Winter in Chico

Looking out at the Coastal Mountains

 Overall, I would  have to say that winter in Chico is really not like winter at all. Most of the time, it feels more like a nice April day. It is cold in the morning (low 30s), but by mid afternoon the temperatures hit high 50s or low 60s. We have had two weeks of sunshine and have been able to continue exploring this diverse and surprising area.

The beginning of the MLK holiday weekend began on a disappointing note. Jamie and Greg Crandall were planning to come and visit, but they were flying stand-by. Late Friday afternoon, Jamie called and told us that all flights west were booked and they couldn't get out of the Twin Cities. I was quite disappointed and so immediately put on my running shoes and went out for a four mile run/walk....always a good way for me to readjust my attitude. When I got back, Mark had found a new area for us to visit and so we made plans to visit the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex the next day. What a spectacular find!

The Wildlife Refuges are actually five different areas on the Pacific Flyways and over a million geese and three million ducks migrate through during the winter months. Our timing was perfect and so was the weather.  I am sure we saw and heard hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese! We also saw hawks, egrets, pelicans, heron, coyote, rabbits, and even peacocks....although I think they were escapees from a farm of some sort.  Here are some of my pictures:

This is the main refuge with the headquarters, a walking path and an auto tour.

Mark without a camera in his hand...unusual!

Sutter Butte--Privately owned, but hikes available

Yup....actually got to 67 degrees...and sunny!

Something is rotten in Denmark.....ah, I mean, in Sutter Butte!

I actually took more videos than pictures of the water fowl in order to capture the sound. Hope these movies attach here: