|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November 17, 2008 Some folks make annual tradition of cutting a Christmas
tree into a major event! A group of about 75 people from
Graeagle Community Church headed up to Mills Peak in the
Lakes Basin Recreation Area on Sunday, bringing along a
lunch of chili, chips and hot dogs. Then it was off to find
the trees -- there are plenty of silvertips to choose from
November 12, 2008 For those of you wanting to skip the work of cooking a big Thanksgiving meal, there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy dinner out on Thanksgiving Day at one of numerous restaurants around Plumas County. November 10, 2008
Other signs that winter is approaching are all around us
... the smell of woodsmoke in the air, the fact that it gets
dark by 5:30 pm (!), the sound of snow tires on passing cars
when taking a walk downtown . As the Visitors Bureau staff pauses to catch their breath after another busy "Awesome Autumn", take time to check out the beautiful photos in the 'Leaf-peeper' posts and think about visiting next fall if you missed us this year! September 19, 2008 Can you believe it's fall already? The Buzz editors have moved to "Awesome Autumn" mode with the oncoming of leaf-peeping season. We'll be blogging on that link nearly every day with reports of fall color as it happens throughout the forest. This year Plumas County's fall made international headlines! See the August 13 post below for details. The Buzz will be back sometime in November! Meanwhile, please help us out on the Awesome Autumn page with your fall color reports! September 12, 2008 What is that big red plant by the rock? It's Indian Rhubarb which grows by the river and stream banks and the leaves can grow to a foot across or bigger! This is a teaser for the coming fall colors. It doesn't look like this yet but it will in October. Our new fall home page and leaf peeper reports will start on September 19. We hope to see you this year. The weather is really beginning to feel like fall is just around the corner with those cool mornings and bright, clear afternoons with blue, blue skies. We've had lots of phone calls from folks who are already planning their trips to see Mother Nature in all her fall splendor. September 4, 2008 The winner for the most info requested about Plumas County
"Hi, I plan to visit the area as soon as possible because I am worried that the road through Lassen Volcanic National will close soon due to the first snow. I wonder if I could receive the following information by mail as well. Self guided tour brochures (Greenville Walking Tour, Quincy Walking Tour, Historic Gold Mining Sites, Beckwourth's Wagon Route, Feather River Scenic Byway (A self-guided driving tour brochure and map) Self-guided driving tour - Volcanic Legacy All American Road Itinerary tour details Tour 1 - Fall in Love with Plumas County Tour 3- Volcanoes and Lakes in the Shasta Cascade Tour 5- Seasonal Pleasures and Small Town Treasures Tour 15 - Auto and Motorcycle Clubs: Scenic touring Along Roads Less Traveled. Have a great day." He also ordered the Hiking Guide, Fall Color Guide, Bird Check List, 100 Free Things, Scenic Byway, 7 Railroad Wonders, Winter Activity Guide and Winter Holiday Events. We're not recommending everyone order so much as we might go broke with postage but we appreciate the interest. August 27, 2008 Passenger train re-visits the Feather River Canyon
But those Zephyr cars came down the "Canyon" last Sunday full of passengers. Bob Wilson, a railroad buff and a docent at the Sacramento Railroad Museum, was photographing the historic event at the Keddie Wye. He had this to say: "On Sunday, August 24th three
former California Zephyr rail cars were on
the rear of Amtrak train #5, that traversed the
Feather River Canyon on its way to Oakland, CA. The
Amtrak train was detoured over the Canyon because of
maintenance work being done by the Union Pacific
railroad on their Donner Summit line. The cars were
the Silver Rapids, Silver Lariat, and the Silver
Solarium. The cars are privately owned and are
leased out for rail tours.
The three cars were built by the
Budd Company in 1948 for the California Zephyr
passenger train which traversed the Feather River
Canyon. They were in service from 1948 to 1981. The
Silver Rapids (right) is a sleeping car. It has 6
bedrooms which sleep 2 each; 8 roomettes sleeping 1.
