October 25, 2009
GOOD MORNING to all of our
faithful leaf-peepers out there who are
reading this blog! It looks like it's
going to be another beautiful day here in
Plumas County. There's lots to see and
do thanks to Mother Nature!
Take a drive out to Bucks Lake (17
miles west of Quincy) to see the dogwood
in bloom (don't forget to check out the
foliage on Big Creek Road), and on the way
you'll pass through the little hamlet of
Meadow Valley which is ablaze with color
right now. We've also had reports that
the drive to the quaint mining town of La
Porte (the turnoff to La Porte Road is
in east Quincy to the right, just as you are
leaving town) is especially pretty, too.
We would also like to share a pictorial
fall color blog submitted by Carly, from the
San Francisco Bay Area, who spent the day in
Plumas County on October 21 shooting some
absolutely wonderful pictures. Thank
you Carly ! Your photos really capture what
Awesome Autumn is all about here!
Check out her blog at
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com
October 24, 2009
It's going to be a glorious weekend
with temperatures in the low 70's, blue
skies and lots of sun to highlight all the
beautiful fall colors still to be seen
around the county. The morning
temperatures have been about in the mid 40's, so bring
jackets and warm sweaters to keep yourself
nice and cozy if you are out and about exploring in
the early am hours.
Sunday, October 25th marks the
return of one Plumas County's favorite fall
rituals. The Dawn Institute Gardens
in Crescent Mills (just north
of Quincy off of Hwy 89) will hold their
annual Fall Apple Fest. Bring
your own apples and use a cider press to
make your very own apple cider (bring
plastic bottles/jugs/containers to put the
cider in). Get your friends and family
together and bring a picnic lunch and a
blanket to spread out on and enjoy the fresh
mountain air and beautiful autumn day! All the fun
begins around noon and will continue until
dusk. You can contact the Dawn
Institute at (530) 284-6036 for questions
and more information.
October 23, 2009
Happy Friday! Boy have we been
busy! The Visitors Bureau has been bustling
with people clamoring to see the spectacular
show that is happening right before our
eyes!! We really love to share our area with
people and we love to get such a positive
response! It really makes our jobs fun to
meet so many nice folks and learn about the
fun they had here in Plumas County during
their visit.
Raji and Vish from Roseville Wrote
to us about their trip to Plumas County:
"We took these pictures during our 4
day stay in Plumas County from
Oct 18 to Oct 21st. The trip was so
rewarding to say the least in terms of
experiencing fall colors and we wanted
to share our joy!"
 "We
found lots of bright yellow aspens,
while on our way from Truckee to
Sierraville on Hwy 89. We took a
 detour
along Hwy 49 towards Sierra City
and found this maple in brilliant pink."
 "On
19th, we made a trip to Chester
via Hwy 89 and took a detour to Round
Lake.
 The
entire stretch was littered with bright
yellow colored maples and dogwoods
glistening in the rain! The fall colors
along Hwy 89 overlooking the
Indian Valley and Greenville
were also wonderful."
 "Fall
colors along the Main Street in
Chester
and a very short distance into
Feather River Dr. in Chester
were also peaking. We got some great
shots of maples and aspens there too."
"On 20th and 21st, we took several
wonderful pictures in
 Quincy. The
row of trees at Quincy High School,
the maples in front and back of the
Courthouse, and gorgeous colors
and Halloween decor at lots of houses in
Quincy! We want to personally thank the
owners of the properties for letting us
take the pictures!"
 "Colors
were lovely along Meadow Valley
on Buck's
Lake road (Oct 20th). Dogwoods, ferns,
maples..."
 "The
route to La Porte from Hwy 89
is also literally bursting with colors
at every turn and was the best for us in
terms of color and spectacular views
(Oct 21st).
We saw numerous maples and dogwoods
all along. We also suggest wandering off
the roads on La Porte Rd. to see Maples
in brilliant yellow colors.
The canyon walls along the drive are
covered in a carpet of beautiful
colors. The steep drive to La Porte is
well worth a trip, despite the fact that
there aren't many points to stop and
click in this drive!"
"We also drove on the Feather
River Scenic Byway towards Oroville
on the 20th, but colors haven't peaked
there yet though Maples near Belden
Town bridge were nice."
"The bridges and landscapes along the
Feather River looked good, but
not in terms of fall colors. Overall the
drive on La Porte Road and Quincy were
the best in terms of color..."
October 22, 2009
 Fortunately,
it is supposed to be 70 degrees this
weekend! The fog may roll in a little in the
early morning, but don't worry, it will burn
off and be just gorgeous outside. Pictured
right is Lucy, an 8 week old puppy,
rolling in the leaves just outside our
office. You can see that she is enjoying "Awesome
Autumn".
We have had several submissions of
"Leaf Peeper" reports and photos from
several visitors this week. It seems like
color is gracing every part of the county!
We have not had too many from the
Chester-Lake Almanor area, until this
morning!
Cheryl Williams, of Fair Oaks, CA,
sent us a terrifically detailed report along
with some amazing photos:
 "We
started on Hwy 70 from Oroville.
As we drove along, it just became more
beautiful with each and every turn. We had a
delightful encounter with lady bugs between
Tobin and Belden. This must be
their gathering place to hibernate for
winter because they were everywhere!"
