#NapaStrong
Blackened hills singe the edges of Napa’s vineyards, east of the Silverado Trail, though the vineyards themselves remain green and gold.
That’s the story of this past month’s wine country fires. Though devastating (41 dead, 220,000 acres and 2,800 homes destroyed), the fires have not broken Napa, Sonoma or Mendocino counties.
Their spirits are strong and ebullient, their wineries largely untouched, their towns as enticing, and their landscapes as beautiful as ever. In two words, “GO NOW!”
Elizabeth Vianna, winemaker at Chimney Rock (untouched by fire that licked at its property line) said, “Vineyards have so much water in them, that they’re almost like a fire break.” That quality protected the vines, though a few wineries, particularly in eastern Napa Valley received significant damage.
Most visitors to the Napa Valley would never notice it, however. Even the blackened hills (seen above) are not that different to the eye than the normally dark foliage of oaks and brush.
What is evident throughout the wine country are the number of signs thanking first responders for saving homes and neighborhoods. Heroic stands occurred that spared many neighborhoods, businesses and wineries. Click images to enlarge.
Today, Canada geese flew low over Napa vineyards, calling to one another. Brightly colored hot air balloons floated slowly in the crisp morning air and people returned to the wine country’s great art galleries, restaurants and tasting rooms.
Fall color has returned to the Napa Valley, as well. Car enthusiasts took pictures of their classic rides on narrow boulevards lined with peaking gingko biloba and vines were showing bright red, yellow and lime, though the vineyards remain mostly patchy. Peak color will continue to appear through Thanksgiving Day in the wine country.
Napa Valley – Near Peak (50-75%) – GO NOW!
More Photographic Perspectives
Fridays are a quiet day to catch up on posting photographs that arrived too late to be included in a timely fall color report. The first selection is of photographs taken by Laura Jean near Hayfork along CA-3, two weeks ago.
The color seen in these images has long since fallen, though her shots provide perspective about what it was like to drive the Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway in late October. Click on photo to enlarge.
Hayfork, Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway (CA-3) – Past Peak – You Missed It.
Also, here is a selection of images contributed by Dona Montuori-Whitaker in mid October. They arrived too late to be posted in a timely fashion, but are now in order to show additional views of Plumas County.
What is particularly striking about the Shasta Cascade region are the number of old wooden bridges, barns and cabins that have aged beautifully and contrast so emotionally with fall color.
Plumas County – Past Peak – You Missed It.
As reported here on the day Tracy Zhou took these photos, peak color has shifted from bigleaf maple, dogwood and cottonwood to black oak in Yosemite National Park.
Redwood Highway – Glimpses of Brilliance
North Coast color spotter Max Forster sends glimpses of brilliance from his most recent tour along the Redwood Highway.
He reports that despite recent rain (perhaps until this weekend), stormy weather has not “truly returned to the North Coast, extending fall color into November.”
As Max predicted in his previous report, peak color has continued and the Roosevelt elk “are still very active” from
Big Lagoon to Prairie Creek State Park.
Redwood National Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park – Peak (75-100%) – Bigleaf maple along Drury Parkway near the Big Tree are the finest Max recalls having seen in years. “Almost all of the trees are peaking together.” GO NOW!
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park – Peak (75-100%) – “The drive through the park
along Howland Hill Road will be very colorful this week, with the forest carpeted in golden vine maple,” Max reported. He hiked the entirety of Mill Creek through the park over this past weekend and found bigleaf maple in top form. GO NOW!
San Rafael’s Maidenhair
Each autumn, maidenhair coifs the streets of San Rafael with bright yellow.
The maidenhair of which we speak are the gingko biloba trees, a good choice to be planted along city streets, not just for their dazzling autumn color, but also because the trees don’t uproot sidewalks and roadways.
Gingko biloba is called a “living fossil,” as it is one of the world’s oldest living species, dating back 270 million years.
Extracts from the gingko are often associated with curing memory loss and sorts of ailments from dementia to Alzheimer’s disease to altitude sickness. Though, it’s never been established, scientifically, that they can do any of this.
And, while gingko seeds are sometimes found in Asian cooking, eaten in large quantities they can be hazardous.
Perhaps someday we will find beneficial uses for the gingko biloba beyond their beauty, though in the first two weeks of November they provide lovely color and form along the streets of San Rafael.
San Rafael – Near Peak (50-75%) – Maidenhair have coiffed the streets of San Rafael. GO NOW!
Statewide Summary: Peak 500′ to 2000′
Peak fall color has descended to elevations below 2,000’. That means the best fall color can now be seen in the Sierra foothills, Gold Country and, increasingly, in the Central Valley.
Splashes of peak color can still be seen at higher elevations, though they are not sufficiently widespread to paint an entire region as peaking. For example, areas of North Lake Tahoe have cottonwood and aspen still full of bright yellow and gold leaves, but travel a mile or so and the trees have been stripped of their leaves.
