One of those images of northstate beauty that almost looks faked. Too gorgeous to be real.
Click to slightly enlarge. Shastina and Mt Shasta from Siskiyou County, not quite an hour from Redding.
She could sure use some more snow this year. This dry season. But the powdered sugar dusting simply adds contrast to her craggy majesty. Snowfall as wispy as that cloud overhead. Shot taken yesterday from a moving vehicle, no less. You have to grab the image when it grabs you. Hopefully, we’ll see her in a few days sporting a more substantial white cloak.
Crazy Lady Ranch
A bit of Fall color
I took these images in Trinity County yesterday, on a work related journey into the mountains northwest of Redding.
Above, the Stuart Fork of the Trinity River. You can usually find some spots of riotous color in the Northstate. But for the most part, the forests around us are accented in Autumn with muted orange, golds, and browns. And this year is particularly dry, too.
Meanwhile back in Redding, we are still getting ripe tomatoes in early November. This may be last few for this year however. Another blessing of our mild Winters.
Greenish bird with red topknot comes knocking
I don’t know what kind of bird this is, but it really seems to want to come inside the house.
The red topknot folds down into a red spot when not in use.
Persistent bird has been tapping on the window for most of 2 days now. Click to enlarge.
Not getting much work done with bird tapping away. Maybe that’s okay.
Butch the cat votes for letting persistent bird in. I’m afraid his vote doesn’t count.
Persistent red topknot bird. It’s ReallyRedding.
“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.”
There otter be a law
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.
Stone. Water. Sky. Moon. Life. It’s Really Redding.
Just hanging around, in the sky over Redding
Pop’s 50’s Place is authentic Redding food on old Highway 99
Out on old Highway 99 (now Hwy 273) you’ll find Pop’s 50’s Place. here are a few images from this afternoon. Love the hot rods that often meet up there.
In addition to authentic Highway 99 cuisine at the drive-up, Pop’s also makes a great salsa you can buy at the restaurant. Made and sold locally. The next batch will be available tomorrow after 11 am.
Click to enlarge slightly. Love the detail on this one! From the Flying A station on Market and Eureka Way. 530 241 0487. Open daily 10 am to 7 pm. It’s located at 3443 South Market Street in Redding. Roots road food. It’s Really Redding.
View salmon at Lake Redding’s fish ladder
Redding has a fish ladder at the dam for Lake Redding that serves to divert water to the Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation canal. It allows salmon and other species to get upstream when the dam is up. At the ladder are a few windows into their watery world. Structures such as these are vital in the effort to sustain the salmon population. Without structures such as these aiding salmon to swim upriver in order to lay their eggs, it could lead to the decline of the wild salmon population ultimately eliminating it as a food source. With the ever growing human population, food sources such as salmon need to grow as well in order to provide enough food for people, both wild and farmed. The demand for fresh fish has led to practices such as salmon farming in order to keep up with the demand, however, these practices are not always sustainable as farmers attempt to get a bigger yield each season. There have been strategies put in place as a way to cap these practices, sites like www.globalsalmoninitiative.org/en can show efforts that have been taken to preserve the salmon population throughout the world by many fishing farms.
Of course viewing fish is like any kind of fishing expedition. Sometimes you get skunked.
No matter.
You know what they say about the worst day fishing being better than the best day working.
Visual fishing. It’s ReallyRedding.