Leon Turnbull Photography

I have seen a couple posts recently from people going to waterfalls in California that are dry. They were shocked that they were dry, even though it is late summer. For example, Dutch Creek Falls in Coloma is a rain fed creek. It has not rained in California in over 3 months. Yet this person thought it would be flowing very well (he said so). Bassi Falls flows from snow melt but the snow has been long gone for a couple months now. It always dries up in the summer (or becomes just a trickle). One person was shocked it was dry. And of course there is always the person that goes to Yosemite and wonders why Yosemite Falls is dry in late summer. Come on people. If you don’t know, Go to my website! I have this information on my website and I tell you the best season to go see it. Sometimes I have more information about flows as well (such as for Bassi).

So why is Mud Creek Canyon Falls on Mt. Shasta still flowing? How did I know it would be flowing when I went there at the end of August? It is because it is a glacier fed waterfall (mostly), and glaciers melt in the summer. It does flow better with snow melting in the spring, but nonetheless, I knew it would still be decent in late August. So there you go. Please check my website!

With regards to the fires, all southern California forests are now completely shut down, and all camping is shut down in the northern forests as well. I had a big backpacking trip planned this month in Kings Canyon NP, and as of now, it looks like that will have to be postponed. I am running out of photos to share! The El Dorado fire in southern CA was started by some idiots playing with pyrotechnic devices. I strongly suspect the Creek Fire was also started by people over the long weekend. (there has not been any lightning recently). Although quite a few fires this year in CA have been started by lightning (this is quite unusual, actually), more than 90% of all forest fires are started by humans. So thanks (not) to those of you people that started these horrendous fires and forcing the Forest Service to close everything down for the rest of us, not to mention the people that have lost their lives or homes.

In other news, and not related to waterfalls, I am upset about something that happened recently and thought I would share … I had a certain friend (who apparently is not a friend), and we had even discussed going hiking together in the near future (which, if you know me is a rare thing since I much prefer to go by myself). Well, then he found out my political views differ from his, and immediately, just like that, he unfriends me and blocks me. I asked him about it, and he replied basically he cannot stand me because of this. Just like that? One day he wants to hike with me and the next he hates me? I expect politicians to behave like this but not regular people. Essentially, he said he hates or strongly dislikes half the country! This is not American. In America, we should be supporting and loving each other, recognizing and accepting our differences (our beliefs or whatever it may be), and not get so stupidly offended if someone says or does something you don’t agree with. I am more American than him and I am not even American! I hope no one else reading this is like this other person when it comes to politics or religion. Love one another. End rant.