27 Feb 2010- A visit with long lost friends, Chico, CA

A visit to the area around Chico, CA allowed us to renew a friendship from the 70's.  We visited J Knight and his lovely wife Judy who live in their almond orchard near Chico, CA.  J tends/farms 1400 acres of almonds and walnuts, looks and talks like a orchard farmer but under it all is still the old J Baxter Knight I knew long years ago.  Judith and I had a great visit and had the short course on almonds and walnuts.  Did you know that English Walnuts are grown from a Black Walnut root with a English Walnut shoot grafted to the root, well did you know that the almonds trees are in full bloom and look a lot like cherry trees? I have a hundred "did you knows" that I will share with sometime but not on line. 

Its good to renew friendships, talk about old times and tell war stories,in the future I will remember that friends may be separated by many miles but friendships can endure through space and time.

Ask me something about almonds or walnuts.

 

 

    J Knight Orchards has a nice ring and no the yellow equipment dies not belong to the state highway department.

 Haulers, harvesters, shakers, I can't remember which this is but its big and yellow and works in the orchard.

   These are walnut trees, the dark portion on the bottom of the trunk is the Black Walnut root with the English Walnut grafted portion on top.

  Almond trees are in full bloom, a beautiful sight.  J leases/rents bees to help with the pollination but the almond honey is bitter--go figure.

                                              1400 Acres is a lot of trees.

                                                        J Baxter Knight, Farmer Extraordinary.

                                            J trying to explain the facts of almond blossoms.  (To Judith)

           J, Judy and Judith, beautiful new home in the background beside the good looking Ford truck.

   Several almond varieties, some grafted to peach tree roots, provides a smaller tree that is more manageable in the orchard.  I will be expecting a call from someone to come work in the orchards because of my vast knowledge.  Almond is spelled amond because they have to shake the "L" out of them to get the almonds.  (Almond Farmers Joke)

26 Feb 2014, Crescent City, CA to Red Bluff, Beaches, giant redwoods, mountain hiway

Rained most of the day but it was still beautiful.  We started down US 101 headed south and the ocean was churning and the tide was high-made for beautiful sights and sounds .

 

                                    A large river flows into the ocean creating large sand/mud bars along both sides of the river.

                                                   Judith is still cold.

                                       Remember the picture of the car in the Giant Redwood (from grade school).  We found the tree bud had to remove the mirrors to get through. Tree is approx 785 years old, damaged by fire so when they cut this area in 1967 this tree was left.  The opening is 7'4" wide and 9'6" tall, 18 ft in diameter and 185 ft tall.

                                     Only scrubbed the side once.  My ground guide was not paying attention.

                                           Really large trees!

                                          This giant redwood is 38 ft in diameter, that's me standing at the base, I am smiling.

                                                                      Elk taking a morning nap.

                                                         Logs, logs, logs no pulpwood.

25 Feb, 2014, Bandon, OR to Crescent City, CA

Today's travel down the Oregon Coast was a great adventure, the sun was shinning, the weather was great and the beauty of Gods creation was visible everywhere.  While the coast drive was beautiful the Giant Redwoods were ah-inspiring, trees that are 60 ft in diameter and several hundreds of feet high, so thick that they block the sunlight from reaching the forest floor- a must see. 

 

 Judith is hard to get out of the truck, she has it nice and toasty.

                                         Driftwood everywhere, giant trees and stumps, tons and tons of it.

                                                         Not a Giant Redwood, that's Judith.

24 Feb 2014 - Tacoma, WA to Bandon, OR

Rain, Rain everywhere and not a drop to drink.  It has rained for 17 days straight, everything is wet, water standing everywhere so we high tailed it South as fast as we could, because Judith was freezing, even thought the temp was 45.  (cold damp she said).  Tuesday we continue South along US 101.  Plan on stopping at the Redwood National Park in Crescent City, CA. 

 

                                               Rained for first 250 miles of the trip.

                                             Weather finally started to clear as we drove into OR

                                           Lots of sheep and green pastures, this was the grass seed capitol of the US

                                        At Eugene we turned West looking for the Pacific Ocean, we passed through the Enchanted Forest with moss inches thick on the trees.

                                      Looks like the Scary Old Tree from the kids Dr Seuss book.

                                              Judith checks out the local scenery ( I had to hold her overcoat for the picture)

                                           Does she not look relaxed??

                                           Even Oregon has Vets

                                                            Boats on the Columbia River

                                             Finally the Pacific Ocean

                                                 Something yellow in bloom, (we will ask what it is tomorrow)

                                            Beautiful (Pacific Coast) with lots of rock outcroppings.

                                             Judith in her overcoat (temps in the high 50's but ocean breeze is cool)

                                         Whittington with his best manly pose.