Up The Road (http://new-wp.uptheroad.org/?cat=67&paged=5)
Cal-Organic. Earthbound Farms. Driscoll’s Berries. I often wonder whether the ears of folks involved in California agriculture are perpetually burning from the intensity of Vermont coffee-shop debate over the environmental, ethical, and economic value of left-coast commercial organic produce. (more…) Continue Reading →
It’s often possible to land a Lassen campsite on a weekend without reservations, especially if you can send out a scout on Thursday night or Friday morning to stake your claim. Half of the park’s sites can be reserved in advance online via Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777, along with group camping areas and stock corrals for trail riders. (more…) Continue Reading →
Far Northern California isn’t as remote as it used to be, but the region still offers some of the state’s most memorable weekend drives. Once satisfied with explorations of Lassen Park and surrounding communities, consider pointing your Prius up the road toward more spectacular scenery. The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, recently declared an All-American Roadway, is one such route—a 360-mile stretch of Shasta-Cascade landscapes. (There are only 28 All-American Roadways in the nation, and only one other—the Big Sur Coast Highway—in California.)
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There’s still time for enjoying some mountain scenery—if not this Labor Day weekend then soon, before winter makes high-country travel more challenging. Northern Californians happen to have a world-renowned destination just up the road: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The park’s most hospitable season is summer, from mid-June or July into October. Which makes right now a perfect time for that Lassen road trip. (more…) Continue Reading →
In Fall
There is a faint rustling at the top of the pines—just a teasing promise of winter rains to come. The September days are still hot in the mountains, but you can see that the season is about to turn. The green grass of early summer (wild oats, timothy, red clover) is browning. Now, evening comes more quickly in long shadows over the meadow. By October, the rancher is looking for cloud cover in the west and hoping for that first good, soaking rain to revive the winter range and begin the cycle of renewal. Continue Reading →
Benjamin Franklin is credited with that aphorism about the worth of water. Generally taken as a metaphor, Franklin’s wisdom was first published in the 1746 edition of his wildly popular Poor Richard’s Almanak. More than 150 years later farmers in California seemed to know the literal worth of water. WATER WEALTH CONTENTMENT HEALTH: That simple four-word message stretched across the Modesto Arch at 9th and I Streets in downtown Modesto summed up their expectations of the Northern California water that made agricultural abundance possible. (more…) Continue Reading →