/18) Phillip Reedy

He continued, between 5,000 and 6,000′ along CA-49 east of Sierra City, “the aspens are definitely at peak or a bit beyond. Downstream between Sierra City and Downieville there are nice colors from big leaf maples, but I would guess another week will be needed to fully develop the colors.”