Spring Is Coming!
- Mike and Michele
- Mar 5, 2017
- 2 min read
After days and days of rain, the kind that keeps you in the house in your pajamas, Mike and I were going stir crazy. We had to do something or bad things were going to go down! We were both feeling the effects of confined quarters and the dog was giving us "dirty dog" looks because we hadn't been out hiking and exploring.
We headed out to the Sacramento River Bend Area near Red Bluff, California. With it's wide open spaces, Niki (our adorable pooch), could run and explore to her heart's content!
Our first stop was going to be Hog Flat Reservoir. I had read that there is a ton of wildlife on this lake. Well, that was a slight exaggeration! Mike did, however, manage to get a few shots of the Tundra Swans. It's hard to put the sneak on wildlife when you have the big fluff ball (Niki) crashing around and swimming!
I managed to get some shots of the trail along the lake. The sky was awesome that day! Clouds everywhere, the sun out! It was a refreshing change after all the rain.
The wildflowers are just starting. Those little, yellow flowers that pop up in the marshy areas of the meadows are starting to come in pretty thick. They made a nice contrast against the green grass and meandering meadow streams.
I had also researched a waterfall that I had heard about in the area so Mike and I started off to find that. We had the coordinates so we took off cross country. We found it quite easily but it was almost a disappointment. You can't get to the bottom of the falls (cliffs) unless you hike way downstream. Even doing that there are deep pools that you would have to swim through to get to the base of the waterfall. With that being said, there is only one place to take a photo from. Unfortunately, the sun was directly overhead. I think given the right time of day (perhaps sunset) it would look nice with all the green grass and rocks that line the creek above the waterfall. The coordinates for the waterfall are 40 14'51.45"N 122 09'32.90"W.
Overall, the day was awesome! It was nice to get out and stretch our legs! This area and the area off of Bend Ferry Road abound with trails and sights to see (click on the brochure link in directions). My usually beautiful dog, Niki,
Looked like she had been on a two day bender. She passed out on the way home.
DIRECTIONS
From I-5, take the Antelope Blvd exit. Proceed east to HWY 36 N. Follow it a few miles and you will see the first of two trailheads, Iron Canyon Trailhead. The second one is the Hog Flat Plateau Trailhead. The lake is reached via the Hog Flat Plateau Trailhead. The waterfall can be reached from either trailhead.
There are more trails and sites to see on the other side of the river (click here).
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