Phil Reedy sent in another great report, this week from the Deer Creek Highway (aka Highway 32). His words were so spot on, we are simply reprinting them below.
To paraphrase the Postal Workers Creed, “Neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of day shall stay this photographer from the leisurely completion of his appointed rounds.” Traveling up the Deer Creek Highway (highway 32) from Chico yesterday, I encountered rain and sleet and even lightning as I spent the afternoon checking out the colors. From Chico up to Deer Creek Falls the colors are definitely at peak and even past peak near the falls. You can really see the devastation from the Park Fire for the first 10 miles or so, with everything burned on the north side of the highway. But luckily it didn’t make it past Forest Ranch or to Deer Creek.
The Big Leaf Maples and Oaks are gorgeous right now, and as I hoped, the rain really made the colors pop. Fortunately, I brought along my homemade camera umbrella as it rained quite heavily at times. By the time I headed back in the afternoon it began to sleet and as I started skidding down the highway, I was really wishing I had taken my 4-wheel drive vehicle. This is a definite ‘GO NOW!’ location. A word of warning, however. There is a lot of tree removal going on and they are only letting traffic through every two hours, at 8, 8:30, 10, 10:30, 12, 12:30, 2, 2:30, 4, and 4:30. So if you go on a weekday, plan accordingly. The weather looks good this weekend, with partly cloudy to cloudy skies, my favorite conditions for fall colors.
We can’t than Phil enough for his fun and detailed report.
Deer Creek Highway – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