"As we turned onto Hwy 89,
North towards Chester, the
colors really exploded! There was a
brilliant display of gold, orange, and red
set up against a back drop of green
evergreen trees. This, along with the river
winding in and out of the canyon and the
pastoral fields here and there made it some
of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever
seen!! The little towns along the way, such
as Greenville, Prattville, and
Chester were full of brilliant red
and gold trees."
 "It
took us three hours to go 30 miles because
we stopped so much! Oh, and Mt. Lassen
has snow on its peak, so
photographers, you can't beat beautiful fall
color, pine trees, a lake and snow capped
mountain in the distance for picture taking!
This is our first trip in the area and we
are planning on going again next week!! It
is everything and more than I could have
imagined, simply spectacular!"
October 21, 2009
 Terri
Stancil of Wiggins Trading Post
in Chilcoot, shared some pictures
from Frenchman's Canyon, on the
road to Frenchman Lake, off Hwy 70, she took over
the weekend. The trees and shrubs are really
taking on a vibrant color near the creek.
David Steidel from the Mt.
Hough Ranger District in Quincy, emailed info on
fall foliage locations that he believes are
not to be missed: The road
from Genesee Valley to Antelope Lake,
Greenville to Round Valley Reservoir, and
the number one spot is the entrance to
Antelope Campground, "stunning."
Dogwood turning a
vibrant red at Round Valley Reservoir. (Pictured Right)
 Jeff
Titcomb, of Main Street Antiques
in Greenville, stopped by our office
to share some photos from his drive to
Round Valley Reservoir yesterday. He
said not only was drive "unbelievably
beautiful", but he also had fun "boony
hopping" in his Lincoln SUV.
Maple Tree in front of Hideaway
Resort Motel off Main Hwy in Greenville,
(Pictured Left).
October 20, 2009
 We
have our first reported sighting of
bright yellow Aspens and Cottonwood trees
on Silver Lake Road,
courtesy of Jim Castle from Rohnert
Park who is up in our area for a few days to
take in the beautiful fall colors. Jim
also
walked along the Cascades Trail and
said "the trees were bright, bright
yellow, and I spotted Dogwood
that is starting to turn pink, oaks
that are that pretty orangey-red and
Indian Rhubarb along the creek that is
making the color transition from green to
red".
 Jim
says "it's a must to stop and take the
hike along the trail right now while the
colors are so strong and vibrant!" To
reach this trail, take State Highway70
northwest from Quincy (5.1 miles from the
visitors center) to the second
highway sign on the right marked "Old
Highway." (Note: if you get to the old
Keddie Resort road, you've gone too far.)
Turn right and follow this paved one lane
road .7 of a mile east past several private
homes. Turn left onto a rough dirt road.
Follow this road .4 of a mile to a rocky
parking area. The creek is on your left and
the trailhead just in front and slightly to
the right. The trail is a wide, smooth,
almost level walk.
Mike Nellor of
Quincy, writes to us:
 "Here
are a few pictures from this mornings hike
up above Spanish Aggregate off
Bucks Lake Rd.
Dog woods are starting to show some
real color now and oaks are starting to show
too.
Choke cherries, goose berries,
and thimble berries are also showing nice
color.
FRC is the back drop in some of these
pics, gives you an idea of the location."
Ken Nelson of Bucks Lake,
wanted everyone to know that Big Creek Rd.
on the way to Bucks Lake is peaking!
Finally, Gloria Gipson writes to
us:
 "Frenchman
Canyon is bursting out in vivid yellows,
oranges, reds, and colors in between. Black
Oaks, Cottonwood, Willow, and many more
plants are turning quickly. Also Dixie
Valley is full of bright yellow
Aspens, Cottonwoods."
 "Photo
of Crocker Forest Service Station has
beautiful trees around the old building."
October 19, 2009
Sugar Maple, Downtown Quincy-
Photo taken by Christie Brawley 10/18/09
(Pictured left)
Gorgeous Home, Downtown Quincy-
Photo taken by Christie Brawley 10/18/09
(Pictured below)
 Well,
we here at Plumas County Visitors Bureau
believe it is fair to say that it's
definitely "peak week" here in Plumas
County. The colors are really gorgeous and
vibrant right now. Don't let today's rain
and foggy conditions scare you away- it is
supposed to be nice and sunny for the rest
of the week, bringing mild weather for this
weekend.
Big Leaf Maple against blue sky-
Photo Taken by Christie Brawley, 10/18/09
(Pictured left)
Christie Brawley and Jennifer McQuarrie
of Quincy, went for a hike on Claremont
Mountain, on the outskirts of Downtown
Quincy, on Sunday. They reported back and
included some fabulous photos:
 "As
we started up
 Coburn
Street in Downtown Quincy, we noticed
that all the Aspens, Oaks,
Cottonwoods, and Maples in the
neighborhood were full of vibrant color.
Every yard we walked by was just as gorgeous
as the next. When we started up the trail at
the top of Coburn Street, we were
 engulfed
in "floating leaves". It appeared that all
of the Big Leaf Maple and the
Dogwoods
 were
floating in the rays of sunlight that was
cast through the big, tall pine trees. The
higher we climbed the more breathtaking the
color became."
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