Shasta Dam Spillway in use again

Even though we are just barely over an average rainfall year, they opened up some valves to keep the reservoir from overfilling/overtopping. Always a tough call, trying to balance conserving water in the lake, but not being so greedy that they lose control and get flooding downstream.

Shasta Dam Spillway 2-22-2024

New Courthouse in Redding is about to open

I see the new courthouse in Redding  is finally set to open. I captured this aerial footage of it under construction in the fall of 2022. The scene starts across the street at the old courthouse, dressed in beautiful fall colors, and then (takes too long) to circle the new structure. Worth a view, if you haven’t seen it elsewhere on social media.

River looking east in the fall

Redding projected as #1 for real estate appreciation by Core Logic

Rare (read: Never) is it that I re-post anything here from our local paper, which is often very negative about my favorite city. If it bleeds, it leads. But this article really caught my attention. People are starting to notice that Redding is actually a pretty nice place to live:

https://www.redding.com/story/money/business/2024/01/20/the-buzz-redding-downtown-public-market-on-track-summer-opening-craft-cocktail-bar/72288376007/

Chamise Peak Trail delivers a splendid perspective

A rare view that includes both Castle Crags on the left, and the 3 Shastas to the right.

A perspective gained from the top of the Chamise Peak Trail just north of Redding. The Chamise Peak Trail is considered “easy.” I guess that depends on your skills. It’s only about 2.6 miles one way, but it does rise about 600 ft. Most of the trail is wide and smooth, but towards the peak it gets more narrow and rocky. Click on images to enlarge.


Still, the results are worth the effort. Follow Flanagan Road off Lake Boulevard west to the end, to the trailhead.

A pleasant hike rewards hikers with new perspectives. The Chamise Peak Trail.

It’s Really Redding.

Redding’s Garden of Lights 2023

A quick aerial overview of Redding’s Garden of Lights from 2023. Music excerpt “Live illusions” by Craig Padilla and Skip Murphy from the CD “Analog Destination,” recorded in Redding California in 2008, courtesy of of Groove Unlimited NL. Thank you again this year, Redding! #thisisredding, #gardenoflights, #craigpadilla

 

Garden of Lights at night video by Skip Murphy
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Northstate Climate Action website

Thoughtful local folks run a website with a focus on the climate crisis: NSClimateAction.org.

Web page for Northstate Climate Action website

Fighting for climate justice, or even climate crisis awareness, has always been an uphill battle in the Northstate. Many of these folks running this site have put heart and soul into this cause since the early days of scientific consensus. Back then, we could have prevented a lot of the worst effects from greenhouse gas accumulation on our fragile atmosphere, along with our utterly dependent ecosphere. These days, the very real effects are very clear. From threat to crisis. A profusion of wildfire, floods, extinctions, and worse. Action on preventing the even yet worse ecosphere damage to come however, remains difficult, and rare.

It’s hard not to find all this just very depressing, and to want to give up on actively encouraging change. That way leads to nothing but failure. And with so much at stake, failure is just not an option.