Ranger-led programs begin June 18, 2011 and are offered through Labor Day weekend.
Some programs, such as the Kayak Tours may be offered beyond Labor Day, weather permitting. You can call the visitor center at (530) 246-1225, or call Ranger Clinton Kane at (530) 242-3451 for the latest information on park programs.
Kids need to be 6 and up. Offered at 9:30 am and 6:00 pm daily, with an additional 12:30 tour on Saturdays and Sundays. (2.5 hour program) More at the Whiskeytown website. Waterlife, it’s Really Redding.
Relax -new old music
Relax2011 by SkipMurphy
Wild Iris
2001: a time odyssey
The Redding sun shone brightly through glass block walls at the Mercy Medical pediatric level in May of 1983, on the morning my first daughter Erin was born. I recall musing the mental math and discovering she would graduate from High School in 2001, a year that had special meaning back then. The turn of the century was the setting of the futuristic and obtuse Kubrick film 2001: a space odyssey. The film set the tone and expectations for what seemed a distant but believable future. I speculated maybe Erin would become a flight attendant on a Pan-Am space vessel, or a resident of a colony on the moon. In 1983, anything seemed possible for 2001.
But here we are in May of 2011, and in a few weeks, we won’t even have so much as a Space Shuttle. Erin grew up, and graduated Class of 2001, but I don’t think I’ll be visiting her at her apartment on the moon base anytime soon. On the other hand, and in my hand, I hold a small computer more powerful than HAL. Such is the nature of long term predictions of the future.
Short term, I can predict that tonight, she and her CV classmates will be attending a 10 year class reunion at a Casino in Redding (Legal gambling in Redding? I’d not have predicted that in 1983.). Handheld video recorders were pretty new to us all in 2001, and so her video yearbook is a unique artifact. She edited it for YouTube, and posted it yesterday.
2001: A Reverse Time Odyssey. Not quite what we expected…
Feeding trolls as a business model
The Redding Warlocks
The Redding Warlocks seem to be a psychedelic style jam band playing out around here. Below, “Ale House Dub” is an oddly hypnotic video with an appropriate live soundtrack that was apparently recorded at Redding’s Ale House.
I like it. There’s more about this original local band at their Redding Warlocks Reverbnation page. But not much more. Looks like you’ll need to see them live. Check out the video they have titled “Six Crap Shootin’ Pall Bearers.” A disjointed night road trip done Redding style. Status: Symbiotic Cacophony Orchestra? Play on, Redding Warlocks.
1872 Redding map overlayed to present day Google Map
Dottie Smith is a local historian I admire very much. A few days ago, she posted a map of Redding from 1872 at her blog:
http://blogs.redding.com/dsmith/archives/2011/05/when-and-why-re.html
I find old maps fascinating. I wondered what it would look like overlaying a present day photographic image of Redding from Google Maps. Turns out, it lined up very well. You can click these images to enlarge slightly.
With imaging software you can scroll smoothly through, back and forth from 1872 to 2011. 139 years. Interesting to note the transportation hub of the day remains exactly in place in the form of the railroad station and the RABA/Greyhound terminal. Much has changed however. Particularly our sense of scale. There were hundreds more parcels on the densely populated 1872 map.
Thanks Dottie! And thanks Google! You both provide daily insights to our sense of place.
Whiskeytown Sailing Regatta 2011
Here’s a 3 minute video I took of Sunday at the Whiskeytown Sailing Club’s Memorial Regatta. That’s their big annual race. This year it drew about 70 boats. Always a beautiful setting for an amazing race.
Whiskeytown Lake is located just west of Redding California.The Regatta always brings back fond memories. Karry and I used to sail our little yellow sailboat in the 1970’s on Whiskeytown. I rummaged around and found a couple images from slide film. Back when my beard wasn’t white, and when getting some sun was good for you. Good times!
Paddle boarding on the Sacramento River in Redding
Our local river is deceptively unforgiving. Yesterday from the Sundial, seeing these two with no life jackets on sent chills. Tourists maybe? I haven’t seen anyone do this here before. Perhaps paddle boarding on the river will be an extreme sport that gains some followers, but people please! The river is calm and serene, until abruptly it isn’t. Then, its deathly cold grasp drags your body where it wants. Not where you want. Even with a life jacket, I hope your affairs are in order.
Common sense is unfortunately rare. But do have a care for your family, and for the first responders charged with your rescue. Or recovery.
I hope I’m wrong, but I predict dark clouds on the horizon for this sport, on this body of water. It’s Really Redding.
