I have been planning to visit the family for the holidays. As that time approached I started monitoring the extended weather forecasts for the mountains, and it did not look good. Every day from Sunday 12/20 through Christmas showed a high likelihood of snow in the mountains.
I planned to go on Monday, but that morning there were still chain controls on the passes. Tuesday was to be clear and a little warmer, so I pushed the plan back a day.
Tuesday (Dec 22)
Really quite an awesome travel day as it turned out!
395 was insanely windy. Two-fisted driving in my tall skinny van, sometime down to 50 mph rather than the preferred 70 to give me time to react to the wind gusts that would kick me sideways out of nowhere. My reactions are a little strained because I have not had my coffee!
In order to get going as early as possible, I just packed and left, no coffee, not even a nibble of food. So I drove 85 pre-coffee miles to the Susanville Starbucks for a sando, a goodie and a vente (the 16oz one). I don’t go to Starbucks often enough to really care, but man, making up your own stupid names for coffee sizes is really dumb.
Soon after Susanville, things get interesting, I recognized three/four distinct spots on the road whose web cams I’ve obsessively checked since the weekend. The crisis point on this stretch of road is something called Fredonyer Pass. I’ve driven this numerous times, and I have never noticed a substantial (almost 6,000′) pass outside Susanville.
It was clear-ish all the way to Chester, then some pretty rough weather for a short time after. Up around the town of Mineral there is another pass you never notice in the summer, but which looms as kind of a big deal on a snowy winter day. I lucked out, the intermittent snow squalls were not happening at that time.
After surviving that, it was no time before CA 36 opened up on the big, wide Central Valley, and it was just stunningly beautiful on this day. The sun is now out and bright with that post-weather sharpness, there beautiful cumulus clouds all the way to the other side of the valley. The hills are super green from a week or so of water.
The Sacramento Bend Wildlife Area borders this road. There is a parking area ahd the head of a couple of trails. I stop and walk a while. Not too far, but it did give me more time to soak up all this beauty.
Little hike-let.
WHUFU page for: Sycamore Grove Campground
A lonely outpost of Mendocino National Forest - a little chunk of federal land next to the diversion dam. The parking lots are huge, making it seem like it was full of action back when the dam was being used create the diversionary lake. Emptying the dam a couple of decades ago was sad for the boaters of Red Bluff, but great for the salmon, who were being killed off by the salmon ladder.
This beautiful campground suffers from being too close to the town of Red Bluff. The bathroom has a security code to prevent random weirdos from moving in.
tonight:
This place really grows on me. Super quiet on this damp, pre-Christmas evening. There is a nearly full moon, and I used it to take a moonlight hike around the Nature Walk.
Campground
Moonlight hike.
Wednesday
awake, poop, hang out, talk to old dude.
leave, gas FAIL (stuuuupid)
drive to chico,
Did this exact drive a month ago, pre-Thanksgiving. Then it was peak fall colors, now it is winter and all the orchards and the huge cottonwoods on the little toan are bare. Looked completely different – shoulda taken pictures today for comparison.
over my bakery
diesel drama
great tho short time at the bird refuge.
WHUFU page for: Sacramento Unit
Conveniently located next to Interstate 5, which somehow adds to the experience. You can see the semis rocketing along less than a mile away, but you're in another world. There's a nice hike through the marshes and along a tiny creek, and a very nice auto tour with a viewing platform stop in the middle.
Sometimes I do the drive then the hike, sometimes the hike then the drive.
Sunset looking back across the marshes from the viewing platform can be spectacular.
tonight:
got here very late in the day, maybe 15 minutes before actual sunset, still way awesome. Mostly Pintails and the occasional Shoveler. I think I say Lesser Scaups in the distance.
The usual flock of snow geese in the corner near the lookout were gone (for the evening?), but there were huge numbers of them to the east of the lookout. In the very late dusk they started their evening migration. Wish I was closer and the light was better.
drive in the dark
WHUFU page for: Colusa Casino
RV parking is way in the back of the parking lot ... That part of the lot is still gravel there and quite muddy in the rain.
Casino is cozy and not unpleasant. Restaurant and bar are just fine. Wifi is terrible except close to the coffee shop.
tonight:
The old parking area has been paved (new lights!) and is now too civilized to be camper parking. We are no banished to a gravel lot even further from things, but as it turns out it's great, because it's less busy and less brightly lit.
casino – paaaaaarty!
much nicer than old setup. can actually park on the edge, not brightly lit as other area
Thursday – Monday
WHUFU page for: the Gannon's
The other grandparent's house, in lovely, user-friendly downtown San Rafael. It's very handy for Martha's business and they seem to always host family functions, so I end up here quite a lot.
thursday – excotement, get van tucked away for living
spread my presents
friday – christmas – up very eary, open stuff
eat well
saturday
massage present
sunday
hangout
monday
visit folks
tuesday
big hike!
Wednesday
hella awful horrible driving
WHUFU page for: Granzellas Deli
They have a parking lot dedicated to overnighters and trucks carrying boats/trailers. There's one very comfy stop next to a tree. It's really handy for me as an overnight before Harbin.
tonight:
I had a nice evening this time, got there after dark, got the best spot, and worked it pretty well. The sports bar is an odd mix of farm families wanting a dining experience, and regular sports bar dorks. But they all drive half-ton pickups, and that's how you know you're in the valley.
nice time at G’s
Thursday
wake uo at G;s
WHUFU page for: Colusa NWR
Warm, clear fall day. Mostly pintails, with a sprinkling of shovellers and American wigeons. Some snowy egrets and one great heron.
There was a large flock of snow geese in their southeast corner. The tolerated me until I was about halfway past, but then somebody spooked and they took to the air by the thousands.
The night heron posse was at their usual hangout on the east side of the creek on the way out.
I got a good long l;ook at some kind of raptor. I'm guessing red tailed, but maybe a Cooper's hawk - it was more gray-ish than reddish ...
tonight:
At least four different kinds of geese - snow, canada, Ross's and white-fronted.
Rest of the swimmers were pintails and shovellers and of course coots.
Spoonbills are so cool!
The black reed birds, little grass cuties, a bright green song bird.
Lotsa raptors.
The walk, the leisure, I’m getting started late
Somewhere around 3, as I wind around country roads in the Valley foothills, I start to think about reverting to Plan A, where I took two nights. I will get to Indian Valley soemwhat after 4 meaning I would drive the entire Sierra Valley and 395 in the dark. I decide I will be happier spending one more night in nature rather than chasing the party in Reno on NYE. Either would be good!,but this is the option that look best right now.
WHUFU page for: Colusa NWR
Warm, clear fall day. Mostly pintails, with a sprinkling of shovellers and American wigeons. Some snowy egrets and one great heron.
There was a large flock of snow geese in their southeast corner. The tolerated me until I was about halfway past, but then somebody spooked and they took to the air by the thousands.
The night heron posse was at their usual hangout on the east side of the creek on the way out.
I got a good long l;ook at some kind of raptor. I'm guessing red tailed, but maybe a Cooper's hawk - it was more gray-ish than reddish ...
tonight:
At least four different kinds of geese - snow, canada, Ross's and white-fronted.
Rest of the swimmers were pintails and shovellers and of course coots.
Spoonbills are so cool!
The black reed birds, little grass cuties, a bright green song bird.
Lotsa raptors.
cold and windy It seems windier than it actually is I think, because it makes so much racket tearing through the tall pines. I’m pretty happy I decided to stay here instead of pressing onward home tonight.
Friday