Here’s video verification as to why California’s Eastern Sierra is one of the most beautiful places in America to see fall color. An oldie, but goodie.
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Ginkgo trees © 2011 DesktopNexus
Ginkgo trees are gold and bold in Redding, according to an article posted today by the Redding Record. The showy trees are described as, “Pretty, prehistoric and sometimes putrid…” “tough enough to withstand an atomic bomb; and old enough to be called living fossils.”
“The trees have quite a track record,” the Record reports, having “outlived the dinosaurs. Even an atomic bomb didn’t faze them. Several ginkgos survived the blast of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in World War II and are still living, notes the The Ginkgo Pages, a website devoted to ginkgo trees.”
Marie Stadther, lead gardener for Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, which has among its facilities the Mediterranean-focused McConnell Arboretum and Garden, praises the Ginkgo for its”deep roots” which make “them unlikely to pop walkways or crack patios the way shallow-rooted trees do.”
The ginkgo tree is the lone survivor of the ancient family Ginkgoaceae. Fossils of ginkgo leaves date back more than 250 million years, according to an Oregon Department of Forestry publication. It is thought to have once covered the globe, but then the ice age shrank the tree’s territory and the tree was thought to be extinct until 1691, according to the Record. There male and female ginkgos with female trees producing seeds with a yellow, fleshy exterior that drop in autumn and begin to ferment, giving off an offensive odor. “Because of the stench, there’s little demand for female trees,” the Record reports, “Places to see mature ginkgos in Redding include Oregon Street near the downtown post office, the Sundial Bridge parking lot and the northeast side of Shasta College’s theater building. And now is the time to take a look. Ginkgos are in their glory in autumn.”
CLICK HERE to read more.
Yosemite Valley © 2006 John Poimiroo
KCET-TV blog editor-in-chief, Zach Behrens contacted us for our views on the best color spots in California. There are just too many, but given Zach’s limitation, we settled on seven general areas. To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
Sorenson’s Resort in the Hope Valley posted this video recently. It shows the intense color to be seen in weeks to come in the Sierra. With the snow behind us, scenes like this will be playing out this weekend in the Eastern Sierra along U.S. 395.
DogTrekker.com – the website for advice on where to travel with your dog in Northern California – lists U.S. 395 “right up there” with Highway 1 as one of California’s most scenic highways, and in autumn, there’s no competition. U.S. 395 is the color champion. In recent editions, DogTrekker has reported on where to travel with Fido. CLICK HERE for a link to those tips.
Additional tips come from color spotter Rachel Anderson of the Owens Valley who says that Bishop Creek Canyon offers many colorful dog-friendly trails. She recommends heading first to South Lake, Sabrina Lake, the Tyee Lakes and Intake 2 up the canyon. In a few weeks, look to the Bishop Canal System for walkable dirt roads beside canals and among colorful cottonwood in Bishop, Calif.
When taking your dog into the Inyo National Forest, be mindful to: leave disruptive dogs at home, keep dogs leashed (not more than six feet in length) when on trails, bed dogs inside enclosed vehicles or tents at night and bring not more than two dogs camping. Maps of hiking trails and walks in the forest are available at USFS Visitor Centers. A dog rest area is located at Bishop City Park.
DogTrekker, the email newsletter for northern Californians who seek advice on traveling with their dogs, recommends November as an ideal month for autumn walks with Rover. Today’s edition recommends trails in the East Bay, South Bay, along the newly completed Sacramento River Trail in Redding, along the South Yuba Independence Trail, and in Marin County at Fort Baker on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. We’ve seen fall color in each of those areas, but even if it isn’t showing when you’re walking your dog, it’s a good day anyway, because you’ve got your best friend with you!
To receive DogTrekker, CLICK HERE.
This was posted on YouTube two weeks ago, but it shows some of the color seen then in this beautiful part of California. Jack Durst provides good information about the Hope Valley near Lake Tahoe, photographing fall color and how fall color develops.
The national travel magazine Travel + Leisure, has rated the Eastern Sierra’s US 395 among the top dozen best fall color drives in the nation. To read what the magazine reported, CLICK HERE.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1y631q2NjY
For those of you unable to visit the Eastern Sierra in autumn, click on the play button to see what you’re missing (the video was shot some months ago, but the scenes are similar to what’s happening now).
Each year, Dave Henry of the Sacramento Bee produces one of the most comprehensive websites covering Sierra fall color. The photographs taken by Dave and contributors are beautiful, though perhaps the best aspect is the Bee’s Interactive Guide to the High Sierra. This map shows the various roads to be taken to fall color in the Sierra, with colored arrows indicating at what stage the color is showing and where it’s happening. CLICK HERE to see this great website.