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Near the southern flank of Mount Shasta, springs and snowmelt converge to form the McCloud River. This Sacramento River tributary, held sacred by the Winnemem Wintu tribe, teemed with Chinook salmon before Shasta Dam, built in the 1940s, blocked their annual migrations.

“The winter run was the main sustenance source for the Winnemem Wintu throughout history,” said tribal member Gary Mulcahy. “We consider them the grandfather of all salmon.”

For several years, Winnemem Wintu leaders have collaborated with state and federal officials to reintroduce the critically endangered fish to this wilderness waterway in a historic effort to revitalize the McCloud and reconnect with their past.

But a federal proposal to increase the height of Shasta Dam by more than 18 feet to provide more water to farmers now threatens the tribe’s land and could harm salmon runs.

Contemplated for decades and gaining traction among Republican lawmakers, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s proposed Shasta Dam and Reservoir Enlargement Project would boost the capacity of California’s largest reservoir.

Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term, the federal government has not mounted any public effort to raise the dam. But Trump has taken several steps in that direction, including signing executive orders instructing federal officials to waive environmental rules and deliver more water to California growers.

Last week, the dam project appeared to get a push in the House Natural Resources Committee’s budget reconciliation bill, with a designation of $2 billion “for construction and associated activities that increase the capacity of existing Bureau of Reclamation surface water storage facilities.” Though the budget language does not name Shasta Dam, experts say it’s precisely crafted to facilitate the project.

“There’s no mystery here,” said Barry Nelson, policy advisor with the Golden State Salmon Association. “That language is designed to push the Shasta raise.”

Raising the dam was the “number-one priority” water project for the first Trump administration, Nelson said.

However, U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican whose district includes Shasta and who helped draft the budget language, told CalMatters that while he endorses enlarging Shasta Dam, the reconciliation bill’s “funding is not for any specific project.”

Last year, a bill that would have allocated funds for enlarging the dam while prohibiting state laws from obstructing the project died in the House. It was sponsored by 12 California Republicans, including LaMalfa.

The Bureau of Reclamation estimated in 2014 that enlarging Shasta Dam would cost $1.4 billion — roughly $1.8 billion in today’s dollars. Obtaining the array of state and federal permits for the dam could take years, and is likely to face court challenges.

The project would provide an additional 51,300 acre-feet of water per year to recipients — mainly farmers — of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, according to a federal estimate. That would increase the amount they receive on average by less than 1% , which Ron Stork, a policy expert with the group Friends of the River, referred to as “decimal dust.”

An aerial view of fall-run Chinook salmon migrating and spawning in the Feather River in Oroville on Oct. 28, 2024. Photo by Xavier Mascareñas, California Department of Water Resources

The dam project would claim some of the Winnemem Wintu’s last remaining territory and could violate the state’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which explicitly prohibits constructing reservoirs on the McCloud’s final miles before entering Lake Shasta.

State officials have publicly opposed the project in the past. In 2013, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said raising the dam would have “significant and unavoidable impacts” on the Sacramento River ecosystem. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has similarly warned federal officials that the project would restrict high-water flows and reduce fish habitat.

State officials declined to comment for this story. Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson Peter Soeth also declined to comment.

Stork, a longtime opponent of the dam raise, said the Trump administration is liable to ignore the state law. Trump’s January executive order directed federal officials to deliver more water through the Central Valley Project “by increasing storage and conveyance … notwithstanding any contrary State or local laws.”

“We certainly expect some serious mischief here,” Stork said. “The president’s executive order more or less says, ‘Please find ways to accomplish my agenda by trying to get around state and federal law.’”

Mulcahy, the Winnemem Wintu’s government liaison, said Lake Shasta flooded 90% of his tribe’s historical territory. “Village sites, sacred sites, cultural gathering sites,” he said.

Increasing the dam’s height will do even more damage, he said, periodically inundating many important gathering places, including the Kabyai Creek burial ground, where dozens of tribal members were laid to rest after a vicious 1854 massacre by white settlers.

