Undaunted by wind and rain
We have indeed been having weather! But that has not deterred us from getting out. My sisters and I hiked at Coyote Hills Regional Park last week. And on the weekend Craig and I made an overnight trek out to the Central Valley to see the almond blossoms and visit Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.
A beautiful hike on a blustery day
My sisters and I try to get together a couple of times a month, most often for a hike and then lunch (or sometimes for pedicures and lunch!). Our timing was tight this week, because Craig and I are soon to head out on a long road trip, so Kristi and Shannon and I decided to brave the forecast rain and go for a hike at Coyote Hills Regional Park.
Coyote Hills was a good choice, because it’s halfway between us and, thanks to the downpours we’ve had of late, everything was fresh and green. The trail is completely exposed, but in the cool pre-spring weather it’s a comfortable hike — except for the wind, which was very blustery and cold. At times it howled so loudly around our ears that I couldn’t hear what anyone was saying.
We followed the flattish trail that winds around the hills and along the shore of the San Francisco Bay — about four and a half miles in all. We paused occasionally to admire the view and check out the occasional bird, including a flock of thirty-plus wild turkeys who were wandering through, ending our hike with a walk through the wetlands. Happily, the rain held off and we got back to our cars un-wetted and energized.Blossoms and birds
It was not, perhaps, the brightest idea we’d ever had. But on Saturday Craig and I headed off for an overnight adventure, despite a storm that had brought the first significant snow in decades to the Bay Area. The Central Valley had been spared the snow, we reasoned, and this was our one chance to see the almond blossoms this year. They have a very short season.
While we were in the area, we decided also to drive through Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, where thousands of migratory birds rest and hang out on their way north or south, depending on the time of year. We hadn’t yet made it out there this season, and it was nearing the time when the migrants would be departing for more northerly climes. So a tour was de rigueur.
A chilly detour
Our local Audubon Society organizes wonderful birding hikes each spring, and we’re planning to take part in a couple of these in April. But one of the best things about getting their brochure is learning about new places that we might check out on our own. That was how we learned about Blue Ridge Road near Vacaville. Since this area was new to both Craig and me — and more or less on our way— we decided to do a little exploring.
Following Google’s suggested route up to the ridge, where a good amount of snow had fallen, we found ourselves on a closed road (except for locals) through a canyon. This narrow track wound up toward the top, becoming increasingly steep and slippery, as we got into the snowy areas. We gave it up about two and a half miles before the summit but ventured far enough to see that it would be worth a return visit.Where the blossoms are
From there, we made our way to Durham, just south of Chico, to see what was blooming in that part of the valley. Last year we toured the flowering almond orchards in Modesto, following a preprogrammed route put together, I presume, by the local chamber of commerce. The weather was perfect, and the tour included points of interest beyond the orchards, which made for a fun day. This year, though, we wanted to check out the blooms in a different area.
Craig had flown over a southern section of the valley the week before, and there the almond trees were already in full flower. But in more northerly areas the trees bloom later. Calls to a couple of produce stands in the Chico area informed us that blossoms there should be at their peak in another week. And so we made our plans.
I had found a little guide to the best almond-blossom-viewing route in the Durham area, and that gave us some initial points of reference. But in fact, almond trees were blooming all along the way from Vacaville; they weren’t exactly hard to find. We meandered along the backroads, admiring the flowering trees and stopping here and there for photos.
We spotted a few birds but no honeybees, who prefer warmer weather. The 40-degree temperatures combined with strong rains seemed to be keeping the bees snug in their hives just when they were most needed to pollinate. We wondered what might be the consequences.
Even under fiercely grey skies, the almond trees were magical bedecked in pink-and-white finery and bejeweled with raindrops. Almonds are not the only crop in this part of the valley. Walnut orchards are also abundant, but those trees were still completely bare. What I found most startling was seeing how many orchards had been torn out, the old trees uprooted and piled up — for burning, one imagines. We also spotted many new orchards just getting started, in scanty bloom and clearly years away from meaningful production. I know there’s an economic calculus to all this — the amount of water required vs. the trees’ productivity at different stages in their life cycle — but it breaks my heart to see vast swaths of bare earth where once trees bloomed. Having looked and photographed our fill, and having wandered (by car) through the tiny town of Durham, we finished our tour with a brief stop at the Patrick Ranch Museum (where we arrived just before closing and so missed visiting the historic house) and Maisie Janes’ Gift Shop, which features every sort of almond product you can imagine. I picked up a small bag each of herb-and-garlic almonds and chocolate toffee almonds, congratulating myself on forgoing the two-pound bag!From there, we drove down to the town of Colusa, right on the Sacramento River, where we were spending the night. We had dinner at Rocco’s Bar & Grill, where the service was friendly, the atmosphere lively, and the prime rib smoky and abundant. Next time, we share!
