November 9, 2009
Brrrrr....It is COLD outside. We
had to wear gloves this morning! The cars
took a little longer to warm up as well. I
guess this means that our leaf peeper blog
is officially coming to a close after a very
successful and COLORFUL Awesome
Autumn. Thanks to everyone who contributed
fall foliage photos and stories, this made
our job super easy because all of the
contributions were wonderful. Also, thanks
to everyone who logged on to the site to
have a gander or to plan a fall color
itinerary. We would also like to thank the
402 visitors for stopping by the
Visitors Bureau to say hello and share your
stories with us! We are in the process of
switching over to our holiday page and the
return of the Plumas Buzz, so stay tuned for
that!
  Graeagle
Community Church did its annual tree
cutting event on Sunday. Several families
headed up to Lakes Basin in search
for the perfect holiday tree, and shared a
nice potluck lunch together. As you can see,
the weather was perfect for this event- a
little chilly but the sun was shining! You
too, can plan your own tree cutting event!
Permits are on sale now thru December
24th.
November 6, 2009
 It
might be a little stormy this weekend! The
clouds are moving in and the wind is
blowing. Be sure to check the
weather before you head out onto the
highway. In other news, the Quincy Art walk
is tonight! The merchants in downtown Quincy
are displaying local art and providing
refreshments. So not only can you grab a
snack and have a sip of wine, BUT you get to
enjoy some great art and meet the artists.
 Bill
Obernesser sent us some photos from the
Sand Pond in Lakes Basin this
past weekend. He notes that although the
color isn't as vibrant as it once was, the
Indian summer weather is most enjoyable.
November 5, 2009
 It
is time to tee it up at
Plumas Pines Golf Course! They have the
lowest rates of the year right now and the
weather has been gorgeous. The price is $55
per player from 10am to 1pm and $35 after
1pm. Book your tee time by calling (530)
836-1420. This offer is valid until the
close of the season. There are all kinds of
specials happening in the area. If you plan
to come up for golf, why not make a weekend
out of it and get a nice fresh Christmas
tree?
Chalet View Lodge in Graeagle is
offering a Christmas tree cutting special.
For just $99, you get a one night stay in
one of their resort rooms, a glass of wine
in their lobby bar, an expanded continental
breakfast, and a Christmas tree permit! All
you need to bring is a saw and some good
hiking shoes, and of course your golf gear.
November 4, 2009
 Bill
Obernesser was lucky enough to be one of 45
passengers aboard three beautifully restored
Zephyr Rail Cars that made the trip
from Oakland to Portola on
Friday, October 30th.
 They
traveled through the Feather River Canyon,
enjoying the wonderful fall color and mild
weather and made their final stop at the
Railroad Museum in Portola. Bill says
they were pampered by the staff on the
Zephyr with three delicious meals and a full
bar service throughout the day.
Bill writes to us:
 "Sleeper
accommodations aboard the train served a
number of the passengers, who enjoyed a tour
of Lakes Basin and activities at the
Railroad Museum on Saturday and returned to
Oakland aboard the train on Sunday, November
1. This once-in-a-lifetime experience was
mad e
possible through the efforts of Portola's
own Feather River Rail Society (www.WPLives.org),
Trains and Travel (www.traintrips.biz) and
California Zephyr Railcar Charters (www.calzephyrrailcar.com),
owners of the three restored 1948-vintage
cars."
November 3, 2009
 Okay
leaf-peepers, the start of November means
it's time to turn your attention to the many
CONIFERS in the forest, who have been
patiently awaiting their time in the
limelight. Yes, believe it or not, this week
marks the beginning of Christmas tree
cutting season!
With Halloween just over, and Thanksgiving
planning underway, we realize it's a bit
much to think about holiday trees and
holiday shopping already! But keep in mind
-- since you're already out there spotting
deciduous trees you might as well pick out
your perfect holiday tree!
The Plumas and
Lassen National Forest offices are now
selling
permits for just $10 each, and all you
you'll need is a saw and perhaps a good pair
of hiking shoes. The permits for
Plumas National Forest are also
available at many local businesses,
including here at the Visitors Center
at the airport in Quincy, just a half
mile west of downtown on Hwy. 70. Maps of
the cutting areas come with your permits.
Locals know that it's best to get your
holiday trees BEFORE snow hits, but there's
still plenty of time as permits are on sale
through December 24 (for you really
latecomers) and it doesn't appear that any
wet weather is on the horizon.
Meanwhile the leaves are still hanging on,
becoming a bit spotty, dry and more muted,
but the color overall is still beautiful and
there are orange oaks all over the
mountainsides and the Indian summer weather
is fantastic. Latecomer peepers will still
enjoy the foliage -- we'll get back with
some late foliage reports this week.
If you're coming up this weekend, you can
combine sightseeing with shopping at
Christmas Boutiques
and Open Houses
happening in Greenville and
Crescent Mills. The fun starts Friday
and lasts through Sunday. The stores are
actually already decorated for Christmas and
refreshments will be served!
November 2, 2009
October and Halloween has come and gone,
the mornings and evenings are growing colder
and colder and the holiday season is fast
approaching. Before we know it, we will
bring in the year 2010! The good news is
there is plenty of time to get up to Plumas
County for your Christmas Tree!
