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The sad part is I’d prefer to live in Oroville. Oroville has a nice topography to look at, and a lake. There’s nothing in Red Bluff, but empty car dealerships and a Wal Mart
Hmmm, are we talking about the same town? Red Bluff has gorgeous views in three directions. And its business district is lively and interesting, to say the least. I think you need to get off the freeway and take a walk downtown. I would add, too, that Red Bluff doesn't have any neighborhoods even half as crime-ridden as Oroville's bad ones.
"Aggressive", yes, that's the word... Rockies often look like some angry demons live there (they probably do). I do like high elevation forests near the timberline in the Sierra that have smaller trees, like near White Wolf or DL Bliss, but then you always can come down to more lush forest right below. It's not just the way the forest is... Mount Rainier gave me the same intimidating feeling, even though the forests at the base are quite thick. Just looking at it you could feel some sinister energy--well it could release lahars and wipe the campground off the face of earth any time, putting dozens of feet of concrete-solid waste above it. People who live close told me they heard the glacier cracking sometimes and got scared... plus the energy of the volcano that is in it. I remember reading how Muir experienced long earthquake in the Sierra, in Yosemite (a 3-day one I think) and he never got scared for a moment... As to that religious energy in the Sierra--I don't know if you read how Muir was up on Half Dome and had a vision that his old time friend was down in the Yosemite Valley, while he had no way to know of guess he'd be there... he came down and he found his friend right there, in the Valley.
Me too, I promised myself I'll live and die there, in the Sierra. Recently, I went to see several acres of land high up in the foothills, and saw two small old RVs--that's all that was on that land, with spectacular view of rolling foothills, isolated--apparently a woman lived there alone, until she was 95 and only then was taken to a nursing home. She lived there without water source, electricity or septic system. She hauled water in on her car, and used small propane generator; she had a phone line and outhouse hidden somewhere in the woods on that land... She obviously stayed very active and strong even at that age, as all of the parcel was highly sloping and just to walk to that outhouse or getting to the car or mailbox would mean hiking uphill/downhill--she had to haul water in all the time--her 2 trailers were very neat and clean, her food supplies still there intact. She had better life than someone living in the comforts of the city in a standard nice home... that's why she was in such a good shape in her mid-90s, I think. Every time I'm in the Sierra I don't want to come down .
You know, I haven't read alot of Muir's writings. I really should. He was certainly a great activist for our Natural Wonders of California to say the least. He is certainly one of the most prolific persons in California history, indeed.
LOL @ "angry demons"...very good! I know exactly what you mean. I too like the high elevation forests up at the crest and even the eastern side. My favorite though is the western slope of the Sierra and the lush forests. I have spent much time at the top-timber line, hiking, camping and enjoyng the crest of the Sierra as well as above the tree line. In all the years i lived in California (born and raised), I never made it to Yosemite. I will sometime though. I tended to avoid it because of the tremendous crowds and tourists. Most National Parks are that way. I know Rocky Mountain National Park is jammed during tourist season.
You know, I haven't read alot of Muir's writings. I really should. He was certainly a great activist for our Natural Wonders of California to say the least. He is certainly one of the most prolific persons in California history, indeed.
LOL @ "angry demons"...very good! I know exactly what you mean. I too like the high elevation forests up at the crest and even the eastern side. My favorite though is the western slope of the Sierra and the lush forests. I have spent much time at the top-timber line, hiking, camping and enjoyng the crest of the Sierra as well as above the tree line. In all the years i lived in California (born and raised), I never made it to Yosemite. I will sometime though. I tended to avoid it because of the tremendous crowds and tourists. Most National Parks are that way. I know Rocky Mountain National Park is jammed during tourist season.
Oh, you should make it to Y-te, if you like the Sierra... there's a reason Muir was so crazy about Y-te, trust me! Check out sticky CA pictures thread, I just posted some pix from there. There's no way to post even a small fraction of pix of places I like there...
Muir's writings are great--nothing compares to laying in a tent up in the mountains in summer and reading his stuff, he wrote a lot about Y-te, but also some about Rainier, Shasta, Alaska and other places--Y-te was his #1 always, it was the first thing he saw in the Sierra and he fell in love with it. His writing style is very enchanted.. he felt religiously about Sierra. They were selling a book about Norman Clyde there this summer too, pretty interesting character. Yes, Y-te is crowded, but if you get wilderness permit which is free you can be all alone... I spent weeks in a row there like that, and it's easy to resupply. Forests near Wawona are so thick and lush there, old growth... lots of bears everywhere too, especially some places. If you figure out right places you can have crowds of bears, not people.
