Burney Falls in the Fall of '08
Hello everybody! I am thrilled to the bone! How about them Democrats! It was such a sweet victory that blogging seemed lackluster by comparison, so I skipped a couple of weeks (times two). I even bought a vintage coat on ebay to commemorate the purpling of our nation. Yes, folks, the coat is very purple–purple mohair to be exact!
The savoring period is over, though, and now I’m back on track (ahem). But I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that some serious celebrating is still due me and my kind. I mean it’s been 8 years since adults occupied the White House. I am trying so hard to ignore Bush’s last stand and keeping my fingers crossed that he won’t do anything undoable. Thank god for the (“Congressional Review Act of 1996”) a glorious tidbit sponsored by Congressman Bill Archer.
Pushing all that out of our minds for a day, my partner (Chris) and I drove to Burney Falls, which is about 60 miles east of where we live. What a gorgeous day on the Modoc Plateau–home to the McArthur-Burney Memorial Falls State Park and the eighth wonder of the world, (reportedly designated so by President Teddy Roosevelt).
Eighth wonder or not (’cause there is a bit of controversy), here are a few pics and links with info on how to get to the magnificent falls, what to wear and some neat walking trails. I say ‘walking’ because the paths are certainly on the hospitable side. Even your grannie could walk the 75 feet from the parking lot to the viewing area. And have I mentioned the fine steps down to the mist filled basin?
love-eagles
This northern Cal State Park is within the Cascade Range and includes 910 acres of forest, plus five miles of streamside and lakeshore, as well as a portion of the man-made Lake Britton, itself.
While walking along the shore, Chris and I were privileged to spot two mature bald eagles in flight and at rest. Follow the link for a pdf file on the subject. I didn’t know this, but the Lake Britton/Pit River area is home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the contiguous United States. At least seven pairs nest here, and it is a winter home, as well.
We sat for twenty minutes and watched these creatures on a conifer branch, hanging out side-by-side like lovebirds. One sang to the other. It was truly amazing! Follow this link for a very short less complex version. I choose to think we heard the male serenading his mate, but it’s my romantic nature. Maybe the boy eagle was just calling to a fish or two below.
The whole Burney Falls area is a fisherperson’s paradise. With his eagle-eye, Chris spotted some fine fellows swimming close to the shore. He offered them vanilla Power Bar (for which I scolded him) but they weren’t biting. A sixteen incher, however, did go for a bit of bagel.
Back to Lake Britton. Formed by damming the Pit River, it’s fed by four (count ‘em) active creeks full of trout: Cayton, Clark, Hat and Burney.
The park’s centerpiece, however, is the 129-foot Burney Falls–not the highest or largest waterfall in our state, mind you, but often regarded as the most beautiful and definitely worthy of a sendoutcard. Not having seen all of the falls, I am reserving my opinion. I did delight in the mist filled basin as you can see from the picture below.
About the park’s landscape: It all began with volcanic activity. Throw in a little erosion–say millions of years worth and Voila! Everywhere you look there is black volcanic rock or basalt. 
This layered, porous matter holds a ton of rainwater and snow melt, which in turn feeds a very very large underground reservoir. The basalt also hosts a ton of green moss, as you can see from this pic Chris took along Burney Creek. 
Not enough can be said about Burney Falls–but how about these two items: It releases 100 million gallons every single day and was named after pioneer settler Samuel Burney, a southerner whose offspring are credited with saving the entire area from dreaded commercial development. Let’s hear it for the McArthurs! They bought the property and gave it freely to the state in the 1920s. it took two years for the state to accept the gift. Now those were some generous, persistent and farsighted folks!
Speaking of which…