The Silver Lariat (dome car) (below left) has
42 reclining coach seats and dining tables in two
room areas on the lower level and 24 seats at dining
or lounge tables in the dome. The Silver Solarium
(dome car) (below right) has 1 master bedroom, 1
triple drawing room, 3 double bedrooms. There are 24
Three more train rides scheduled down the Canyon!! Trains Unlimited Tours has scheduled three more passenger rides down the Canyon on August 27 (too late for that one), Saturday August 30 and Tuesday, September 9. Better get a ticket because it may be a long time before this historic ride in the Zephyr cars happens again. August 20, 2008 A pair of Harleys come to town
They came into the Visitors Bureau looking for some good birding spots. So off they went to Snake Lake, La Porte Road and even as far as A-24 in Sierra Valley, where they found a pair of sandhill cranes and egrets. Oh, yes they stopped in Graeagle for a frosty. On their way through Quincy they made one more visit letting us know that Plumas County is absolutely beautiful and they'll be back with some friends on Harleys to check out the Fall foliage. August 19, 2008 Passenger train in the Feather River Canyon (for one day)?
Rumor has it that Trains Unlimited which is bringing a railfan tour group to Railroad Days will actually be taking a passenger train with Zephyr cars down the Feather River Canyon for the first time in a long while. Train buffs will feel like they've died and gone to heaven. Just found out that Trains Unlimited is adding two new cars for the ride down the Feather Canyon. You can buy tickets for the ride in Portola but you'll have to figure out how to get back once you get to Sacramento. Try calling the Railroad Museum for more information (530) 832-4131. August 13, 2008 Plumas Fall Foliage story goes out to 1000's
August 11, 2008 Funny story from the Rich Fire (100% contained) found in the August 9, Fire Information Update from the Forest Service. A young bear has been caught stealing lunches from some of the water tender personnel. It's a good reminder to refrain from feeding wildlife for their own health and safety. Please keep the wildlife wild! History comes to life: Walker Mine - Margaret and her husband (both from Modesto) came into the Visitors Bureau today looking for a some advice on how to spend a day in Plumas County. It happens that Margaret already knew the area because her grandfather (Henry Glinsendorfer) had been the manager of the Walker Mine, a copper mine near Lake Davis, in the late 1920's. Margaret's father (Leonard Wohletz) came up to the mine in the summer to work ostensibly but mostly they wanted him for his baseball skills. Each community in the area had a baseball team, including Walker Mine which had a population of more than 1000 people. Margaret said that her grandfather had left several journals describing the daily activities of the mine which she had found quite fascinating. Two generations go backpacking Karen (from Quincy) and her daughter, Frances (from San Francisco) took their annual backpacking trip in Plumas County last weekend. Of course, Frances carried the largest pack because she's the youngest, But it's possible that Frances snuck some of the heavy stuff in her Mom's pack as she was the official packer. Usually they go to the Buck Lake
Wilderness (near Quincy) but because of the Rich
Fire it was closed (should be open tomorrow) so they
chose the Lakes
Basin area near Graeagle. Heading toward
Johnsville they turned off on the Jamison Mine Road
until they parked at the trailhead to Grass, Wades,
J It's a bit of an uphill to Rock Lake which was their destination. Frances (left) was usually in the lead and far enough ahead so she didn't have to hear the groans from her Mom. Near Grass Lake there were still some pretty nice wildflowers, Indian Paint Brush mostly. After one wrong turn they made it to Rock Lake which is about 3 1/2 miles from the trailhead. They found a fairly secluded campsite on the lake with some help from another helpful camper who took pity on them because it was getting dark.
That night was Karen's birthday so
they splurged on pesto, wine and peach cobbler.