Permits went on sale November 1st. There
are various
 locations
they can be purchased, so be sure to check
out our Christmas Tree Permits page for
information.
The safe trick or treat events were a
huge success, all of the kids and pets had a
good time! Here is a fun photo from the pet
costume contest.
John Sheehan from Plumas Corp
was up at Bucks Lake over the weekend
and reports that there is still nice color
to be seen. The weather is mild and
afternoons are warming up. Although it isn't
swimming weather anymore, picnics can still
be enjoyed by the lake.
October 30, 2009
 Plenty
of SPOOKTACULAR fun to be had around
Plumas County this weekend. In Quincy, The
Capitol Saloon will host it's annual
Halloween costume party on Saturday night
with live music by local favorites,
Soldiers Of Hi Fi. Plumas Club
will also have a Halloween bash with music
by the Antique Rockers. The Lady Elks
will host their annual Halloween Ball on
Saturday night at The Elks Lodge in
Quincy, with music by The Trash Gordon
Band.
In Portola, Jimmie's Roadhouse 70
will have their 1st annual Monster Bash,
Halloween costume party with music by The
Rock Bottom Band. In Greenville,
there is a Halloween Party at the
Greenville Town Hall featuring music by
Bad Influence.
With so many fun Halloween festivities to
choose from, there is no reason to stay at
home. Grab a costume and head out for a
ghoulish good time.
October 29, 2009
 Two
more days until Halloween and boy are we
ready! The houses have their pumpkins
outside, ready to be carved and lit with a
glowing candle. Some of the houses are
impeccably decorated for the little ghosts
and goblins to come get their tricks and
treats!
Tracey Sterling and Chris Cox from Santa
Rosa, Ca. came to Plumas County this week to
take advantage of the fall season. They were
kind enough to send us a sample of the more
than 1,000 photos they took. It was so hard
to choose which ones to post today because
they were all such fantastic photos. They
brought their three rescued greyhounds with
them who provided plenty of great action
shots!
 Chris
and Tracey stayed at Chalet View Lodge
and they explored the Lakes Basin Area,
Downtown Quincy, and Spanish Creek
at the Cascades Trail.
 They
not only caught some beautiful fall foliage
photos but some wildlife too. To the right
are a pair of deer grazing in a field.
The photo at the left was taken at Indian
Falls.
The Plumas County Courthouse looks
beautiful against a bright blue sky.
Lower Sardine
Lake
October 28, 2009
 Although
the leaves are dropping and the zenith of
fall color is past us, there are still some
beautiful landscapes to be captured. So, if
you are out on a hike, a bicycle ride, out
golfing, or just having a leisurely walk,
don't forget to bring your camera with you.
There are still some great photo
opportunities to be had.
 The
photo on the right was taken last Saturday
by Christie Brawley from the Taylorsville
Bridge. You can see the colors
reflecting in Indian Creek. The road
from Taylorsville to Genesee
Valley proved to be glowing with color.
There were families out on their bicycles
enjoying the day, as well as people stopping
at the Genesee Store for
refreshments. It seems as though the leaves
are not dropping as quickly out this way as
in Quincy and Bucks Lake areas. The picture
above is G enesee Valley, just past the
Genesee Store.
If you don't feel like capturing fall with
your camera, you can always grab a paint set
and fresh canvas and create your own piece
of artwork. As you can see, the lady in the
photo on the right is taking advantage of
the colorful landscape and some perfect
lighting this morning in American Valley,
across the street from the airport in
Quincy. Good thing she is bundled
up, even though the sun is shining, it is
mighty brisk outside!
~Life is painting a picture, not doing
a sum. - Oliver Wendell Holmes
October 27, 2009
 The
lawns are now covered in fallen leaves,
bringing a
very nice, autumn feel to all of the
downtown areas. It is so cozy to curl up
with hot apple cider, a good book and watch
the leaves fall outside your window, leaving
a blanket of maple, cottonwood
and aspen leaves on the ground. While
some of the leaves have fallen, the rich,
red oak leaves are still hanging on,
looking vibrant against the blue sky.
 Of
course, you can also get outside and collect
leaves to create fun fall projects such as
laminating the leaves and turning them into
greeting cards and crayon leaf rubbings, as
our friend and Educational Specialist,
Joe Willis suggested.
 Pumpkin
carving isn't the only fun family activity
to be had in the fall! Joe has been out and
about capturing the leaves on the ground and
celebrating the fact that not only is it fun
to rake and jump into piles of leaves, you
can also turn them into mulch for next years
garden!
October 26, 2009
IT'S RAINING LEAVES OUTSIDE!
So now that the peak is behind us for the
most part, here comes the real fun,
Raking! While you are here for your
visit, you may see a local, or two, or 20,
outside with their garbage cans and rakes,
doing their fall clean up. You will most
definitely witness happy kids and dogs
jumping in piles of leaves, just for the
sheer joy and crunch of it.
Halloween is looming before us, and there
is all kinds of family fun to be had!
Friday, October 30, there will be a few
different safe trick or treat events
happening around the county.
Graeagle Merchants Trunk-Or-Treat starts
at Noon in downtown Graeagle. Portola will
have their safe Trick or Treat happening
until 6pm, and Quincy from 3-6pm, and
Chester from 3-5pm.
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