Feather Falls Hike

Bro John and I recently did the 7 mile round trip hike to the beautiful Feather Falls in Oroville (Plumas National Forest), reportedly the 6th or 7th tallest falls in the country. (Click here for a few photos taken during our hike, and here for a 14 second video.) I hadn't done this particular hike in about 20 years. It was even more beautiful (and pretty much just as strenuous) as I remembered. The weather was PERFECT, and there were happy hikers of all ages enjoying the day. Like most others, we saved our lunch to enjoy on the lookout deck, enjoying the view of the fabulous waterfall, complete with rainbow toward the bottom. Something unexpected was the proliferation of wildflowers--so many different types and colors; they were gorgeous! And something I definitely did NOT miss were the swarms of ladybugs we encountered on our last visit. (Did you know ladybugs sometimes bite?)

There is a path that leads to the top of the falls, which I understand is also lovely. I'll have to save THAT view for another trip--maybe after I've increased my hiking endurance. Hey--I hear the recently-rediscovered Whiskeytown Falls (near Redding, CA) is just a 3.4 mile round-trip hike. And you can check out the amazing Sundial Bridge while you're in the area!

Artoberfest in Chico

"ARTOBERFEST" kicked into high gear in Chico today with the 2nd annual "Palio," the running of the "horses." (Click here for short video of the race.) Well, homemade horse-like creations, that is. (Reminds me of the Great Arcata-to-Ferndale Kinetic Sculpture Race--see my blog entry in May '08 for more info on this annual event.) A "just for fun" family event held in our Downtown Plaza, the running marks the beginning of a month-long celebration of the arts. As Chico has been recognized in various publications (including USA Today and Sunset Magazine) as one of the top small arts communities in the country, our various art groups work together to live up to this illustrious reputation. (Thanks to the Chico Art Center and Chico Arts Commission in particular. Click here to view some of Chico's public art.) My family and I have always enjoyed visiting the personal work spaces of various local artists during the ever-popular "Open Studio Tour," which occurs beginning Oct. 11-12 in Chico this year, with tours of Paradise and Oroville on the following weekends. In past years some standouts have been (in my humble opinion): Caitlin Schwerin, Chunhong Chang, Bruce Ertle and mosaic tile artist Robin Indar. Of course, there are many extremely talented artists gracious enough to open their studios to the public--what a great opportunity to see how they work. Hope you find time to enjoy some of this month's Artoberfest! (More public art can be viewed at my web site, http://www.chicolaura.com/, by clicking on "Area Photo Tour," then on the photo album, bottom left.)