Not ba The area is quite spectacular with a deep blue sky during the day and a magnificent display of stars at night. One day they took a 10- mile hike to Mt. Washington going by way of Wades Lake (their favorite). What great views!! Photo is on top of Mt. Washington. August 1, 2008 Fires and Fishing Helicopters and the Rich Fire
Notice the blue sky in Quincy. There's Fires and then there's
Fishing
Notice the blue sky in the Lakes Basin Area near Graeagle, Plumas County. July 29, 2008 Oh, darn another fire in the Feather River Canyon near Rush Creek which is about 15 miles from Quincy. We'll keep you posted. The Graeagle part of the county should be fine and Quincy at the present time isn't very smoky. Too bad just yesterday the skies were bright blue. Butterfly mania: Rick from Cromberg was riding his motorcycle near the intersection of Highway 89 and Highway 70 (near the Feather River Inn) and ran into a swarm of migrating orange butterflies. They ended up under his goggles, smashed on the windshield and was completely covered with orange stuff. He felt like he was covered with orange bug juice. First thing he did when he got home was take a shower. Brenda from Granite Bay had to slow down to 30 mph in her car so she didn't get covered with those cute orange butterflies. July 28, 2008 Summer is still here so come on up. The lakes are refreshing, the fish are biting, the hiking trails are open and the air is much better. The fires are 90% contained and with over 1 million acres of forest land most areas are untouched by the Canyon Complex Fire. July 23, 2008 Town of Johnsville reopens historic church
Johnsville is the tiny community at the base of Eureka Peak, about 15 minutes west of Graeagle. The town is full of quaint old buildings that are remnants of its gold mining past. One of these was the church, which was ready to fall apart when residents began an effort to save and restore it.
It took a little longer than expected, but the 1890s building finally welcomed visitors again last Sunday, in conjunction with Gold Discovery Days at nearby Plumas-Eureka State Park You won't find church services at the church, but it's open as a museum (not yet sure of the hours) and can be used for small weddings or gatherings (maximum occupancy 49.) Congrats to the folks in Johnsville for all those years of hard work and dedication!
7/15/2008 Come on up - the air is looking better - so many things to do! Smoke conditions can change dependent upon the wind. All roads are open! What's happening this weekend?
Art Around the Lake, Lake Almanor, July 18 (Reception) and July 19 (Artists in Action). Enjoy great art and the beauty of Lake Almanor. Photo on the right. The famous Graeagle Art and Crafts Fair on July 19 and 20 is a good place to buy your early Christmas presents from fine artisans. And there's more: The annual Greenville Gold Diggers Day is also July 19 and 20. Join with the locals for some fun events, like the Horseshoe Tournament. Many music opportunities this
weekend: In Quincy there's the
Gold Run Motorcycle Rally which includes Music on
the Green (July 19) at the Fairgrounds.
Several bands are playing for many hours. Portola
City Lights Concert Series is featuring 5 Alarm Band
(Rock n Roll and Blues) on July 18 at the Portola City
Park - starting at And if that's not enough check out the events calendar. 7/11/2008 Fire updates: Call us for air quality reports as it changes day to day and region to region. 800-326-2247. The wildflowers are still blooming in the higher elevations Thanks to Carl Raymond for the great photos.
Bucks Lakes Area has some nice displays of flowers off of the Quincy-Oroville Highway near Grizzly Campground. There's probably some good patches of flowers on the Pacific Crest Trail but unfortunately it's closed presently because of fire risk.
July 9, 2008 Fourth of July Celebrations!
Graeagle parade, fireworks, and civil
war enactment
Ever tried to maneuver a greased watermelon? Greenhorn picnic
July 7, 2008 High Sierra Music Festival Comes to Quincy
Th Thanks to Bob Burney for the photos (top left and right) and Karen Kleven for the other two.
July 4, 2008 Happy Fourth of July! We're very happy because a lot of the smoke has cleared and the fires are gradually getting put out. No good updates on the Belden fire but a lot of the fire fighting resources are being re-directed to that area. High Sierra Music Festival is in full swing and fireworks are happening (on the water of course) in Lake Almanor tonight and Graeagle on Saturday night. Have a fun and safe Fourth of July.
If you thought this face mask was for the smoke last week you would be wrong. It was just a painter protecting himself. The Visitors Bureau is getting a new paint job so come by to take a look in a week or so.
