Home Care In Coloma, CA

Years of drought have taken such a toll on California’s fall run of Chinook salmon that, for the first time in 14 years, fishery managers are canceling next year’s fishing season off the state’s coast to help the population recover.

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The Pacific Fishery Management Council, a quasi-federal body that oversees West Coast fisheries, finalized a decision Thursday to recommend closing the salmon season until next spring. NOAA Fisheries, a federal agency, is expected to implement the closure. Salmon fishing off the coast of much of Oregon also will be limited.

The canceled salmon season comes as recreational anglers, professional fishers and biologists have watched populations of the largest species of Pacific salmon plummet off the coast of California. Before the recent winter storms, drought and heat waves drained and warmed the state’s rivers and reservoirs, hampering the ability of salmon to spawn and reach the ocean safely. Competition among farmers, urban residents and wildlife managers over dwindling water resources have only made matters worse.

Fewer than 170,000 adult fall Chinook salmon are expected to try to return to the Sacramento River this year, one of the lowest estimates ever from state and federal scientists. And there are only about 104,000 destined to try to go back to the Klamath River, the second lowest forecast since such assessments began in 1997.

The two stocks are “the backbone of those ocean fisheries,” said Robin Ehlke, a salmon staff officer for the council. The last time managers were compelled to cancel the region’s salmon season was in 2008 and 2009.

Like other salmon, the Chinook, or king salmon, hatches in streams, heads to the ocean to feed and returns inland to its birthplace to spawn. After breeding, the adults die, new salmon hatch and the cycle starts anew. The fish relies on cool, high-flow rivers to make that mighty migration. Drought makes rivers run warmer and slower, rendering them less hospitable for Chinook.

Salmon travel deep into the Pacific. As it warms, many ‘don’t come back.’

“Salmon flourish when we have very wet conditions,” said Steve Lindley, fisheries ecology division director at the NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center. “Cool temperatures are good for the eggs. They survive better. And when the juveniles then migrate to the ocean, if there are high flows, they survive much, much better.”

“None of those things were happening very often in the last decade,” he added.

The closure hits a $1.4 billion fishing industry that supports 23,000 jobs in California, according to the Golden State Salmon Association. The decision curtails both commercial and recreational salmon fishing off California. Despite the economic hit, many who rely on fishing salmon for a living acknowledge the need to cancel the fishing season.

“It’s a really painful conclusion to reach, but for a number of reasons, it’s probably the right decision,” said Sarah Bates, a salmon captain out of San Francisco.

After heavy rain pummeled California this year, the state has more water than it knows what to do with. While the flooding is hard on the state’s human residents, salmon soon stand to gain from the fuller rivers.

“This should be good for the salmon,” Lindley said. “We should see benefits from this in a few years.”

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The Stockton Record

Recent rains have turned the Sierra foothills bright green and increased river flows, but it’s real gold we’re seeking, with the anniversary of California’s gold discovery on Jan. 24, 1848. Take a road trip with us, to Coloma and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, just a bit more than an hour from San Joaquin County.

In the 1840s, Sacramento’s Captain John Sutter was seeking lumber for his fast-growing empire and hired crews to find and build sawmills. He hired James Marshall, who explored the banks of the South Fork, American River, finding plenty of pine and fir trees and the fast-flowing American River, leading to development of a new mill and a town that would become Coloma.

On Jan. 24, 1848, Marshall spotted flecks of gold in the new mill’s tailrace. Despite efforts to keep the discovery quiet, news leaked out and ignited the largest mass migration in history as fortune-seekers throughout the USA and western hemisphere descended upon California. Prospectors poured in, staking claims and building cabins; Chinese merchants arrived, both mining and opening shops as the city of Coloma quickly bloomed with thousands of residents spread along the banks of the river.

The state park offers kids and adults every-day lessons in gold mining, from panning for gold to exploring the huge “California stamp mill“. Miners quickly realized a crude, hand-held or mule/horse powered “stamp” could crush ore into powder which could then be placer-mined for gold and silver. Eventually, huge water-powered stamp mills made of wood and iron were pounding out golden treasure and making small to large fortunes for some lucky miners.

The park is celebrating the anniversary of the gold discovery on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 to 3 p.m. Visit that day or other days and walk through California’s gold rush history, reflecting upon the discovery of gold 176 years ago (the discovery would quadruple California’s population from 1850 to 1860 and decimate California’s indigenous peoples, who once numbered almost 300,000 strong).

The park is located amongst towering oak trees along the banks of the fast-running South Fork of the American, and features the reconstructed mill, several historic Chinese merchant buildings, and homes and shops dating to the 1850s. Kids can explore the sobering remains of the Coloma jail built of native stone, slowly crumbling away.

After visiting Coloma, or before arriving, plan a stop in Placerville, Plymouth or Sutter Creek. Placerville, “Old Hangtown”, includes four blocks of downtown history reflecting the 1860s, including quaint shops, watering holes and interesting restaurants. Favorites include Powell’s Steamer and Pub (try the clam chowder), the Heyday Café and Sweetie Pies Restaurant and Bakery.

In Plymouth, just off Highway 49, find the regionally acclaimed restaurant, Taste, wowing epicureans since it opened a few years ago. Owners of Taste also developed the next-door boutique hotel, Rest, which gets high marks from several of our friends who have overnighted there.

Sutter Creek is possibly our favorite gold rush town with eight shady blocks lined with a wealth of historic building dating from the 1850s, many of them marked by plaques offering historical footnotes. Main Street features busy shops, galleries, restaurants, and more than a dozen wine tasting stops. Favorite restaurants include Hotel Sutter/Bellotti Inn, opened in 1860, and one of the oldest hotels still in continuous operation in the state. Cavana's Pub and Grub, in the 1860 Malatesta Building, is across the street, featuring full bar, tasty drinks and good pub food in an airy setting. Nearby Gold Dust Pizza offers a fine pie along the banks of the town’s namesake, Sutter Creek. And check Sutter Creek Theater, at 44 Main Street as a good reason to visit with a continuing series of regional and local talent: Suttercreektheater.com.

Footnotes: you’re invited to attend the upcoming Sierra Club meeting, featuring a travel presentation, “Updating your travel destinations bucket list” presentation by yours truly on Monday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., at Central Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Avenue, Stockton. No charge; join us! And, don’t miss the upcoming Stockton Restaurant Week, January 19-28, (see visitstockton.org) as an opportunity to sample new epicurean options, and explore parts of your hometown!

For more information: Marshall Gold Discovery Park at Coloma, parks.ca.gov/page_id=484, Placerville, cityofplacerville.org; Plymouth, cityofplymouth.org; Sutter Creek, suttercreek.com.

Contact Tim, [email protected]. Happy travels in your world!

Photos courtesy California State Parks System

COLOMA — The place that triggered California’s two-year journey from wilderness to statehood and ballooned San Francisco’s population 2,000 percent in 20 months today is a quiet wide spot along Highway 49 that winds through the Gold Country from Nevada City in the north to Sonora in the south.

Every fifth grader in California knows Coloma is where James W. Marshall discovered gold on Jan. 24, 1848 while working on a sawmill along the American River to supply lumber to Sutter’s Fort some 45 miles to the west in what is today Sacramento.

That discovery took California — that today has 39.5 million residents — from a non-indigenous population of 14,000 to 200,000 within two years.

Coloma — a roughly two-hour drive from here via Highways 99, 50 and 49 or a more pleasant three-hour drive taking Highways 120, 108 and 49 through the spine of the Golden Country — is home to the Marshall Gold Discovery Park.

And while Coloma has a multitude of river recreation attractions especially in summer, visiting the El Dorado County community that has a bit more than 300 residents in the Lotus Valley area where it is located, there is something magical simply just venturing where gold was discovered to trigger the start of California’s growth still going strong 175 years later.

In the coming weeks, bright and deep greens will sweep over the hills thanks to the rainy season in the Sierra foothills.

Then as March unfolds, the hillsides and valley will turn into the reserved muted greens of oak tree leaves while the grass will turn into golden hues.

The scenery in itself makes it a classic Sunday — or Saturday — drive as you pass through or by historic mining towns such as Jamestown, Sonora, Columbia, Angels Camp, Murphys, Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Ione to name a few.

The longer journey also takes you across New Melones Reservoir that can hold 2.4 million acre feet of water.

The state park features a replica of the sawmill that started it all as well as more than 20 historic buildings including a school, stores, housing, and mining structures.

Overlooking the park from a hill above is California’s first historic monument.

Fittingly, it is a statue of James Marshall pointing toward the gold discovery site below.

A gold discovery tour is offered twice or more a day if weather permits. You can call the museum at 530-622-3470 for times.

The tours are $3 per adult and $2 per child. The walking tour typically takes 45 minutes.

There are three hikes that you can also take.

The Monument Loop Hike is a difficult 1.5 mile walk that includes a 250-foot climb. From the alternate start the total length of the loop walk is 1.25 miles.

From the mill site, take the trail marked “Marshall Monument.” After crossing the highway, you will pass a large bedrock outcrop behind the picnic area where Nisenan Indian women ground acorns for food. Look for mortar holes in the rock.

After passing the restroom (the alternate start), the trail climbs for about a half mile through forest and chaparral. At the top is James Marshall’s Monument, built over the discoverer’s grave in 1889.

The return hike brings you down the one-way road (or a short steep trail) past Marshall’s Cabin to Church Street.

St. John’s Church and Emmanuel Church were built in the 1850s and are now historic structures protected by the state park.

On your way down High Street you will pass the Noteware-Thomas House, a restored residence that is sometimes open for tours.

The stone ruins of the old El Dorado County Jail can be seen on Back Street as you return to the Visitor Center.

The Monroe Trail is approximately 2.3 miles long.

It connects the Marshall Monument with the North Beach picnic area at opposite ends of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.

The southern end of the trail climbs 300 feet; the northern end climbs 400 feet. Nearly one mile is on top of a ridge. The entire length of the trail runs through natural areas.

The third trail is five miles round-trip.

It takes you from the state park to Henningsen Lotus Park in nearby Lotus.

There are Second Saturday events every month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offered by the Gold Discovery Park Association.

Docents throughout the park dress in period costumes. They engage visitors in discussions about the 1850s and other various demonstrations.

Attendees are invited to participate in Dutch oven cooking, candle dipping, rope making, period games, and sawmill wood working. There are also Indian grinding rocks and other points of interest.

There are picnic areas if you choose to pack a lunch.

If not, the small burgs along Highway 49 offer plenty of quaint restaurants and cafes or — if you prefer — chain style establishments in and around Jackson and Sonora.

The drive alone is worth it although history buffs and the curious alike will enjoy a leisurely stroll through and to the various state park sites.

This is the place that inspired the phrase “and the world rush in” given that the gold rush triggered what still stands as the greatest migration in the Western Hemisphere.

Marshall Gold Discovery State Park is in Coloma on Highway 49 in El Dorado County.

Day use hours are currently 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Feb. 28; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from March 1 to the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the day after the Labor Day holiday to Oct. 31.

Day use area fees are: $10 per car ($9 per car for seniors 62 and older)

Museum and visitor center hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until Feb. 28 and then 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 31.

For more information go to www.parks.ca.gov/marshallgold

SAN DIEGO — Pet owners in California will soon be able to schedule a virtual visit to the veterinarian.

What You Need To Know

Taking care of their cat, Ash, is top priority for Ramon and his fiancé Christian. The couple got up early to be one of the first people in line for the Community Vet Program at the San Diego Humane Society. Ash hurt his back leg, and they wanted to be there for him like he’s been there for them.

“He keeps me calm,” Ramon said. “He knows when I’m sick or if I’m not feeling real well. He’s there, he’ll lay next to you.”

The couple cleared their schedule for the day and arranged for a ride to the clinic so Ash could get help.

Dr. Zarah Hedge is the chief medical officer at San Diego Humane Society and said soon pet parents in California will have the option to schedule a virtual visit with veterinarians, which she hopes will expand access to care across the state.

Assembly Bill 1399 was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October. The new law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and allows licensed veterinarians to practice veterinary medicine via telehealth, replacing the current law which prevents veterinarians from practicing virtually or even giving advice virtually.

While federal and state laws have expanded access to telehealth for people, access to telehealth care for pets remains limited. Its growth is obstructed by antiquated laws that require veterinarians to examine animals in person before they can treat animals, even for minor and common ailments, or for routine prescriptions.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, said telehealth is a lifeline for pet owners, especially those in remote or underserved areas with few or no veterinarians and those who face financial, or logistical obstacles getting pets to a clinic.

Hedge said the entire nation is experiencing a critical shortage of veterinarians.

“If somebody can’t get an appointment for several weeks or they don’t have to ability to get to a vet clinic, they can talk to a vet and we can help triage what’s going on with their pet,” she said. “And it could be something that we can treat through telemedicine. Something minor that we could prescribe medications for and then schedule a recheck for them.”

A study from Banfield Pet Hospital estimates that 75 million pets in the U.S. could be without veterinary care by 2030.

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“The benefits of telehealth are clear — when used responsibly, veterinary telehealth can help reduce animal suffering, address barriers to care, keep pets in their homes, and extend the capacity of animal shelters to serve animals and their communities by increasing access to veterinary care,” said Brittany Benesi, senior director of state legislation for the ASPCA’s Western division. “AB 1399 makes veterinary care more accessible to California pet owners and we’re grateful to Gov. Newsom for signing this lifesaving bill into law to enable California veterinarians to use technology to protect the pets who need it most.”

Hedge hopes modernizing veterinary care in California will make it easier for people to care for their pets. She said many of the animals they care for have been relinquished by their owners because they’re not able to pay for veterinary care or make regular visits. Hedge hopes the telehealth option will keep pets with their families and out of the shelter.

“Having the telemedicine option can make it more affordable and hopefully it can allow people to talk to a vet sooner, earlier when their pet is having some sort of a medical issue rather than waiting weeks,” Hedge said. “A lot of the things we see in our community vet program are skin disease, fleas, those kinds of things as well as chronic problems and so I think it can help on both ends to help people talk to a vet, feel more comfortable about what’s going on with their pet and determine what kind of care they need.”

As for Ash, the cat received an X-ray, which showed no broken bones. He was sent home with some pain medication to help him heal. Ramon said Ash was a little stressed out being carried around in his kennel, but he is glad they spent the day taking care of him. He looks forward to next year when he can try getting help virtually first.

“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “They should have that instead of putting a cat in a cage just to bring him down here to get looked at.”

Assembly Bill 1399 goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Get ready to adventure into the realm of camping in Northern California, where nature’s wonders unfold in the most delightful and unexpected ways. NorCal is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, promising a most memorable experience for hikers and campers of all ages. My favorite part about camping in Northern California is that there is such a wide variety of campsites. Some of the best campgrounds in Northern California can be found in the mountains. Meanwhile, you’ll also be intrigued to camp along the jagged coastline of the rolling Pacific! From the breathtaking coastal views that whisk you away to a dreamscape of sandy shores and endless horizons to the majestic embrace of Mendocino’s lush forests and towering peaks, adventure awaits at every turn. But it isn’t just about setting up a tent in a primitive campsite. Camping spots in Northern California differ from beachfront escapes to mind-blowing RV resorts.

So whether you’re seeking a serene escape or an adrenaline-filled expedition, we have the best campsites in Northern California, promising unforgettable memories, camaraderie, and a genuine embrace of the great outdoors.

Table of Contents

Best State Park Campgrounds in Northern California

Get ready for an amazing time camping in Northern California’s state parks! Picture yourself surrounded by stunning redwoods and beautiful lakes. You can explore all different types of nature within the park systems in California, each one different from the next. Plus, these parks have everything you need for a great camping trip, like clean facilities and awesome hiking trails. It’s the perfect mix of relaxation and fun outdoor activities. Whether you want to chill among ancient trees or have an exciting adventure, these parks have got you covered.

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Best Beach Camping in Northern California

Discovering the best camping in Northern California can be as simple as heading to the beach. Not every corner of Northern California allows beachside camping, so stumbling upon one is like finding a hidden gem. The sprawling coastline hugging the Pacific Ocean grants beach enthusiasts an extraordinary chance to fully immerse themselves in the camping adventure of a lifetime right by the water’s edge. Picture waking up to breathtaking sunrises painting the sky or being lulled to sleep beneath the stars with the soothing sea breeze floating nearby. It doesn’t get much better than that, right?

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Top Glamping in Northern California

Experience the ultimate combination of luxury and nature with glamping in Northern California. Swap traditional tents for elegant accommodations that blend comfort and outdoor splendor. Situated in breathtaking landscapes, these glamping sites offer unique experiences, from stylish yurts among redwoods to cozy cabins by tranquil lakeshores. Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature while relishing modern amenities like plush beds and private bathrooms. Whether it’s stargazing from a giant king-size bed or savoring gourmet meals al fresco, glamping lets you indulge in outdoor beauty without sacrificing comfort.

Best RV Camping Sites in Northern California

Hit the road for an unforgettable RV camping experience in Northern California. Cruise along scenic routes while enjoying the convenience of your own cozy space. Discover diverse landscapes, from vibrant forests to captivating coastlines. Choose from RV-friendly sites offering modern amenities, stunning views, and easy hookups. Park along the stunning coastal cliffs or by peaceful rivers, seamlessly blending comfort with nature. Whether you’re an RV enthusiast or a newbie, Northern California’s RV camping offers the ideal mix of adventure and homey relaxation, all against the backdrop of the region’s breathtaking beauty. Even if you don’t own an RV yourself, you can choose to rent an RV from a service like RVShare!

Best Primitive Tent Camping in Northern California

Experience the pure essence of nature through tent camping in Northern California. Set up camp amidst awe-inspiring landscapes, from towering redwoods to tranquil lakesides. Embrace the simplicity of outdoor life and uncover secluded gems. Whether you’re beneath a sky full of stars or nestled in lush meadows, each campground offers a unique adventure. Disconnect from the digital world, rediscover the joy of birdsong mornings, and sleep under the open sky. With options for all camping levels, Northern California’s tent camping invites you to reconnect with nature in an unforgettable way.

So what do you think about the best places to camp in Northern California? Did any campground or site spark your interest? Sound off in the comments section!