It would also flood a cleansing pool for Winnemem men, a riverside dancing mesa and a young women’s coming-of-age ceremony site called Puberty Rock. This, Mulcahy said, will fray some of the last remaining cultural threads holding together the tribe, which he said consists of about 140 members.

“We wouldn’t be able to hold the ceremonies that are necessary to fulfill our spiritual and cultural needs,” he said.

The Winnemem Wintu are not included on the official list of federally recognized tribes, which could limit their influence over the project.

Polarizing farmers and environmentalists

Like many Delta and Central Valley water supply projects, the Shasta Dam raise has polarized farmers and environmentalists in a dispute over how it would affect Chinook salmon.

Environmentalists and fishery advocates say it will imperil already declining salmon populations, while project proponents, including the Westlands Water District, say it will help the ecosystem.

Westlands provides water, imported mostly from the Delta, to San Joaquin Valley farmers who grow 150,000 acres of pistachios and almonds — their main crops — as well as other fruits, grains and vegetables.

First: Rows of pistachio trees in farmland outside of Mendota. Farmers in this area receive Central Valley Project water from the Westlands Water District. Last: Water flows through the Delta–Mendota Canal near Firebaugh on May 2, 2025. The canal is part of the Central Valley Project. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

But General Manager Allison Febbo said the Shasta project isn’t directly about water supply. Rather, she said, it’s meant to help fish. Febbo explained that increasing the reservoir’s volume will keep its water colder, which is essential for spawning.

If the plight of the fish improves, Febbo said, regulations on water diversions might be eased — which would amount to an indirect benefit to water users like Westlands.

“We keep getting ratcheted down as the species continues to decline, so our water supply isn’t going to get any better until the species gets better,” Febbo said.

LaMalfa also stressed that the project would be “a win-win” by increasing water storage and better insulating the reservoir’s cold-water pool.

“More water for people and more cold water for salmon,” the congressman said.

Raising the dam would mean “more water for people and more cold water for salmon.”
— U.S. Rep Doug LaMalfa

But Nelson, at the Golden State Salmon Association, said Shasta Dam has already “been absolutely catastrophic for salmon.”

“The idea that a Shasta raise would benefit salmon — particularly under this set of federal agencies — is absurd,” he said.

Completed in 1945, the dam blocked Chinook from reaching hundreds of miles of stream habitat. For the winter-run Chinook — whose unique life cycle involves residing and spawning in freshwater through summer — the ice-cold McCloud was their stronghold.

“It can be 110 degrees in the canyon there, and you can be standing in the river in waders and your legs are so cold it hurts,” said Rene Henery, California science director with the group Trout Unlimited, as he explained the importance of the McCloud to the future survival of winter-run Chinook.

“The idea that a Shasta raise would benefit salmon — particularly under this set of federal agencies — is absurd.”
— Barry Nelson, Golden State Salmon Association

Today, the fish — which enter freshwater in the winter — cling to existence in a short stretch of river downstream of Lake Shasta, surviving thanks to the release of cold water stored deep in the reservoir. However, this resource frequently runs out in the summer as the fish lay and fertilize their eggs, which can lead to complete spawning failures in lethally warm water.

While a more voluminous reservoir could theoretically keep its water colder for longer, Henery said the changing climate is likely to complicate this equation. Filling the enlarged reservoir in a hotter, drier future is the main problem.

“Dams don’t make water, so in a low-water year, raising the dam does nothing,” he said.

In wet years, he added, the enlarged dam will harm fish by capturing water that would otherwise flood vital wetland habitat downstream, like the recently restored Yolo Bypass, west of Sacramento. “The inundation we get on the Yolo Bypass is what’s keeping salmon populations hanging on in the Sacramento,” Henery said.

Jon Rosenfield, science director at the advocacy group San Francisco Baykeeper, added that “expanding the dam will capture more of the high flows (during wet years) that are now the only lifeline those fish have.”

Mulcahy said he is hopeful that the project — though currently revving with Republican horsepower — will soon run out of steam. Labor and material costs are rising, he said, and the longer the project goes unbuilt, the more expensive it gets.