I like all kinds of forests, starting from 2000ft elevation in Plumas NF, which are mixed pines, cedars, manzanita, wild grape and what's not... to pure conifers, it's all beautiful. I'm not that much into mossy rain forests that are in PNW (wet camping hehe), even the redwood forests are better up in the Sierra (drier and less ferns). The first time I went to Y-te, it was supposed to be a 2-day trip... but it turned into 2 months in the wilderness
Oh, you should make it to Y-te, if you like the Sierra... there's a reason Muir was so crazy about Y-te, trust me! Check out sticky CA pictures thread, I just posted some pix from there. There's no way to post even a small fraction of pix of places I like there...
Muir's writings are great--nothing compares to laying in a tent up in the mountains in summer and reading his stuff, he wrote a lot about Y-te, but also some about Rainier, Shasta, Alaska and other places--Y-te was his #1 always, it was the first thing he saw in the Sierra and he fell in love with it. His writing style is very enchanted.. he felt religiously about Sierra. They were selling a book about Norman Clyde there this summer too, pretty interesting character. Yes, Y-te is crowded, but if you get wilderness permit which is free you can be all alone... I spent weeks in a row there like that, and it's easy to resupply. Forests near Wawona are so thick and lush there, old growth... lots of bears everywhere too, especially some places. If you figure out right places you can have crowds of bears, not people.
I like all kinds of forests, starting from 2000ft elevation in Plumas NF, which are mixed pines, cedars, manzanita, wild grape and what's not... to pure conifers, it's all beautiful. I'm not that much into mossy rain forests that are in PNW (wet camping hehe), even the redwood forests are better up in the Sierra (drier and less ferns). The first time I went to Y-te, it was supposed to be a 2-day trip... but it turned into 2 months in the wilderness
I'm sorry it took so long to respond, had some things come up that kept me away....Yeah, I know Mr. Muir was mad about Yosemite and that he fought to defend it and to ultimately get it protected as a National Park. What a great Defender or Nature he was. It does sound wonderful there and will definitely have to vist there sometime. Thats quite amazing that you spent that long of a time in a row up there. That definitely sounds like something I would enjoy and have at other spots in the Sierra. But I will visit Yosemite. I will deinitely do that.
I knew some Rangers that had worked at Yosemite and were currently working somewhere else, and they had talked quite a bit about the hoards of Bears and the verocity wherewith they went after camper's food inside and outside of their cars/campers etc. They were saying it can be a nightmare there on the floor at times. I have heard that alot. But it never bothered me. I love and respect wildlife dearly. I have had a few experiences with bears myslef. Magnificent creatures. I like that: "crowds of bears, not people"...very nice.
Yes, I love the Redwoods/Sequoias...my favorite forests. Like you, I am a lover of all forests however. I have never made it to PNW, but surely will some day. Have seen lots of pictures and looks very beautiful, but like you I don't prefer the precipitation up there. I do miss the Sierra dearly, and whenever I am up in the Rocky Mountains, it just makes me miss them more!! As we both agreed they can't compare. I am going to get some of Muir's books and read them as soon as I can. But, I can imagine what it owuld be like to be in Yosemite and reading them, for his passion from the pages would sincerely illuminate the experience. Which book would you highly recommend first?
Well, I was born in Corning and raised in the Red Bluff area ('tween Los Molinos and Dairyville actually). Except for the military I've lived here my entire 50 plus years. I'd have to say Red Bluff is the most "country-fied" of the north valley communities, and in that regard a good fit for what you're seeking.
The two biggest annual events in Red Bluff are the Round-up (rodeo in April) and the Bull & Gelding Sale (January-in fact this week). The city is positioned at near the north end of the Central Valley-where rowcrops and orchards of the flatlands generally give way to rolling foothills and rangeland. For that reason, it's somewhat of a Mecca for all things bovine and, therefore cowboys/girls with other assorted horse people as well.
Now, there's not much of a bar scene-except during the aforementioned events. Oh, the "World Famous" Palomino Room does have live music (I think) on Saturday nights. And maybe the Riverside hosts a Karioke' (sp?) night, but for the most part, the options are quite limited.
Someone did mention the Western Open Fiddle Championships are held annually in Red Bluff. Though I've never attended, I hear good things about that. The community has strond agricultural roots and very active youth 4-H and FFA programs. The County Fair is a huge event held each fall.
Chico, on the other hand does have quite a bar scene. Likely due to the college downtown. Might be a better fit for your musical needs. But Red Bluff would be my recomendation.
Understand that summers are brutally hot-particularly in Red Bluff (also Redding). 110 degrees is not all that unusual, though it's truly a dry heat-akin to an oven if the north wind's blowing. Nights generally cool down to the low 70's. Folks around here like to take weekend jaunts to teh coast to cool off in July and August.
Second place in my opinion would be the Anderson-Cottonwood area. That has a similar "cowboy" flavor. In fact downtown Cottonwood has erected some neat western metal art in it's Main Street median.
I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have about Red Bluff and vicinity.
A short time after this thread we were able to make it to CA to visit and did come up to Chico to look around. We did NOT make it to Red Bluff and other North Valley areas due to time restrictions and that Chico is our prime interest it seems.
We spent an afternoon and evening there before our return to our motel in Sacramento. We were very impressed with the city of Chico as well as the countryside surrounding the town. The topography was beautiful all around from the valley farms and ranches to the foothills, trees and mountians within the city and climbing eastward.
The city seemed clean and attractive with the downtown and historic areas to the newer shopping areas and residential districts. The people seemed to be friendly and our limited interactions with locals were all positive. Bidwell park was awesome. The whole town seemed beautiful, well-kept, and with nice neighborhoods.
Chico, is definitely topping the list of our prospects currently. Our main concern however, is the notoriety of the college being of a party nature. We have heard from others going back decades that the college students can be out-of-control at times with partying. We want to know from locals the truth about this. Living here in Fort Collins, the students can get very wild and run amok all over town and especially the downtown bar scene. The downtown here is lined with bars and there are typical college parties held all over town with students running from party to party. The police are on constant patrol and alert especially on weekends.
When we were in Chico it was a Friday, so we stayed late into the evening and drove around the downtown and university area to observe the behavior. I don't know if we were there on an "off night" but it seemed very tame. We did not see many bars in the downtown and not a whole lot of people trolling the streets at all. We drove around the college and only saw some groups of students walking but not any eccentric behavior. We were only there until 10 pm.
Please, any imput on the subject would be greatly appreciated. In Fort Collins the students absolutely Take Over the downtown and you cannot participate peacefully in browsing the shops except on a weekday or Sunday. Evenings are owned by the students. We really don't want to be in an environment like this again, but we were very impressed with Chico and may have to yet tolerate it if it seems like Chico is a good fit to us otherwise.
Any help from locals would be appreciated. I know Chico State has a much smaller attendance than Colorado State (25,000+) but I am not sure how much that actually makes a difference. We visit Boulder, CO now and then and the same story there as in Fort Collins but worse. Thanks for your help.
I can not answer for you, but was looking at Chico as an area to relocate. IMO it seems you know collage town life.. It would be good to find neighborhoods without frat houses and such.. Hopefully some locals chime in here..
Chico "wild" by party collage standards.. I am not sure about that.. I think Madison wins the Prize, especially when the Badgers are doing well.. Now that is a wild crazy party town! One just avoids certain areas during events...
TrueTimbers: Indeed I know college town life, but finding a neighborhood without Fraternities is not excactly the issue. In Fort Collins they roam all over town having parties at various places from one end to the other. What is even more troubling is that they comppletely take over the downtown or "Old Town" as it is called here and make it nearly impossible for families and such to meander and mingle equally primarily in the evening and night. There is bar after nightclub et al and it depreciates the downtown life in my opinion. I don't mind a few bars but this town simply caters hand and feet to the college students. I simply would like to avoid another place like that. However, Chico was essentially the best community we saw from Bakersfield to Chico. So, we'll see.
If some locals could give me some imput I would be obliged.
My brother was pretty rowdy several lustrum ago, before he got his degree in Psychology, at Chico. Alas, he is now retired & has mellowed out quite a bit..........hahahahaha
We used to love spending weekends fishing & camping at Lake Oroville, & the Inlaws had a cabin up the hill at Lake Almanor. Lots of FUn.
Chico was pretty nice then. I don't know how it is today.
Unless you're going to live in the south campus area, you're not going to have any problems in Chico.
If I recall CSU Chico has about 17-18 thousand students.
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Red Bluff