Before the birds fly away
Sunday morning we awoke to cold winds and grey skies and consequently were in no hurry to leave our cosy hotel room. But reminding ourselves that “There’s no bad weather, only bad clothes!” (which might originally be a Scandinavian saying), we eventually bundled up and ventured out to get some breakfast at The Market Street Grill, another local favorite. After our meal — and a brief detour up the stairs onto the levee to see the river — we headed out to the refuge.
The wind hadn’t stopped, but at least it was no longer raining. Still, we opted to stay in the car for the whole driving tour, instead of getting out at the designated gawking points. We shed our hats and jackets and watched from the heated comfort of Craig’s Honda pickup. This truck was a huge improvement over our old camper, with its roaring diesel engine that sent birds scurrying or swimming or flying before us. The Honda is a stealth vehicle, perfect for creeping up on unsuspecting birds.
Rather to our surprise, we saw lots of birds! Turkey vultures fought the wind and settled into trees. We spied a northern harrier and a red-tailed hawk. Western meadowlarks were everywhere — more than we’d ever seen in one place before. Also golden- and white-crowned sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, black phoebes, a northern flicker, and lots of small dark-brown birds that I was convinced were female Brewer’s blackbirds. Craig was skeptical, because we didn’t notice any males in these flocks, so we’re leaving a question mark next to that one.
And of course, the refuge being a watery, marshy sort of place, we saw lots of waterfowl, both along the shore and in the water. Of the swimming ducky-kindred we spied:- snow geese
- greater white-fronted geese
- northern shovelers
- green-winged teals
- cinnamon teals
- gadwalls
- American wigeons
- mallards
- northern pintails
- ring-necked ducks
- buffleheads
- ruddy ducks
- pied-billed grebes
- American coots
Identification was sometimes a bit challenging, because these swimmers spent much of their time with their heads in the water or completely upended with tails in the air or diving under the water.
Along the shore we spotted killdeer, great egrets, and black-necked stilts. Also black-crowned night herons, which roost in the thicket of branches over the water in one section of the refuge. At first when you notice them, you think that some plastic bags have gotten caught up in the branches. Then you take a closer look — and the more you look, the more you see. I counted forty-four night herons!
But that day the real thrill of the refuge, it turned out, was not a bird at all but a river otter — only the second time I’d seen one in the wild. No photo, but we watched it swim a ways in a Loch-Ness-monster sort of style, before disappearing behind a clump of reeds.
The drive home was rainy, but we arrived without incident. Despite the inclement weather, we enjoyed our weekend. It’s always a treat to get away.
Here’s a toast to the weather:
We’re always waiting for it to change,
but sometimes the best response is
to put on our galoshes and go play in the rain!
Connections
- Coyote Hills Regional Park
- Danie Schwartz: Best Spots to See Almond Blossoms in Butte County (Explore Butte County, 10 February 2020)
- The Historic Patrick Ranch Museum
- Maisie Janes’ Gift Shop
- Rocco’s Bar & Grill
- Market Street Grill
- Colusa National Wildlife Refuge
You might also like…
- Check out photos of almond blossoms on a sunny day: Flower power!
- Along the Pacific Flyway
3 thoughts on “Undaunted by wind and rain”
I always appreciate your thick description and beautiful photos. Hear the ones of your sisters and the almond blossoms show beauty beyond compare. And what a lovely message of changing with the weather, which is really all we can do
Biophilia is alive and well in Alameda as you brave the storms for blossoms and birds. My kind of people. Nice bird list — the car tour is always a great option. More adventures to look forward to in the near future!
Beauti!ful pictures Jenny, as always!!!! Loved to see the picture of the three of you and how nice that you get to do those things together! Wonderful that you got to enjoy the w end in spite the weather.
Comments are closed.