Dunsmuir Railroad Days – get here now

Dunsmuir Railroad Days

Come join the activities at Dunsmuir Railroad Days this weekend, June 11th and 12th, and celebrate the warmer temperatures. This annual event embraces Dunsmuir’s railroad history and culture and offers a  great family-friendly event. It’s also a beautiful time to visit as the dogwood trees finish blooming and blossoms of many colors decorate this town in the Upper Sacramento River Canyon.

Below is the schedule for Saturday and Sunday. You can learn more by visiting the website.

SATURDAY, JUNE 11
7 a.m.  Dunsmuir Ave. & Pine St. $20 Registration for River Run. 2-mile and 5-mile races.
8 a.m. Start of River Run.

8 a.m. – 11 a.m.  Dunsmuir Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast in Dining Car in Railyard
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Vintage trains on display at the Union Pacific Railyard.
Entry fee: $1.00

10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Speeder rides.

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Model train displays at the Cedar Flats RR Club.

10 – 11 a.m. Little Engineer Contest at Children’s Park
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Kids’ activities at Children’s Park

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Railroad Museum next to Amtrak Depot open

10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Live entertainment at the Upper Pine St. Performing Arts Pavilion.
10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Food, craft, train & nonprofit booths next to UP Railyard and on Upper Pine

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Local authors in front of Pizza Factory

10 a.m. Free walking tour of historic downtown. Meet at Sacramento Ave. and Pine St.

11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Lunch served on Dining Car in UP Railyard.

Noon – 1 p.m. Parade on Dunsmuir Ave. and Sacramento Ave.

1:30 p.m. Free tour of Hedge Creek Falls & Botanical Gardens. Meet at Sac Ave. & Pine St. for shuttle.

2 p.m. Awards Ceremony for parade winners at Upper Pine St. Performing Arts Pavilion

3:30 p.m. Talk on geology at Castle Crags State Park. Meet at Sac Ave & Pine St. for shuttle.

5:30 p.m. Dinner On The Dining Car.
Advance reservations required.

SUNDAY, JUNE 12
9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Model train displays at the Amtrak Depot and the Cedar Flats RR Club
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Vintage trains on display at the Union Pacific Railyard
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Speeder rides.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Kids’ activities at the Childrens’ Park

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Railroad Museum next to Amtrak Depot open

10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Live entertainment at the Upper Pine St. Performing Arts Pavilion

10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Food, craft, train & nonprofit booths next to UP Railyard and on Upper Pine

1 p.m. Diaper Derby at Children’s Park

4:45 p.m. Grand prize drawing for button purchasers  at Upper Pine Street Performing Arts Pavilion.

Pie Social, Mushroom and Wine Festival for Memorial Day Weekend

Don’t miss the Annual Pie Social this weekend during Dunsmuir’s Dogwood Daze. The event is a celebration of the spring beauty to be found trees blossoming throughout Dunsmuir. The Pie Social is in the Dunsmuir Historic Depot on Saturday. Last year’s Pie Social was so popular that the all day Pie Social sold out: 42 Pie Bakers donated 118 Pies. Imagine all the yummy possibilities!! Be sure to get there early this year for a slice or a whole pie. Proceeds support the maintenance of the Amtrak Depot and re-establishment of the Dunsmuir Museum.

Also coming up this Memorial Day Weekend is McCloud Mushroom Festival and Wine Festival where a host of mushrooms, wines and live entertainment are on tap.

You can also pay tribute this Sunday at the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden at the Memorial Day Service beginning at 10am on Sunday in honor of veterans who have died in the line of duty. The service will take place at the Hot LZ Wall where Dr. John B. Runnells will be the Master of Ceremony and Robert Menzies will perform the invocation and benediction. Call 530-938-2218 for details.

The Living Memorial Sculpture Garden is a site to see, with a collection of metal sculpture set across several acres of high desert land outside of Weed. If you haven’t been, it’s definitely worth visiting and can be toured on foot or by car.

Dunsmuir and its trains: history and coming events

Dunsmuir Amtrak Railroad Depot

The town of Dunsmuir in the Upper Sacramento River canyon is rich with train history. Folks come to view the trains that travel through and to learn more about this town that was originally called Pusher (the name is related to the town’s railroad legacy). Dunsmuir has events on tap for railroad history buffs and visitors who are interested in the role railroad has played.

