Death Valley Crossing
The story of the first crossing of Death Valley is an epic tale of ’49ers who attempted a late autumn trek from the Great Salt Lake to California’s gold fields by way of the “Old Spanish Trail,” which was purported to travel around the southern end of the Sierra.
By the time they neared Death Valley, they’d run out of water, abandoned their wagons, and killed their oxen and horses for sustenance. An early snow storm provided life-saving water.
Only one of the party, which had split into separate groups, died along the route, but as they made their way west over the Panamint Range, someone is said to have turned back to look upon the deep valley they’d struggled to cross and proclaimed, “Goodbye, Death Valley.”
And so, the valley was named.
Northern California color spotter Crys Black made her own Death Valley crossing over the Thanksgiving Day weekend. She wrote, “After struggling to get to the Eastern Sierra on Wednesday night, we enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving at The Rafters in Mammoth Lakes.
“Foiled from traversing desert trails due to road closures, we went down Lower Rock Creek Rd and were stunned to see some color still hanging in that little community near the bottom that calls itself Paradise with these photos taken near the Lower Rock Creek Trail Lower Trailhead.
“Suddenly hopeful, we spent the weekend around Death Valley. Beatty, NV, home to wild donkeys, and Lone Pine were both in full and glorious peak color.
“We were terribly thankful to have been at the right places to continue to enjoy a continuing, wonderful fall color season,” Crys concluded.
We turn back and add, “Goodbye, Fall Color.”
LAte Start
The LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden seems to be having a LAte start this autumn, though December is always when LA shows its best.
A colorful addition this autumn/winter season is Moonlight Forest, a display of magical lanterns that will glow at The Arboretum, Wed. – Sun. nights until Jan. 6.
Most of the color to be seen at The Arboretum is happening at night, right now. Though color spotter Frank McDonough sends this portfolio of what fall color is now appearing in the garden.
- LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden – Patchy to Near Peak (10-75%) GO NOW!
Livermore Valley
Pleasanton is aptly named.
Located in the Livermore Valley, northeast of the Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley), Pleasanton is the wealthiest mid-sized city in America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and was ranked by USA Today in 2014 as #4 among America’s 50 best cities in which to live.
As pleasant as the town is, I wish they’d kept its original name, El Alisal, The Sycamores. As, in late November Pleasanton is a place to find beautiful fall color, including among its sycamores.
Anirudh Natekar explored Pleasanton and Livermore yesterday, scoring a First Report and sending these views of the beauty to be seen there. Hurry as it’s just about gone.
- Livermore (495′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
- Pleasanton (351′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
From Landscape to Moonscape
In a day, most of Malibu Canyon was transformed from a verdant landscape to a moonscape of ash and charred tree limbs.
Mark Harding found “a mix of devastation and beauty” there that was scorched by the Woolsey Fire that ignited on Nov. 8.
He found areas within Malibu Canyon, along Piuma Road, Malibu Creek and Malibu Creek State Park painted fluorescent pink with fire retardant or holding on to the last of autumnal color.
- Malibu Canyon – Peak to Past Peak, You Almost Missed It.
Fabled Hills of Western Lore
The Alabama Hills, in the shadow of Mt. Whitney in California’s southern Eastern Sierra, are a fabled landscape.
Virtually hundreds of films and television episodes were filmed there including such epic productions as Gunga Din and The Charge of the Light Brigade, though the Alabama Hills’ rounded and weathered rocks are visually synonymous with classic “Westerns.”
John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, Clint Eastwood, William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), Roy Rogers, Will Rogers, Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger), Jimmy Stewart, Hoot Gibson and countless other Hollywood cowboys were ambushed among its rocks, draws and arches.
The hills were named by Confederate sympathizers after they heard news of the Confederate States Ship Alabama’s successes in raiding U.S. ships during the Civil War. The miners named many of their claims after the CSS Alabama and the name came to be applied to the entire range.
The Bureau of Land Management now manages the Alabama Hills which is a popular place for hiking, off-road touring, amateur astronomy (due to its clear skies), motion picture history and photography.
Color spotter Clayton Peoples visited on Sunday. He said, “I was delighted to find that fall color was still hanging on in the Alabama Hills. In fact, it was still what I would consider Peak and was some of some of the finest color I’ve ever encountered there.”
This is not unusual for the Alabama Hills. Photographs of the tree have been published here the past two Januarys, certifying California’s five-month display of peak fall color.
Clayton found the cottonwood “bearing a full coat of golden-yellow leaves.” And, in true ‘Westerns’ narrative style, continued, “Meanwhile, along Lone Pine Creek the variety of trees and shrubs that line its banks were sporting full color, ranging from yellow to orange to brown.”
Randolph Scott would be proud.
- Alabama Hills – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
East Bay Roundup
The San Francisco Bay Area is usually best around Thanksgiving Day. Yet, because the holiday was the earliest it’s been in years, there’s still another week of peak color to be seen in Bay Area cities.
On a weekend trip to attend the CU/Cal football game, I found Walnut Creek showing bright splashes of maroon, orange-red, russet and honey-colored trees. Orinda had peaked, though spots of gold appear. Berkeley was mostly brown with touches of saffron and carnelian. The same for Downtown San Leandro, where exotics dominate. Namita Mishra sent a shot of San Ramon, flush with bright color.
Color spotter Surjanto Suradji returned to his hometown of Danville for the holidays. Danville is 30 minutes east of San Francisco and described by Surjanto as located “in a narrow section of the San Ramon Valley between Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas Ridge.”
“Often referred to as the ‘Heart of the San Ramon Valley,’ Danville was first populated by Native Americans who lived near creeks and camped on Mount Diablo in the summer.
