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Updated 11:31pm - Mar 18, 2010
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Opinion Columns Editor's Note: Prime time for rhodies in redwoods
Editor's Note: Prime time for rhodies in redwoods
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Vast stretches of the redwoods have turned pink and purple as the wild rhododendrons hit their peak. You can get glimpses — better than glimpses, really — from the highways. But for the best blasts of color, go just a little deeper into the woods. Damnation Creek Trail off of 101 south of Crescent City and the Hatton and Hiouchi trails off of 199 merited special recommendations from the North Coast Redwood Interpretive Association. Laura and I pulled off at the Damnation Creek trailhead Saturday. Our objective was to log another section of the Coastal Trail stretching south from there. Despite the front-page article in that day’s paper, we weren’t really thinking about the timing being perfect to immerse ourselves in a rhodie wonderland. But there it was, starting just a couple hundred feet from the parking area. It’s hard to beat the redwood-rhodie combination, but it’s also a great time to check out the variety of wildflowers that grace the Myrtle Creek trail off Highway 199, near the turnoff for South Fork and Howland Hill roads. And finally, if you haven’t been to Point St. George recently, a feast of low-slung, rock-clinging wildflowers awaits you.
More details and photos are coming Saturday in another installment of
Walk Your World, but I didn’t want to wait to put out this reminder,
because prime time is right now.
While I’m promoting upcoming editions, I should also mention that on Friday we’ll publish Warrior Pride, a special section looking back at Del Norte High School sports during the fast-fading school year of ’08-’09. In words and photos, we’ll tell the stories of what was another banner year for Del Norte sports, with several league titles and forays into post-season competition. Warrior athletics is about a lot more than just Roger “Bronc” McCovey, but you can bet local sports fans will never forget how the local heavyweight wrestler steamrolled the competition en route to two straight undefeated seasons ending with state championships. Crusading journalism? Why not? If it seems like The Triplicate has been obsessing on the future of the redwoods state parks lately, that’s because it has. There are plenty of state budget cuts coming down the pike that are going to hurt Del Norte County, from state employee layoffs and pay cuts to reductions in social services. But the governor’s proposal to close almost all of the state parks threatens to decimate our long-term ability to grow economically through tourism. In barroom brawl terms, Mr. Schwarzenegger is looking to knock us down with a one-two combination, then rip our heart out. Yup, his proposal has gotten our attention. This is a fight Del Norte County cannot lose. Bring back Jefferson state? Man-about-town Richard Miles stopped by Monday to suggest that, with all the dissatisfaction with Sacramento, now might be a good time to write a story recalling the efforts to carve a new state out of Northern California and Southern Oregon. It was to be called the state of Jefferson, and it reached its peak in 1941 until it dissolved amid the national furor over the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Without endorsing a new secessionist movement, I think Mr. Miles might be on to something. Besides, if we wait much longer, “veterans” of the movement to form the state of Jefferson will be impossible to find. So we’ll put the idea on the short list, and if anyone can provide information about Jeffersonians of yesteryear who are still alive and kicking in Del Norte County, feel free to email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