July 2, 2008 Mom of firefighter sends a thank you Hello, July 2, 2008 Lets start with wildflowers and waterfalls and save fires for last
The Lakes Basin area near Graeagle is looking quite refreshing with waterfalls and wildflowers. Fern Falls (off the Grey Eagle/Long Lake trail) is the photo above. You can't see the whole cascading falls, but the top photo of the falls flows into the bottom refreshing pool. There are other great waterfalls in the area including: Jamison Falls (near Johnsville), Frazier Falls (up the Gold Lake Road), and Halsey Falls (near Grey Eagle Lodge on the Long Lake trail). Fern Falls is little tricky to find if you haven't been there because there doesn't appear to be a sign. You can hear the falls at the intersection of the Long Lake trail where it turns left to the Lake Basin Campground. Do a little scampering on the rocks and there it is. If you'd like to do some interesting climbing you can reach the pool at the bottom which is great for swimming. Now for the Plumas Fires Looks like our fires are a little
less severe than other parts of Northern California but
The Plumas National Forest Service report states that the smoke should clear creating mostly sunny skies today but as the weather becomes warmer and drier increased fire activity is expected. Presently the air in Quincy is somewhat like a smoggy city, but things look better in the Graeagle and Lake Almanor area (most of the time). It's hard to say anything about air quality because it rapidly changes depending on the wind. You can give us a call for the most up to date reports 530-283-6345. Some areas are closed due to fires including public land bounded by the North and middle Ford of the Feather River toward the Pacific Crest Trail, the Bucks Lake Wilderness and land surrounding the Cold Fire. Campgrounds currently closed due to wildfires include Milsap Bar, Little North Fork, Rogers Cow Camp, Feather Falls, and Harman Bar. Roads: Highway 70 (Feather River Canyon) is closed from Pulga to the Highway 89 junction as of this morning due to rock fall and fire activity. Highway 32 is closed from the Junction of SR 36 In Tehama County to Butte Meadows in Butte County due to wildfire. Highway 36W is currently closed 55 miles west of Red Bluff near Wildwood to the juntion of SR 3 and 36 due to numerous fires in the areas. But alas there are other ways to get to Plumas County. Check out the June 27 Buzz story. June 27, 2008 Fires and Flowers We'll start with the Canyon Complex (including Cold Fire). The most up-to-date information is found on the Plumas National Forest Service web site. But the quick glimpse is that the air is better especially in the north (Indian Valley, Chester Lake Almanor) and the east (Graeagle, Portola). Quincy is still hazy but quite a bit better than the last few days. There is a high alert for possible thunderstorms with lightning in the next few days but impossible to say the impact of those storms. The fire is not close to Quincy for those coming to the High Sierra Music Festival. Routes to Quincy: So far only Highway 70 (Feather River Canyon) is closed. From the south (Sacramento, SF Bay Area, etc) there are a few other routes. Recommended routes would be taking Interstate 80 towards Truckee, at Truckee take Highway 89 north toward Quincy, Sierraville, and Graeagle. From Graeagle take 89/70 towards Quincy. View map The other route would be the Quincy-Bucks Lake Highway that takes off from Oroville at Highway 162 (Oroville Dam Blvd). You'll go over Lake Oroville and continue on to Bucks Lake and then onto Quincy. (map) Sorry the map goes backwards from Quincy to Oroville. There are other routes from Marysville (Highway 20) to La Porte and how about the Gold Lake Road that connect highway 49 (Bassets) and highway 89 near Graeagle. These will increase your driving time and mileage but it could be an adventure. You'll have to check a map for details. More than fires, some great wildflowers
The Lakes Basin area near Graeagle should be bursting with with wildflowers. Try the Long Lake trail taking off from Grey Eagle Lodge. You'll also pass a few waterfalls. That trail was a recommendation from Tom DeMund, author of Feather River Country Adventure Trails, who just popped in before a book signing at Epilog Book store.
Joe Willis found a few summer flowers (Farewell to Spring-right, Leopard Lily-left) on the new Community Trail near Feather River College and some Columbine on Claremont near Quincy. You should also be able to find the Leopard Lily and Columbine in the Lakes Basin area.
June 26, 2008 Plumas Fires update 5 p.m. The fire folks have just
updated us here at the Visitors Bureau. With fires
happening all over Northern California, you may not know
we've had a few here in Plumas County. The main one,
called the "Cold" Fire, is roughly at 4,000 acres,
located in a very remote area of the Plumas National
Forest south of Quincy. For regular updates and maps check the Plumas Forest Service. June 25, 2008 "These are from our front door deck in Sloat at the time the Cold Fire on the Plumas National Forest broke out (June 22). It is about 4 miles from our log cabin. Tom has cut the firebreak in farther and we have sprinklers on the roof. Forest Service says they'll give us 12 hours to evacuate if it gets to their target points. Have heavy smoke, ash and cinders the size of quarters. Sure glad to see fire crews arriving!"
