Miles of Color, Manton's Spring Secret

The battle rages between Winter and Summer. This Spring has been spectacular, the best in years, due to copious rains interspersed with balmy warm spells. The result is evident on Manton Road (Tehama A6) right now: miles and miles of wildflowers in full bloom. Between Dales Station where one leaves Highway 36E and the crossing of the south fork of Battle Creek are wide flat plains dotted with vernal pools and now painted with color. The open vistas are compelling, mile after mile of yellow and gold fields stretching to the horizon. The normally barren rocky lava flows have been transformed into veritable oriental rock gardens.

As one continues towards Manton after the Battle Creek crossing, the scenery changes with the increasing elevation. Blue Oaks and Digger Pines mingle with the white-blooming Buckbrush and deep pink Western Redbud. Small meadows between the trees are currently violet in color with Squaw Carpet or sunshine yellow with some other brilliant ground cover. It's a field day for anyone wishing to learn about California wildflowers. For those of us a little too busy to "stop and smell the roses," the spirit is lifted just being in a "surround sound" of vibrant color. This year is a treat not to be missed, and it won't last long. Keep your eyes open for bald eagles in this area.

All too soon the blazing summer sun will win out over the blustery winter rains, and the fabulous colors of Spring will quickly fade to a brown mirage, shimmering in the heat of July. Many a traveler on the Manton Road has turned back towards Red Bluff in the mid-summer heat, unaware of Manton's Spring Secret: for a few weeks only, mile and mile of brilliant color transport the spirit back to the unbridled glory of Spring as witnessed by very few of California's urban population, quietly on display in an unspoiled and still largely undiscovered corner of old California. The deep snow glistens white on distant Lassen Peak, the southern-most Cascade volcano a superb backdrop, and the promise of cold clear water in the creeks late this summer. Gratitude is my Attitude!