In the Northern Sierra, Plumas County was in the final stages of peak color this past week, though again, the color is at risk of being stripped. The same is true of other areas above 3,000’ in the Shasta Cascade that had peak color.
The Eastern Sierra, with the exception of Bishop and the Owens Valley are now Past Peak.
The Central Sierra (Yosemite and Kings Canyon Sequoia) are nearing Past Peak. Black oak continue to show bright color in Yosemite Valley, but almost all the dogwood, bigleaf maple and cottonwood are past peak. The Wawona Road in Yosemite is still speckled with bright red, yellow and orange color, though it is falling, increasingly.
In Southern California, all mountain communities above 2,000′ are Past Peak.
With an early winter storm predicted for the weekend, fully peaked color will likely be stripped from mountainous areas.
Peak Fall Color has now descended to from 500 to 2,000’ in elevation. This includes California’s vineyards which filling the vineyards with burgundy, red, orange, yellow and lime grape leaves, by type of grape variety. From now to Thanksgiving Day, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties and northern San Diego County vineyards should have successive shows of bright color by grape variety.
Fires Out, Color Begins to Appear
Now that the fires in Mendocino County are out, color spotters have returned to photographing fall color.
Walt Gabler found Mendocino County’s vineyards to be full of color and Near Peak. As is typical of vineyards, some vines are past peak, others patchy and still others near or at peak.
Walt visited the Nelson Family Vineyards and Saracina Vineyards between Hopland and Ukiah along Highway 101, then traveled the Old River Road along the Russian River between Hopland and Ukiah and near Talmadge along Old River Road, just outside Ukiah.
Hopland/Ukiah – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Lake Camanche Begins to Perc
When the Central Valley begins to perc, Terry Willard at Lake Camanche is one of the first to report.
Lake Camanche is a popular destination east of Lodi, known for camping, fishing and just getting away. In autumn, the lake’s shimmering waters are lit with the reflections of autumn colors from exotic tree of heaven, Chinese pistache, flowering pear and plums.
Native cottonwood are now crested with bright yellow and Valley oaks have not yet turned.
Lake Camanche, Ione – Patchy
Wawona – Vibrant Yellows, Amazing Reds
Yosemite National Park is at the last of its peak. The dogwood, bigleaf maple and cottonwood are past peak, though black oak and willows continue to dazzle.
Mohan Ram describes the Valley’s oaks as “glowing in the sunlight,” though the best show is seen at Wawona along CA-41 that Mohan describes as “stunning throughout the entire stretch from vibrant yellows to amazing reds. Not to be missed!”
Wawona Rd. – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Yosemite Valley (4,000’) – Peak to Past Peak – You Almost Missed It.
Color Along The Midway
The Midway between Durham and Chico, to its north, is still Patchy, though is increasingly showing signs of approaching peak color.
If you go now, you won’t be disappointed, but if you wait until peak is reported there could be nothing by the time you get there. So, our advice is to assess posted photos for when they were taken and what the area might look like in a week or two, then plan accordingly.
Color spotter Danie Schwartz was in Durham a couple of days ago; she found valley oaks showing nice yellow, lime and orange near the Patrick Ranch.
He continued to Chico to find the Esplanade still patchy with Chinese pistachios and Valley oak showing green, yellow and shades of orange, but limited to few trees. Robert Kermen also visited Chico to find ginkgo biloba along the Esplanade near the Bidwell Mansion heavy with gold leaves. These are some of the most beautiful of boulevard trees at maturity, though care should be taken to plant “male” pollinators, as the female ginkgo has an offensive odor.
Robert Kermen returned to the Chico Seed Orchard, operated by Mendocino National Forest on 209 acres. It was established in 1904 by the Agricultural Research Service for the purpose of plant breeding research and plant introduction from all over the world.
Two of the station’s early accomplishments included introducing the pistachio in 1917 and the kiwi in 1934. The “mother” and “father” kiwi are still at the Orchard and are the oldest producing kiwi in the country.”
Persimmons are another of Chico’s crops. Their orchards are peaking and near harvest.
South of Chico in Oroville, Sank Park along Montgomery St. is peaking, with Chinese pistache overhanging the street with yellow, orange and lime leaves.
North of Chico in Paradise, black oaks are at the end of their peak.
In Biggs on Vance Rd., between Feather Road and Pond, trees are patchy with touches of yellow.
Oroville – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Patrick Ranch, Durham – Patchy
Esplanade, Chico – Patchy
Paradise – Peak (75-10%) GO NOW!
Biggs – Patchy
Above Crescent Mills
Anthony Occhipinti of Coruscating Images in Sacramento did it again, flying his drone over Crescent Mills in Plumas County.