Danville was later “part of Mission San José’s grazing land and a Mexican land grant called Rancho San Ramon.” As seen in the above picture, Danville’s urban forest is filled with lurid autumn color in the last two weeks of November.
In the middle of it stands the town’s “most iconic and beloved landmark, the Old Oak Tree,” Danville.com reports. “The town’s official symbol is 65-feet tall and estimated to be 350-years-old.”
The town’s most cherished event is the annual “Lighting of the Old Oak Tree,” which was held on the Friday evening following Thanksgiving Day (Note: Be there in 2019).
Danville.com continues, “An estimated 7,500 people gather around the tree to see Father Christmas and Snow Angel flip the switch on thousands of twinkling lights, to many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the crowd. There’s entertainment, refreshments, and holiday shopping amidst a decorated downtown. It’s been called a magical evening, and one of the best examples of community life in Danville.
“The tree lighting event dates back to the 1970s, and according to historical records, actually started as a campaign to save the tree from being destroyed.
“Artist and then Danville merchant Carmen De Vivi, alarmed by piles of debris around the base of the tree during a road-widening project, discovered that the root system had been severely compromised. He approached officials suggesting a community-wide effort to preserve the tree, recommending they draw attention to the cause by lighting the tree with as many lights as possible. The idea was unanimously approved, and soon it was decided to light the tree every holiday season. De Vivi himself played Father Christmas for 15 years.
“De Vivi wasn’t the only one to voice concern over the tree’s health. In the late ’80s, after being told the tree was nearing the end of its life, the town planted a replacement oak just to the west nicknamed ‘Son of Oak.’ A decade later an investigation found the tree’s root structure was rotting and the tree itself was in danger of toppling. In 2001 the town constructed a sturdy steel support structure around the tree.
“Over the years, the valley oak (Quercus lobata) has served as an important communications hub. Banners announcing birthdays or anniversaries have appeared around the trunk, along with flyers for events around town.”
For Danville’s dedication to its old oak and because few other Bay Area autumn displays compare, Danville is declared “Peak of the Week.”
- Danville (358′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Home for the Holiday
From the far-flung places Philip Reedy photographed this autumn, you might surmise he’s never at home.
So far, this autumn, he has photographed the Hope Valley, Bishop Creek Canyon, June Lake Loop, Lassen Volcanic, Downieville, Quincy, Dunsmuir, and Yreka, including many places near those locations.
So, when his latest submission arrived, I half expected it to be of him standing in some remote stream, surrounded by fall color.
Instead, Phil stayed home for the Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend in Davis, finding these images on a Sunday walk in his hometown.Davis is a college town 11 miles west of Sacramento.
The University of California at Davis is renowned for its contributions to agriculture and winemaking, veterinary care and animal husbandry. On campus, the UC Davis Arboretum has a significant oak and native plant collection.
The City of Davis is similarly celebrated for being bicycle-friendly, though it should also be known as a City of Trees. As, it encourages placement of street trees and protects landmark trees (click links to see lists of these trees).
Conditions for a tree to be designated as one of Davis’ landmark trees include:
- The tree is an outstanding specimen of a tree species;
- The tree is one of the largest or oldest trees in Davis;
- The tree is of historical interest; or
- The tree is an unusual species, in a significant grove, or otherwise unique.
- Davis (52′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
Forest Bathing at Berkeley
On Wednesday (Nov. 28), Hana Lee Goldin, a certified forest bathing guide, will offer a series of “guided invitations to assist you in finding your own authentic way of interacting with the land at UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley.” For more info or to register, CLICK HERE.
That’s a very Berkeley way of saying that she’ll be introducing visitors to forest bathing.
Called “shinrin yoku” in Japan where it was defined, forest bathing helps reduce stress and improve cognition and emotional well being. It involves slowing down and opening up one’s senses to the beauty around us.
East bay naturalist Sandy Steinman did a bit of forest bathing of his own, Saturday, as a light rain wet the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Here are his images.
Happy Emoji, Sad Emoji
Scenes such as this taken by Todd Backman along the Gravenstein Highway (CA-116) were seen in Sonoma County this weekend (happy emoji).
Todd drove from the coast, through Guerneville to Sebastopol and along the Russian river, seeing bright color as above, but cautions that rain and wind is stripping the color (sad emoji).
- Sonoma County – Peak to Past Peak, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
On a Wing and a Prayer
The recent Woolsey Fire incinerated 86% of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. In some areas, only a wing and a prayer avoided the devastation.
Black-hooded Parakeets (Nanday Conures – Aratinga nenday) were able to fly away as the fire raged. Southern California color spotter, Kathy Jonokuchi found them perched on Western sycamore at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas on Saturday.
The ranch, once owned by razor magnate King C. Gillette was spared being engulfed by the fire. Its grounds and venerable trees are now an enclave for the Nandays.
Jonokuchi reported that the ranch was one of the few spared by the Woolsey Fire. “Paramount Ranch, Peter Strauss Ranch and Malibu Creek State Park” were burned. The fire even scorched Leo Carrillo State Beach, leaving only lifeguard towers unburned.
Her home, just four miles from where the Hill Fire started, was untouched. Kathy said her neighborhood was the only one in the area that wasn’t evacuated, though surrounding mountains are now covered in gray ash, brightened by a few spots by splashes of bright pink fire retardant and remaining autumn color.
Rains this weekend dampened the southland, as seen in Bruce Wendler’s image of a Sweetgum leaf on the hood of his car.
- King Gillette Ranch, Santa Monica Mountains NRA – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!