“They’re going to try and negate state law so that they can proceed however they want,” Mulcahy said. “But if we can last this one out, I think it may bury itself once and for all.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has made an arrest in connection with a significant commercial burglary at an industrial facility in the Samoa area. On May 1, 2025, HCSO received a report detailing the theft of industrial copper wire valued at tens of thousands of dollars, occurring over several weeks prior to the report.

Following a thorough investigation led by an HCSO Community Services Officer, a suspect was identified. On May 11, 2025, HCSO Deputies executed a search warrant in the 500 block of Warren Creek Road, Arcata. During the search, authorities recovered a substantial quantity of stolen copper wire and tools used in the commission of the crime.

Brent John Holdridge, 59, of Arcata, was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of PC 459 (Burglary), PC 487(a) (Grand Theft), and PC 496(a) (Possession of Stolen Property).

The HCSO commends the diligent efforts of its personnel in resolving this case and remains committed to protecting the community from property crimes.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268- 2539.

Our cross-continental trip continues, this time with two baseball stadiums and five National Parks. Don’t forget to go back to the Week One installment to make your picks in the travel guessing game which is listed at the bottom of the story. This will be the last week to enter your guesses in the comments.

We are assessing each MLB park, focusing on game atmosphere, ballpark cuisine and club hospitality. The initial ratings will be either positive, neutral or negative. After all the ballparks are visited, these ratings will be converted to a score on a scale of 100 with a positive rating being in the 80-100 range, a neutral rating in the 60-79 range, and a negative rating below 60.

Game #5: Tigers versus Angels at Angels Stadium, May 2

Angels Stadium made the same mistake the Oakland Coliseum made – letting a football team come in and rip out its heart – both aesthetically and figuratively. Both stadiums had a wide open centerfield area – Oakland with a view of the golden Oakland hills and Anaheim with its “Big A” sign and the San Gabriel mountains in the distance. In both cases, the centerfield view was sacrificed for more seats to satisfy the football tenant. Both football teams – the Raiders and Rams – departed Oakland and Anaheim, respectively, for what they considered better deals. The Coliseum never recovered but Angels Stadium made the right choice – the people’s choice - by tearing out the extra seating area and returning centerfield to its rightful place of honor as a sightline for baseball. The 210-ton “Big A” sign was moved out of the stadium and into the parking lot upon the Rams’ arrival. The team decided to just keep it there after the Rams’ departure, and instead turn the area into a Center Field Patio suitable for group parties and picnics. There is also a rock structure there with a waterfall.

Game atmosphere: Positive

If friendly and passionately loyal fans and ushers were the only formula for success, the Angels would be the kingpin of SoCal Major League baseball. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that, as evidenced by the Angels nine consecutive losing seasons, during which time the other SoCal team has won eight division titles and two World Series championships. Still, talking to Angels fans and game personnel is a breath of fresh air. Derek Clair has had his season tickets since 1979. “I grew up here watching the Angels in the ‘70s, another time when they weren’t very good. It may be lean now but we’re loyal. And every night is Major League baseball. Win or lose, the games are still fun to watch,” said Clair. “My parents had these seats. It’s part of their legacy to keep them. It’s a fantastic stadium. Easy in; easy out. It’s one of the older stadiums and it has held up very well.” Angel Stadium opened in 1966 with the Angels moving in after playing their first four seasons in Dodger Stadium.

Another long-time season ticket holder, Peggy Russo, effused about her love of the game. “I just love baseball and I love the Angels,” she said. “Baseball is my passion and my hobby. I grew up in New Jersey and played baseball as a young girl.” She also has been an Angels season ticket holder since 1979.

Loyalty also oozes from the game personnel. Usher Teresa “No H” Arentz has worked 22 of her 23 years as an Angels usher in the same spot. “What keeps me coming back are the people I get to see every game,” she said. “This is the season ticket section, and these are my peoples. I have the best spot in the house.”

Pregame entertainment featured the Mariachi Titans, a student-led ensemble from Cal State Fullerton. More than 250 women clothed in colorful dresses danced along the outfield warning track to the Mariachi band which featured guitars, violins, trumpets and an accordion. The band also performed the national anthem. … Level Up is an arcade area in the rightfield pavilion (section 240) for kids. It includes interactive and classic video games.

Flames and fireworks erupt from the Barney Rubble rocks in centerfield when the Angels hit a home run. The fans were treated to the bombs bursting in air when Zach Neto hit a home run on the first pitch from Tiger ace Tarik Skubal. Later the fans showed their passion during the Skubal squabble – Skubal struck out Neto during his second plate appearance on a 99.4 mph four-seam fastball. Skubal and Neto exchanged uncomplimentary words as Neto walked toward the dugout. The benches cleared and the fans simultaneously cheered and booed. Nothing happened really but everyone – players and fans – were more intense afterward.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

It’s mostly standard ballpark fare throughout the stadium but with one significant exception. Crafty Mac is located in both the La Rotisserie (section 114) and as Crafty Mac & Mash (section 237). At Crafty Mac you build your own entre – as healthy or as decadent as you want. There are multiple options for the base, the protein and the sauce. The base can be mixed greens salad, mac & cheese, a brioche hoagie or a baked potato. The protein choice is rotisserie chicken, tri tip or roasted vegetables. The sauce selection is salsa quemada, chimichurri, berry vinaigrette, garlic aioli or teriyaki. “I’ve had everything on the menu,” said Rick Gross. “The food is really fresh. The tri tip is delicious and the spices and herbs on the rotisserie chicken are perfect. It’s fresh, hot, and ready to go.” Recommended: mac & cheese base, chicken AND tri tip (extra charge), and garlic aioli sauce.

Another fun food choice is Cathy’s Cookies, offering fresh baked “hot and tasty” chocolate chip cookies, available by the bucket or sleeve. One of those friendly Angels fans shared some with us when she had a bucket of cookies delivered to her seat. Yes, they were indeed hot and tasty.

Club hospitality: Positive

The Angels win the hospitality prize for California teams. Tickets were in the season ticket section between home plate and the dugout, 16 rows up. A media parking pass was provided which got us so close to the stadium I had to wonder whether foul balls might be a problem.

Game details: Tigers win 9-1. Attendance 29,870. Time of game: 2:26.

Helpful tips: Plenty of affordable parking at $20 (cheapest of all California teams). And the parking lot design really is, as season ticket holder Clair said, easy in; easy out. Bags must be clear but regular-sized purses are okay. Bottled water or sports drinks and outside food are also okay, although the food must be in a clear, plastic bag.

You don’t see that every day: The Tigers Riley Greene became the first player in MLB history to hit two homers in the ninth inning. … The Tigers hit four homers in the ninth inning – the first time that it happened since the Dodgers did it in 2006.

National Park #1: Joshua Tree, California

 Scrambling up rocks at Joshua Tree.

Seemingly sculpted boulder mountains are scattered throughout the park. Joshua Tree offers 24 different hiking options, ranging from half a mile to eight miles. Intersection Rock is one of the go-to climbing options featuring the North Overhang (5.9 difficulty rating), Upper Right Ski Track (5.3) and Left Ski Track (5.11). “When you were a kid, did you ever climb anything?” asked Greg Mitchell, a climber from Santa Barbara. “Rocks, trees, other things? Some stop because something makes them afraid of heights or something makes them afraid of getting hurt. But others just keep climbing. Climbing these rocks is the same impulse to climb as when you were a kid who liked to climb things. The ropes make it safe.” On this trip Greg was teaching his son to climb. … Be sure to take the drive to Keys View on the west side of the park where you will see breathtaking views of the San Andreas Fault, Mt. San Gorgonio, Mt. San Jacinto and the Salton Sea.

JOSHUA TREE STATS: It is 1,235 square miles (roughly 40-miles wide and 26-miles deep). In 2024 there was an average of 8,197 visitors a day.

Game 6: Mets versus Diamondbacks at Chase Field, May 5

Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark) was built in 1998 and features the first-ever retractable roof south of the Canadian border. The Diamondbacks came into existence the same time as the stadium and they have been happy partners ever since. The roof can open to give the field grass some much needed sunshine but is closed for most home games so that players and fans can escape the Phoenix summer days and nights of 110+ degrees.