For up to date information go to the Plumas Forest Service site. Forest Service closure include land generally bounded by the North and Middle Forks of the Feather River toward the Pacific Crest, the Bucks Lake Wilderness and land surrounding the Cold Fire. Maps are available on the Forest Service website. Private businesses and resorts, including facilities around Bucks Lake, remain open along State and County highways and in communities. Highway 70 remains closed by Caltrans from Pulga to the Greenville Wye because of debris and rock slides but the Bucks Lake - Oroville Road is open. Hopefully we'll have some non-fire stuff soon to report including blue skies. June 24, 2008 Fire Update 12 p.m. New update by Forest Service for Canyon Complex and Cold Fire. 10 a.m. It's not real easy
getting information so we'll let you know what we know.
This is as accurate as we could find. We called the
Forest Service number at (530) 283-7884 to get some
updates. Canyon Complex Fire: There have been 46 fires (7 contained) within the area of the Feather River Canyon. We've had a few fire related personnel coming into the Visitors Bureau looking for places to stay. One was the aerial attack coordinator who flies around checking out spots to send the helicopters. He came from Southern California arriving on somewhat short notice. His first concern was a place to stay and then to figure out where he had actually landed. Where is Quincy? He was quite happy about the bikes now being offered to pilots at the airport so he could get to and from the airport. June 23, 2008 It's pretty smoky here! Lightning started several fires in the Plumas Forest last weekend. Check Plumas News or the Forest Service site for up-to-date information or give us a call at 800-326-2247. Check out this video of the Cold Fire four miles south of Highway 70 and the communities of Greenhorn and Spring Garden. We'll try to keep you posted. June 18, 2008 Golf Media Tour goes green The 10th annual Golf the High Sierra
Media Tour brought quite an impressive crowd of
about 20 golf media members to Graeagle and
Portola this month. The guests played rounds
at Whitehawk Ranch, Grizzly Ranch, Plumas Pines
and Nakoma, and were wined and dined at the Lodge at
Whitehawk Ranch. The evening took on an Irish theme with
musical entertainment by a fairly new Graeagle
band, The Whiskey Dents, who play "Irish drinking
songs."
One of the attendees was Joe Starkey of Bay Area's KNBR radio, who has long been the announcer for San Francisco 49ers games. Starkey (golfing at left and in green below) proved his famous voice can also belt out Irish ballads, as he upstaged the band with his version of "Danny Boy" and a few other tunes. That impromptu performance then led to a long-winded Irish joke told by tour organizer Phil Weidinger (in red).
June 13, 2008 Butte fire not impacting Plumas If you're wondering about fire danger, please note that travelers to Plumas County WILL NOT be impacted by the Humboldt Fire that is burning between Chico and Paradise. The location of this fire in neighboring Butte County is north and west of Quincy, and Highway 70 (through the Feather River Canyon) is OPEN and not impacted. Highway 32 from Chico is also open through to Hwy. 36 to access Lassen Park and Chester. There also is no visible smoke, and winds are predicted to die down today. June 12, 2008 "Sit out the rest of my life" in Plumas County Tony Mindling, a wonderful photographer,
reported, "I thought you would enjoy reading what
someone from the east coast thought about the
Plumas County scenes," (a photo essay of
northern Plumas County). June 11, 2008 Plumas County history comes to life for kids
Last week the Plumas County Museum held historic days for lots of fourth grade classes. The museum staff was exhausted by the end of the week but the kids had a great time making candles, cooking biscuits in a woodstove, washing clothes in a wash tub and panning for gold. They also had a school lesson in the old Pioneer School at the Fairgrounds. To get more in the spirit the kids, teachers, and museum staff wore pioneer outfits The gold panning was a special hit because it was "hard to get the gold in the pan". The kids also toured the 1878 Variel Home (next door to the museum) wondering if it was haunted and did some folk dancing on the lawn. How lucky we are to offer this experience to local kids. Travel writers passing through David and Kay Scott, travel writers for
the Globe Pequot Press (and are also freelance travel
writers) stopped in at the visitors bureau for some
travel advice and friendly conversation on their way up
to the Oregon coast. The Scott's have written several
travel books including The Hikers Little Book of Wisdom,
Guide to National Park Areas: Eastern States and the
Complete Guide to National Park Lodges just to name a
few. They have also written travel related stories for
the Miami Herald newspaper as well as other
publications. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
in
this popular spot three miles off Gold Lake Road. There's
already some snow at this elevation, but not enough to keep
all the vehicles from making it up there. The day was sunny
and warm, the chili tasty and the group had a great time!
