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Even After the Carr Fire, There is Beauty in the Sacramento River Trail

I’m sharing with you photos I’ve taken along the Sacramento River Trail.  I’m talking about the trail on the north side of the river, from Diestelhorst Bridge to Keswick Dam.

The south end has been closed following the Carr Fire due to a couple of foot bridges being out.  But the trail can be accessed to the 1-mile marker.  The trail is fenced off from there.  The north side is completely open.  The north side trail is the portion I most often walk with my dog, Bodie, and my last dog, Toby.

The Sacramento River trail, before the Carr Fire. A favorite spot for Steve DuBois and his canine friends.

I’ve taken photos showing how that trail looks now, but have chosen to not dwell on the devastation and the Carr Fire’s destruction.  It’s awkward to say, but I find that there is beauty in the burned landscape, depending on how you look at it.  It also depends on the time of day and how the sunlight hits the area.

I’ve arranged some of the photos I’ve taken since the fire, and put them together with some of my photos from the past.  I’ve also added a few before-and-after shots.  But my point is to illustrate that there is beauty in the past, present and future.  Mother Nature is making sure of that.  Even though it’s as dry out there as it is, in many places you’ll see new growth cropping up.  Patches of green are sprouting and spreading with new life coming back into view.  And the Rotary Club has planted California Poppy seeds throughout the hillside.

I encourage those who use the trail, to acknowledge the look of desolation, but also to look for the beauty.  This may prove a difficult task for some people at first. On the trail the other day, a biker passed me near the Ribbon Bridge.  As he rode past me he said, “Hope you enjoy your walk in the wasteland.”

That comment hit me like a whip!  I don’t want to see a wasteland when beauty’s still there.  It’s OK to hurt.  Yes, much has been ravaged.  But I’m keeping an open mind, and when I do, patterns and colors come together in shapes that surprise and inspire me.

For those who do venture out to this portion of the river trail, I hope you will celebrate all that gorgeous new life.

Fall is here, winter will follow, and spring will be on its way, and with it will come new growth.

The link here has a map of all trails.  It shows which trails are open and which are still closed.

Steve DuBois

For many years Steve DuBois has enjoyed taking photos of his dogs in interesting and unusual places. He created a photo book of his dogs especially for the children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he donated several copies. He loves that the kids enjoy seeing his dogs photographed in unusual ways. Steve says his dogs have been his photographic inspiration and motivation, but sometimes he tries his hand at nature shots, such as the photos he captured of the north state’s 2017 flooding, published here on A News Cafe.com. Steve DuBois lives in Redding.

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