Archive for category: What They’re Saying

Chris Erskine of the travel desk at the LA Times posted a nod to California Fall Color for our reporting of what’s happening at Mammoth Lakes this week.  CLICK HERE to read the story.

Dave Henry and The Sacramento Bee have always done a great job reporting fall color. Now, they’ve introduced a new map that is the best depiction that we have yet seen of where the color is showing in the High Sierra (hopefully, across California). We’ve linked to the new map in Colorful Links, though here’s a snapshot of what it looks like.

The Sacramento Bee – Fall Color Map

We often hear it said that there is no change of seasons in California.  One spotter recently said a friend describes California has having two seasons: green and gold.  Well, pardners, that’s pure bunk, fiddle-dee-dee and nonsense.  You just have to know when and where to see the change of seasons.  Apologies if the coarseness of our previous exclamation has shocked any of our more easily offended readers, but when it comes to defending the spectacular change of seasons to be seen here, we get downright “miffed.”

Clearly others around our state go to similar lengths to do the same.  Recently, Wendy Abrams, writing for the Los Angeles Times, drove a doubting Thomas from Vermont (we don’t actually know if her New England friend’s name was Thomas) to the Eastern Sierra to prove Wendy’s assertion that California has great fall color, too.

Wendy hit it right, as this year the color – Good Golly, Miss Molly! – is turning earlier than ever.  Follow this link to see what Wendy and her friend saw: http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-california-fall-colors-20130917,0,6468626.photogallery

Put on 3-D glasses to watch this fun YouTube video by Jim Carbonetti.  It’ll come right at ya.

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Los Angeles Times travel writer Chris Erskine is the kind of guy you’d like to pal around with as he travels the backroads of California in his rented Ford.  Erskine knows the backwater places where interesting characters tell fascinating stories.

That kind of traveled writer knows what’s genuine and intriguing.  So, when he called and, with journalistic skepticism, said he planned to search for the color we describe in this blog, I worried he might miss it by leaving for the Eastern Sierra too late in the month and arriving after a storm had ruined what’s been glorious, so far.  Sure enough, snow fell just before his trip.

A medium as influential as the LA Times could, with one disappointing experience, reinforce the belief that California doesn’t have great fall color.  It’s easy to conclude, from our state’s tropical palm trees, sunglass-wearing celebrities and sun-drenched beaches, that California has only one season… summer.  And, Los Angelenos (along with most Californians) live along the coast where (except in dazzling pockets) little fall color is seen.  Even in his article, Erskine described this blog as containing “improbable postings.”

However, seeing is believing, and California didn’t disappoint.  The spectacular fall color identified within this blog proved not to be inspired by delerium.  Erskine described what he was seeing as “stunning” and “majestic” when he called from the road.  The storm we fretted about hadn’t blown away the beauty.  It only enhanced it, dusting High Sierra ranges with white, while firey red, orange and yellow reflected below upon “sapphire” waters.

To read Chris Erskine’s story, CLICK HERE.