As
we wind down with the
... the huge piles of fallen
leaves, now mostly brown and filling the air with an earthy,
musty aroma, especially after the recent rains.
P.K.
Weber must have thoroughly checked out our
Passenger
service down the Feather River Canyon was
suspended in 1970 - so that's 38 years since we've
seen the Zephyr cars winding down the canyon. 
tables
for full dining service and it has a round
observation lounge. 
is their power, size and uniqueness that intrigues
me. I have been a model railroader since I was very
young and I began taking photographs of trains since
about 1979. Half the fun of photographing them is
being able to get out and see the country trains
helped develop. I am currently a Docent at the
California State Railroad Museum."
Bill
Duval and Suann Prigmore both of Redding made their
first visit to Plumas County on their new
Harleys this week. Bill was riding a Harley
Heritage and Suann, a Harley Davidson
Ultracycle Trike. 
Associated
Press Travel Editor, Beth J. Harpaz, has included
Plumas County in her national travel story,
amison
and Rock Lake. 
d
for camping. Fortunately that stuff was already
prepared because in the morning they found out that
their stove wouldn't work because some tiny little
part was missing, the o ring. Actually oatmeal
doesn't taste too bad in cold water. 
There
are eight helicopters working on the Rich Fire as
support for the firefighters on the ground.
They're flying out of Gansner Airport in Quinc
y
from morning until sunset. You can look up in the
sky and see large buckets dangling from helicopters.
There's also what they call the Sky Crane (top and
right), the biggest one of all, which has a
snorkel hanging down that sucks up water from creeks
and lakes to fill up its 2500 gallon tank. The
buckets from the other helicopters like the
Blackhawk can hold 660 gallons. 
All
the helicopters are on contract to the Forest
Service
from private companies all around the country.
The Sky Crane is part of a large fleet of
helicopters from Erickson which has contracts all
around the world. The Blackhawk belongs
to Brainerd, Inc. headquartered in Florida.
The two pilots we talked with received their flight
training in the military. Mark Sales (left)
one of the pilots from the Blackhawk was happy to
pose and he even gave us some snazzy hats with
helicopter logos. The Sky Crane uses 4000
gallons of fuel per day at $5.00 gallon. That's
$20,000 and we complain about filling up our cars. 
Fires
aren't pretty but there's still lots of space in
Plumas County to enjoy the beauty of nature. These
kids spent a great day pulling out trout at Sardine
Lake. Can you get much more beautiful
than this?
It's
taken 25 years, but the little St. John's Catholic
church in Johnsville is finally open again, and
operating as a museum and headquarters for the
Johnsville Historical Society.
The
folks at the Greenhorn Guest Ranch were quite thankful
they could celebrate the fourth of July with no worry of
fire evacuation as they had been close to the
Cold Fire which is now contained. 
For
four days the Plumas County Fairground was
turned
into a 21st century Woodstock. This is is the
tenth year or so. Can you believe it - in Quincy?
Great music, food, and people having a wonderful
time. The fires and road closures didn't seem to keep
many people away as there were still several routes
open. A few days were fairly smoky but it
didn't stop the dancing.
e
event brings lots of money into the County and we can
leave the organizing to someone else. All lodging
rooms in Quincy were booked. 
Other
media included representatives
from
Delta Sky Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle,
Sacramento radio station KFBK, Arizona Fairways, Golf
Today and MSNBC and Cybergolf web sites. All of
those folks should be turning out some good publicity on
why Plumas County's a great place for a golf vacation!
