Spring's Long Awaited Arrival

The days have gotten longer and sunnier with the cool afternoon north wind. This could only mean one thing, spring has arrived. Although we're still trying to finish up the pruning season, it's kinda tough when there are blossoms flying everywhere. Most of the trees around here have woken up. My plumb tree has flowered and leaved out, the crabapple just blossomed and is awesome! I love the flowers, mowing my lawn twice a week, and just how green all the hills are.

The artist and his masterpiece

Easter Egg Hunting in Rio Dell

This last month I had the... opportunity... to work in Covelo, CA. The town is not much of a town, but I come from not much of a town. The Round Valley is an old dried up lake bed which makes for terrible soils to do underground utility work in, but geographically is amazing. The drive takes you east from Willits, up the middle fork of the Eel River. On the south bank of the river is the county road, the north bank is where the old railroad sits, with three old tunnels, and a couple of massave land slides. There's a climb up a pretty steep grade to "Inspiration Summit" which looks out over the round valley. The valley is massave. If this was still a lake, it could be one of the largest in California. The valley was alive with green grass, blooming mustard and lupin, and dogwoods like crazy. Not to mention the horses stabeled along the highway. The valley is surrounded by Longridge to the north, the Yollo Bolly wilderness to the east, and the Eel River watershead to the west. It could take years to explore all of the backpacking potential in this area.