Exploring Whiskeytown: Brandy Creek Falls

Exploring Whiskeytown: Brandy Creek Falls

Art, Series and Works
Last week I hiked to Brandy Creek Falls. It is a short 1.5 mile hike with around a 500 foot elevation change. At the start you go mostly uphill on the way to the waterfall, so when you head back out its faster and almost all downhill. This is a hike that I've always felt is more about reaching the destination (Brandy Creek Waterfall) and not much else. I went early in the morning and had the trail to myself. On the way out there were two other people headed in. Unfortunately because of the time and coolness the mosquitoes were still out in swarms and if I stopped to take a photo they were on me in the dozens. Seriously I've never felt so many of them on me…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Crystal Creek Falls

Exploring Whiskeytown: Crystal Creek Falls

Art, Series and Works
Crystal Creek Falls is my favorite Waterfall to photograph out at Whiskeytown Recreation Area. It not much of a hike, being only a half mile round trip. I usually stop by this waterfall anytime I am in the area. The photographs below are from three different visits to Crystal Creek Falls, two in February, and one just last week when I was at Crystal Creek Water Ditch Trail. I also have two Photo-Spheres from the falls, one was taken with my Nexus 6P last week, the other with my old Galaxy phone in February, when I took the photo it was a light drizzle that day and makes the photo look almost foggy. [sphere 460] [sphere 459] I find it interesting that in just four months my Processing style has changed.…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Crystal Creek Water Ditch Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Crystal Creek Water Ditch Trail

Art, Series and Works
This trail just recently reopened, after being closed in 2013 due to flooding of the trail. I hiked this trail once before it was closed, and had found memories of it. So I am glad to see this trail once again open. The trail reopened on June 15th, 2017 and I was there on the 21st. I think this is one of the less known about trails at Whiskeytown. As the name implies this hike takes you along a historic water ditch that originally provided water to the Camden House Orchard, and now once again after some repairs is providing water to the same orchards. You start just above the Clean-Out house, more of a shed really. It houses a water-wheel mechanism that will rake larger debris such as a…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Mill Creek Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Mill Creek Trail

Art, Series and Works
Mill Creek trail is one of those connecting trail, it seems like its purpose is to connect to as many other trails as possible. I decided to just do the creek side of the trail that you can access from the Tower House Historical District. And even at that I cut it a bit short. According to the guide page this trail crosses the creek 20 times. I believe it from what I saw. I crossed the creek 9 times on my adventure into this trail, and eventually I was just over it. Hopping from stone to stone and then walking 500 feet and doing it again. Yep totally over it. Judging from the state of the trail it is not well traveled as it was a bit overgrown, often…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Camden Water Ditch Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Camden Water Ditch Trail

Art, Series and Works
Fast forward from March to June...that was a long break from hiking looking back, I was using work as an excuse to do nothing. Anyways last week on June 15th I was back at the Tower House Historical District to walk the Camden Water Ditch Trail. Also known as the wildflower trail, to me anyways. The trail is flat and easy going and only around a mile long. [gallery columns="4" size="medium" ids="378,387,386,385,384,383,382,381,380,379"]   The Panorama Sphere for today looks down the hill at some wildflowers, and in between the trees you can see the Camden House. [sphere 390]
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Clear Creek Vista Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Clear Creek Vista Trail

Art, Series and Works
Well I feel behind on blogging about my exploration out at Whiskeytown. So this hike is from all the way back on March 31st. I had been completing the hikes out at the Tower House Historical District, and this was on on my list that I had never done before. Now that I have completed this hike I'm not really sure why I hadn't hiked this before and I highly recommend this one. This hike starts off with a small climb up the mountain, but then it levels out as you are walking along an old irrigation ditch. After a short walk you get to the main portion of this hike, the views. You can see a long ways from the vantage you have into the valley below. Including the…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Whiskeytown Falls Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Whiskeytown Falls Trail

Art, Series and Works
On March 23rd I ventured out to the Whiskeytown Falls Trail area, also known as the James K. Carr trail. Over the years this has at times been one of my favorite trails at Whiskeytown. I think it is a combination of a big waterfall at the end, and a decent workout to get there. I had the trail mostly to myself on the way in, there was just one person still on the trail and they were headed out, we passed each other around the 1.5 mile mark. When I reached the waterfall I had plenty of time to enjoy the site, eat my lunch and climb up to the trail closed sign, before some other hikers caught up with me. I've always found this to be one of…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Shasta Mine Loop Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Shasta Mine Loop Trail

Art, Series and Works
I hiked Shasta Mine Loop Trail on February 24th, 2017. I had wanted to do this trail the last time I was out at Whiskeytown but the road was closed due to a storm that had passed through. At tis time everything was still quite soaked and saturated I knew this trail was mostly on the side of a mountain so I was hoping that the water would have drained off the trail for the most part. But that not how it went, I started at one entrance to the loop, and walked in about 1 1/4 miles until I reached a part of the path that was totally flooded. The water was about 5 inches deep, and stretched around the corner. Now I don't mind crossing a bit of…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: Oak Bottom Trail

Exploring Whiskeytown: Oak Bottom Trail

Art, Series and Works
On February 10th, 2017 I went out to Whiskeytown to hike the Mount Shasta Mine Loop Trail, but a storm earlier in the week caused several rock slides to block the main road in Whiskeytown Recreation Area. So instead I went over and walked the Oak Bottom Trail, at least until the trail was flooded out. I also ended up going to my most photographed waterfall at Whiskeytown, Crystal Creek Falls. It was an overcast day, and seemed like it could have rain, but didn't while I was out. I went Panorama crazy with this set, and there are five panoramas with only three single frame shots. The vertical panorama of the tree is the one with the most images (23 frames), The Panorama of Crystal Creek Falls is the…
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Exploring Whiskeytown: El Dorado Mine

Exploring Whiskeytown: El Dorado Mine

Art, Series and Works
Now that the weather is getting nice, I've started to go on hikes, and walkabouts again. Mostly at Whiskeytown Recreation Area. I actually have some catching up to do on blog posts, so the photos here were shot on February 2nd. The weather was full overcast, with a very light drizzle that day. I actually went out to Crystal Creek falls that day as well, but I feel like the visit to the El Dorado Mine was the more productive of the two. I've photographed here many times before, but rarely was happy with the outcomes. This time I feel like the resulting photos are worthwhile. I was also offered the chance to review Sleeklens Landscape Adventure Collection, that review will be coming in a week or so. Most of…
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