Twenty Mile House

Leaf Peepers Get Ready as Fall Colors arrive in Plumas County.

2011-10-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

The other day we noticed the aspens at the Twenty Mile House were just starting to hint at the brilliant display of yellow, oranges and reds they will don in the next few weeks as fall descends upon Plumas County. Every year during October hundreds of leaf peepers head to beautiful Plumas County in the Sierra Nevada mountains to enjoy the spectacular parade of fall colors by the aspens, cottonwoods, oaks, maples and dogwoods as they change with the season and prepare for the onset of winter.

There are many ways you can venture out to enjoy the fall colors. Take advantage of the Plumas County Visitor’s Bureau free fall color touring map that outlines the best driving routes in the county to view the most spectacular displays. For those more inspired by being closer to nature one of our favorites is to head out on one of the many miles of beautiful hiking trails in the spectacular Lakes Basin Recreation Area to really get up close and personal with fall colors.

Fall is also an excellent time in Plumas County for any of you fishing enthusiasts and a great way to view the spectacular fall colors that line the rivers and creeks. We love to walk to the “high point” at the Twenty Mile House to get the sweeping views of the Middle Fork of the Feather River and enjoy the colors of the changing season.

The Plumas County Visitor’s Bureau works hard each year to ensure visitors get the best taste of what fall has to offer in the area including a leaf peeper kit that includes maps and trail guides and an Awesome Autumn blog that provides daily updates of the fall colors in the area. Peak colors usually occur in mid-late October depending on the year.

We would love to have you come visit us at the Twenty Mile House for our 20% off Fall Color special when staying 2 nights or more and enjoy the dazzling display of fall colors before winter sets in whilst we serve you up one of our delicious fall inspired breakfast by the fire in our cozy dining room.

Happy leaf peeping!

Karen Steele and Kevin Gage

Our Wildflower Adventure in Plumas County

2011-07-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Tiger swallow tail butterfly enjoying the blooming flowers

I have been admiring the vast array of wildflowers that have been springing up all over our property at the Twenty Mile House recently, attracting countless butterflies and keeping the bees happy. As I started to look closer I realized amongst the fields and hills of bachelor buttons and lupins - which look spectacular - I began noticing dotted around many other wildflowers starting to bloom. I grabbed my camera and started taking photos thinking it would be nice to share what we are sighting here with wildflower enthusiasts. As I started to notice more and more species of wildflowers - some a little shy and hidden away and others seeming to shout "here I am" I found myself on somewhat of a wildflower treasure hunt with my 3-year old daughter scouring every corner of the property, along the train tracks and nearby roadsides and even our local little cemetery which probably held the biggest surprise - to see how many different flowers we could find. I have identified as many as I can but there are still a number I am not certain about. If anyone is able to put names to some of the wildflowers I would love to hear from you! For more information on where to go to see wildflowers in Plumas County and what is on show visit the Plumas County Visitor's Bureau 2011 Bloom's blog for up-to-date sightings.


Bachelor button

Sweet peas

On our direct property around our grounds it is teeming with bachelor buttons, lupins, sweet peas and daisies, providing a spectacular backdrop of purples and whites. My daughter was very excited when she found a solo pink bachelor button amongst all the purples and whites - it was the only one we found.

The lone pink bachelor button

Lupin

Salsify

Crimson columbine

A bee enjoying morning glory

Daisy

Hiding in some of the more shady areas of our gardens we found the very pretty crimson columbine, morning glory and salsify.

As we ventured along the hot rocky areas along the train-tracks we came across poppies, boundless bachelor buttons, daisies and wild clover and a couple of unidentified flowers.

Poppy

Unknown flower

Wild clover

Noticing our excitement, Kevin joined in on the hunt for wildflowers and best photo. I think he gets the honors for his great shots of the Western tiger swallowtail butterfly feasting on an unidentified flower.

Western tiger swallowtail butterfly

Next it was off along the Old Cromberg Road to see what we had noticed on our drives in and out of the Twenty Mile House. We weren't disappointed. My daughter was enthralled watching two large bumble bees busily enjoying the mules ears.

Bumble bee in mules ear

Pair of bumble bees enjoying the mules ear

Yarrow

Monkey flower

Unknown flower

Other flowers we spotted along the side of the road were the monkey flower, yarrow, and a number of flowers I haven't yet identified.

Unknown flower

Showy milkweed

Wild hyancinth

Washington lily

It was then time to head off to the local Quincy Farmers Market to enjoy great local fair and music. On our way back we decided to turn off and take the Sloat Road back to the Twenty Mile House to see what we could find there. We were not disappointed. Growing on the steeper rocky slopes we sighted the showy milkweed, wild hyancinth and yarrow. Our very final destination of the day as twilight set was to take a quick walk through the Cromberg cemetery as we had noticed an array of large flowers growing there as we had driven by.

We were not to be disappointed - the cemetery is abound with regal Washington lilys and paintbrush providing a spectacular display or white and reds. What a great way to end the day!

Hope you get to enjoy the beautiful wildflowers of Plumas County.

Happy wildflower hunting,
Karen Steele
Twenty Mile House

Paintbrush

Welcome to our blog!

2011-06-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog! We are excited to share our passion and vision for helping people create their dream elegant and eco-friendly wedding. On one of the most important days of your life it is a great opportunity to integrate your principles of decreasing your footprint on the environment. Lookout for our future sharing of tips and ideas on how to have a beautiful and meaningful green wedding.
Warmly,
Kevin and Karen
Owners