National Train Day & Book Signing:
Sat, May 7, 10am – 4pm at the Dunsmuir Amtrak Depot

Dunsmuir Railroad Depot Historical Society

Dunsmuir Gallery Walk Sat, March 26th – see something new

The town of Dunsmuir, along the Upper Sacramento River, is hosting a gallery walk this weekend – but it’s not what it may sound like. Rather than walking from gallery to gallery, the Dunsmuir Storefront Gallery tour of the town is past empty storefront windows that have been cleaned up and dressed up with art by local artists. The opening reception is Saturday, March 26th from 1-6pm. For more detials, visit the Dunsmuir Storefront Gallery Facebook page. It’s a fun way to see local art and a fun way to bring a sense of vibrancy to a town that’s looking for a new way to deal with tough economic times. As you walk through the town looking for Storefront Galleries you’ll also walk past the shops and restaurants that form the heart and soul of this old railroad town.

Browsing the Dunsmuir Storefront Galleries

So as your checking the art, be sure to check out the open businesses as well. Dunsmuir is known for its excellent selection of dinner restaurants, and Cornerstore Bakery is the  favorite for breakfast. There are several galleries downtown, like the Brown Trout, Janye Bruck-Fryer’s Ruddle Cottage. The recently opened Dunsmuir Brewery Works is a big hit for local brews, pub food and live music. Just a few ideas to get you started exploring Dunsmuir. Have fun!

Test your sense of adventure

Today we tested our sense of adventure, when my husband and I went looking for a lake that doesn’t have a trail to it. The drive out on the east side of Mt. Shasta was beautiful and the views of the mountain from the east side were something that we just don’t normally see (living in Mt. Shasta City). After a previous experience when he took me out on an off-trail hike that he underestimated, I went prepared. We had plenty of food, warm clothing, and even a map! The compass on his smart phone helped us navigate through a mix of forest and clear cuts. Up on a ridge line we oriented ourselves and checked the land marks on the topo map against what we could see, and found the lake! It was a great experience: to go into an uncertain situation and make it to our goal (an to find the truck again on the way out!). We did a lot of hiking straight up hill and we weren’t sure we were on the right track until we were almost to the lake, but it was a great feeling to see it its green waters.

Now, you may not want to go off trail, or hike through ground torn up by log skidders, but you can stretch your sense of adventure in so many ways. For some people, hiking a trail to a mountain lake is a whole new experience. Some folks are new to swimming in lakes or rivers. Whatever may feel like adventure to you, you should go for it! This time of year is Siskiyou County is the time for flexing your sense of adventure: the weather is great, there isn’t any snow in the mountains yet, and the sense of getting your fill before winter comes is very motivating. So think about what might stretch your limits just a bit and pick something new.

Here you can find lists of recreation and adventures to choose from:

Mt. Shasta Chamber’s recreation list

McCloud Chamber of Commerce

Dunsmuir’s Outdoor Adventures

Weed Chamber of Commerce

Yreka Chamber of Commerce

Butte Valley Chamber of Commerce (eastern Siskiyou County)

Scott Valley Chamber of Commerce (western Siskiyou County)

Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce (Klamath River region)

It’s Saturday, June 11th: What are you doing in Siskiyou today?

Indulge yourself at Ms. Lynn's Teas in Montague.

It feels like summer has finally come to Siskiyou County and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. If you’re here in Siskiyou County on this beautiful morning here are some suggestions for how you can spend your day:

Dunsmuir Railroad Days: Fuel up with a pancake breakfast at St. John’s Catholic Church Social Hall then check out model trains, take the kids to the L’il Engineer Contest, tour the Railroad Museum, watch the parade and more. There will be food, craft, and train related booths. Stay later for live music or enjoy a picnic at Tauhindauli Park.

Take a drive to the Vintage Airstream Trailer Rally outside of McCloud at Friday’s RV Park for the Airstream Open House. Afterwards, keep driving to the stunning aquamarine waters of McCloud Reservoir  or plan an afternoon hike on the Squaw Valley Creek Trail.

Go underground at Lava Beds National Monument to tour extensive lava tubes. Call early in the morning to find out if any spots are still open on the Fern Cave Tour, and if not, check in at the afternoon summer interpretive program before heading back into the cool darkness of the caves.

Walk the fields at the Mt. Shasta Lavender Farm on opening day. It’s been a long spring, so the blossoms may not be open yet, but nevertheless, the farm provides a beautiful view of the valley and Mount Shasta.

Shop for goodies at the Montague Farmers Market from 9am to noon at the downtown park then settle in at Ms. Lynn’s Teas for a delightful, leisurely lunch.

Get out there: Mushroom Fair and Dogwood Daze this weekend

Taste and learn about mushrooms this Saturday and Sunday in McCloud

Thank goodness the weather has improved for the first day of Memorial Day weekend. With blue skies above it’s time to get out there and enjoy it. In South Siskiyou County there are two events this weekend that celebrate the season: The McCloud Mushroom, Wine and Music Fair on May 28th and 29th and Dogwood Daze of Dunsmuir.

In McCloud the Mushroom, Wine and Music Fair boasts tasty mushroom delicacies, cooking demonstrations, dried mushrooms, a mushroom hunt (hurry it starts at 11am!), live music all day and the Chamber’s wine and beer booth. The Forest Service will have a mushroom information display and there will be a video presentation of how to hunt and pick wild mushrooms safely. The festivities take place on historic Main Street in the shade of the old Mercantile building, so you can enjoy touring the restored historic buildings of this old mill town while you attend the festival. The fair continues into the evening with a BBQ and the events and vendors booths will be going strong on Sunday as well.

Dunsmuir’s Dogwood Daze, held this Saturday, kickoff with a dogwood tour through the canyon town, and include a pie social, tri-tip BBQ and doggie parade. The day will also include a Garden Club Flower Show and Garden Tour, the first Growers Market of the season, and a prime rib dinner this evening followed by live music.

Now, that’s enough time spent looking at a computer screen – it’s time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and community events!

Rafting or Kayaking it’s time to hit the rivers!

Whether you prefer the splash of whitewater on your face during a wild spring rafting trip or the bliss of sunshine on your cheeks on a summer float trip, Siskiyou County has the river for you. Thrill seekers and mellow river runners can find their joy with northern California rafting companies as they explore the Upper Sacramento, Scott, Cal Salmon, and Klamath rivers this spring and summer.

With late precipitation in the mountains, spring rafting is likely to hold on longer this year than usual, meaning that the Upper Sac, Scott and Cal Salmon will be running through May and possibly into mid-June, according to Turtle River Rafting owner Rick Demarest. A few trips have already gone out on the Upper Sac on the Class III section south of Dunsmuir that Demarest calls “by far the best spring rafting.” Memorial Day Weekend is high time on the Cal Salmon, which offers remote Class IV and V sections for advanced paddlers.

Come summer time, the boating shifts to the Klamath River where multiple-day camp trips are very popular with families. Turtle River takes its clients on three to five-day trips where the sense of wilderness envelops you in nature as you camp along the river and watch the wildlife throughout the day.

“These days it seems that our cultural routines don’t include much time in nature. Being in the wilderness is especially valuable to children to expand their world and open up new possibilities,” Demarest mused.

For those that can’t get away for a multiple day trip, the float trip from Tree of Heaven outside of Yreka is an easy one or two day trip that can usually be booked on short notice. Even with a short day on the water, you’ll reap the rewards.

“Probably the biggest benefit of rafting is just time together and the chance to spend a few days with nothing to do,” said Demarest, whose daughter is a guide.

Fly Fishing the Upper Sacramento

The Upper Sac is very high from snowmelt and runoff, but it is flowing clear and is fishable. Dedicated upper Sac anglers can find a few fish to take by concentrating on the deeper, slower moving pockets and pools, but it may be more work than it’s worth until runoff subsides later this spring.

The key to success when fishing high spring water on the upper sac is using plenty of weight to get your flies down, and concentrating on the deeper pools and slower-moving pockets. The fish will try to get away from the heavy currents, and can sometimes be concentrated in certain calmer waters.

Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Trip

by: Shasta Trout
Guide: Graig Nielson, March 31, 2010

Dustin with Trophy Rainbow

The Lower Sacramento was exceptional for the action, numbers of fish as well as the size of the fish we found.  We hooked several trophy fish including a couple that would make a season, let alone your day.  We even landed a couple while the biggest ones got away of course.  One fish was so hot, it freight trained upstream with so much power we thought at first is was a Salmon.  It was not, but was Salmon sized.