CSP - Bidwell Mansion State Historical Park

A stop on one of our visits to the Howells in Paradise, Bidwell Mansion was the home of John Bidwell and his wife Annie.  They moved into the Italianate mansion after their marriage in 1868. 

According to Trail Posts, "Their home became the social hub of the Sacramento Valley, replete with gas lighting, modern plumbing and a total of twenty-six rooms. Some of the distinguished guests included William Tecumseh Sherman, John Muir, Susan B Anthony and President Rutherford B Hayes."



Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park     
525 Esplanade  Chico

Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park- Wikipedia

Trail Posts: A Literary Exploration of California's State Parks Includes a portion of John Bidwell's, Echos of the Past describing his journey across the Sierra's into California in 1841 via the California Trail. 

LH - Trial Islands

On our whale watching trip in Victoria this past June we passed by a pretty little light house and a two story keepers house.  Located at Staines Point it was completed in 1906 with a fresnel lens put in place in 1908.  

Lighthouse Friends Trial Islands provides a good history of the need for the lighthouse and its subsequent history, including a full list of keepers, water problems, and the importance of the telephone.

CSP- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park

In 2019 on the way home from Portland I ventured through some of the parks in northern California.  Among them was Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.  It was impossible to look in any direction and not be awed by the magnificence of the trees.

Originally established in 1925 the park includes o8 miles of coastline and after additions in 2002  it is 31,261 acres in size.  In 1983 it was designated part of the California Coast Ranges International Biosphere Reserve. 

In the 1850s there were over two million acres of old-growth redwood forests, but by 1910 that had been drastically reduced.  The  Group  Save-the-Redwoods League began purchasing large tracts of redwood acreage in an effort to save the quickly disappearing forests. With matching funds from the State of California over 100,000 acres were saved between 1920 and 1960. Del Norte Park was created in the 1920s from some of the purchased acres.

In 1968 Redwood National Park was created.  By 1978 it had expanded to 48.000 acres.  In 1980 it was declared a World Heritage Site.

The close proximity of Del Norte, Jedediah Smith and Prairie Creek State parks and Redwoods National Park led to joint management in 1994. 

 

Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park

Redwood National Park 

A Guide to Old Growth Redwoods

Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park - Wikipedia
Save the Redwoods

More Pictures

 

NP - Death Valley

 We visited Death Valley on the way back from my talk in Las Vegas in 2012.  It was breathtaking! 

Death Valley NP                                                   More Pictures                                                                                             

 

Miniature Abandoned Room

 I decided to try something different so signed up for an Atlas Obscura Class on making a miniature abandoned room.  I asked Nicholas what the room should be and he asked back.  When I said maybe a library, he lit up and said...well maybe a potions classroom, it would have to be a library first.  So that is the inspiration.  The basic kit, paper clay for bricks and floor boards were bought but otherwise I used stuff found around the house.  Well I did buy the tiny bottles.

It was a lot of fun......I have plans for one more.  But that will be enough!!

c

Bursting Heart

 

An experiment in colors