“Mountain lion cub” sighting on the Sacramento River Trail

The woman in the white outfit looked both scared and excited.
She approached us on the trail in half steps, her hand held up in the universal “stop” signal.
She moved her finger to her lips. “Shhh. You have to see this.”
I looked down the trail, seeing nothing unusual.
“There’s a mountain lion cub, over in that pipe.”
Mountain lions are not unheard of, here on the Sacramento River Trail.
Okay then. That’ll be a good shot. I swung the camera around.
The woman in white beckoned us forward.
“Where’s the mother cat?” a practicality from my trail companion, the lovely Karry. Hm. Maybe that’s a good point. I look around more carefully.
Seeing nothing, we continue toward the pipe, camera ready.
“Look! There it is.” Nikon shutter snaps rapidfire.
Snik, snik, snik, snik.
“So cute.”
I fiddle with the display and then, “Uh, I think it’s a feral cat.”
“Ohh…?” The woman in white sounds deflated somehow.
“Yeah, pretty sure. Look here.” I zoom the display viewer for her.
She simply looks away.
“I thought it was a mountain lion cub.”
The brief spell of wonder is broken. We look around.
“Well, have nice walk.”
She offers a halfhearted, “You too.”

"Mountain Lion in Pipe." Click to enlarge. Or not, if you prefer to maintain the wonder.
“Mountain Lion in Pipe.” Click to enlarge. Or not, if you prefer to maintain the wonder.

Do local acorns predict a rough Winter ahead?

I’ve heard that bit of Redding lore. If true, our backyard oaks are telling us to buy a new coat, and stack another cord of wood. Acorn production this season has become overwhelming.Acorns1

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Acorns4We’ll collect these and put them out back for the wildlife that depends on the oaks. Native people would know what to do with this year’s abundance, but I don’t know any good acorn recipes. What wine goes with acorn?

Acorns5They haven’t even finished falling!
Acorns6Longtime readers will recall images I took of a squirrel harvesting our oaks. But this year, we’ve seen few squirrels. As for Winter, we’ll find out soon enough. Mornings are now quite brisk. A sure sign of the season’s approach.

There otter be a law

That we should all seem as carefree as this otter exploring the Sacramento River in Redding yesterday. Click on images to enlarge a bit.
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Otter1“It’s looking right at you,” says my companion.
“Indeed so.” Significant of something.
A rare exchange. It’s Really Redding.

 

Images of 75 year old Shasta Dam lit by Harvest Moon

Strolled about Shasta Dam with a few others yesterday evening, and took these interesting images illuminated by the light of the Harvest Moon.

Harvest Moon over Shasta Dam by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Harvest Moon over Shasta Dam by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
A clean, well-lighted place.
A clean, well-lighted place.
Moonrise over Centimudi. by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Moonlight over Centimudi. By Skip Murphy 2013
Gate crane. By Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Spillway gate crane. 2013 by Skip Murphy
Penstocks by night. by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Penstocks by night. 2013. by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge

Spillway. 2013 by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Spillway. 2013 by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge

Shasta Dam visitor center. By Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Shasta Dam Visitor Center. 2013 by Skip Murphy.

Shasta Dam by moonlight. 2013 by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
Shasta Dam by moonlight. 2013 by Skip Murphy. Click to slightly enlarge
It’s an engineering marvel, but I also really admire the ’40s design aesthetic of the dam. It’s the High Tech of the era.
Stone. Water. Sky. Moon. Life. It’s Really Redding.

An Autumn visit to magic Burney Falls finds solitude

Waterfalls are magical, always. Ask any keen traveller and fan of nature and they will probably tell you that Iceland goes down as the best place to visit to witness stunning waterfalls, which is understandable when you consider it is home to both Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. If you have never heard of them, take a moment to find some pictures online. You won’t regret it, as they are simply incredible. The best time to visit Iceland to witness these natural wonders is September – particularly if you want to see the Northern Lights as well (find out more on https://www.rent.is/blog/best-time-of-year-to-visit-iceland/). But, despite Iceland’s famed waterfalls, we have somewhere local which is just as much a must-see.

Nearby Burney Falls has no equal as the most magical of all local waterfalls. Water springs forth from the earth itself, only to fall to mist from a beautiful basalt cliff. With Summer’s tourist season over, but before new snow falls, you can enjoy the pristine magic of Burney Falls State Park almost to yourself.
BurneyFalls1280Click to expand. Certainly, one of the most photographed of local landmarks. It’s only just about an hours drive from Redding. So in some way the familiarity makes it easy to forget. But the magic beckons.
BurneyFallsA1280A few hundred yards upstream, the creekbed is dry at the surface. This water gushes from a lavabed aquifer to an azure pool 129 feet beneath. And then it goes on to fill Lake Britton.
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LakeBritton3-1280Fall. Magic. Solitude. It’s Really Redding.

75 years of Damburgers

Enjoyed lunch at Damburger Saturday. Here’s a few images of this classic Redding institution. On Placer near Pine Street.
Damburger1
“What would you like?”
Damburger3“So, what does everyone come here for? What’s the specialty here?”
“Damburger.”
Oh, duh. Of course. “I’ll take one of those, with everything on it.”
Damburger2 It’s a classic American burger. Evoking the burgers of my youth. A no-nonsense treat.
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A blue collar place from a more unpretentious era. Popular with locals for good reason.
Damburger5 You can go to the Damburger website, and register for deals via Facebook or Text. Add in a vegetarian burger to the menu, and that’s all the modernity Damburger has needed to thrive since 1938.
Damburger6
A burger with fries that satisfies a hunger for a simpler time. As we celebrate 75 years of Shasta Dam this month, consider a Damburger. Thanks to blogger Marc Beauchamp for the idea.
 
Damburger. It’s Really Redding.

Historical walk in Turtle Bay

Here’s a few images from the August 31 Historical Society walking tour of Turtle Bay.
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Our guide Mike Grifantini really knew a lot about the region. There were about 60 participants. I learned quite a few interesting things about the area.
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“FUN EDUCATIONAL AND THOUGHT PROVOKING (OR YOUR MONEY BACK!)”
So it says on the schedule. The tours are free, by the way. Not so much free, as priceless, I say. Here’s the remaining schedule. Highly recommended.
WalkScheduleMore about the Shasta Historical Society at their website, and Facebook page. And you can follow them on Twitter now. Membership gets you their excellent monthly newsletter.
Historical context. It’s Really Redding.