Game atmosphere: Neutral

“It’s kind of dead,” was the honest assessment of the game atmosphere by Diamondbacks season ticket holder Greg Robbins. “But I love to cheer on the boys. There are usually a lot of fans here of the opposing teams. When we play the Dodgers, there are sometimes more Dodger fans than D-Back fans. Same with the Cubs. I think that’s because most people who live in Arizona aren’t from Arizona.”

Fans would respond to the “Get Loud” prompts on the scoreboard, but when the prompts stopped, so did the cheering. The loudest cheer came during the singing of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch. At the “root, root, root for the D-Backs” part of the song, “D-Backs” hit the high-decibel mark for the game. A 3-run rally in the bottom of the eighth finally brought the crowd to life but it wasn’t quite enough to push the rating to positive. To the crowd’s credit, when an Angelino in left field tried to get the wave started – it died after about 300 feet in each of his three attempts.

Still, there were good things to watch on and off the field. Robbins said it’s all about Corbin Carroll for him. “He’s the reason I bought a season ticket.” Carroll was an All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year in 2023 when the Diamondbacks made it to the World Series. “You can’t replace a guy like that.” Carroll homered in the bottom of the first, then later threw a runner out at the plate on a fly ball to right field.

The Diamondbacks feature a family-focused area called The Sandlot in the Upper Concourse area in left field. Kids can take wiffle ball batting practice and run the bases on a miniature version of Chase Field. It’s open to kids 60” and shorter. There is also a children’s playground (48” and shorter) and a toddler playground (36” and shorter). … The top of the sixth inning featured a Big Head mascot race featuring caricatures of Matt Williams, Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzales and Mark Grace.

The Presidential Pools Suite section will set you back at least $4,750 but you get all-inclusive in-suite food and classic menu options to select from, 35 suite tickets, five parking passes and a D-Backs pool towel you get to take home! And, yes, the suite includes a pool – located in left centerfield. … There is also an all-you-can-eat section called the Bar-S in the Diamond Level, sections 221-223. You get unlimited hot dogs, chips, popcorn, peanuts, Pepsi and Aquafina. All for $56.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

Filthy Mac Fries. Whoever invented this deserves some kind of award. It is Cajun-spiced fries, covered with white cheddar mac, more cheddar cheese, topped with pork belly bacon, cola BBQ sauce, crispy onion rings, slaw and scallions. It was a flavor explosion. Each bite offered something different from the previous one. The crispy onion rings were reminiscent of what was served at O.H.’s Town House in Eureka back in the day. It is quite possibly the perfect ballpark food. Another popular item was the Sonoran Dog: A footlong dog with ranch beans, pork belly bacon, pico de gallo, mustard and mayo. Charge it to your Chase credit card and get 25 percent off. It is Chase Field, after all. … Other options include Chick-Fil-A, Cold Stone Creamery ice cream, deli sandwiches, Sonoran beef nachos, and s’mores nachos.

Club hospitality: Positive

The Diamondbacks provided two lower level baseline reserve tickets along the left field foul line and a media parking pass. Parking was in a garage so we had to borrow a car from our host since the Sprinter was three feet too high for the garage entry.

Game details: Mets win 5-4. Attendance 22,674. Time of game: 3:03.

Helpful tips: Leave the purse at home, although clutch purses limited to 4.5” x 6.5” are allowed. Otherwise, clear bags only. Bottled water is allowed and food is permitted as long as it’s in a clear plastic bag. Most parking lots are $20.

You don’t see that every day: Corbin Carroll hit the first pitch in the bottom of the first for a home run. Wait a minute! That’s the third time in six games we’ve seen that. Dodger Shohei Ohtani hit the first pitch in the bottom of the first for a homer against the Marlins, and Zach Neto did the same for the Angels against the Tigers. Three out of six games - a statistical anomaly! I couldn’t find hard data on home team first-pitch home runs but there were 17 visiting team first-pitch home runs in 2024. A less reliable source said it happened 23 times for the home team. That’s 40 first-pitch-of-the-game home runs in 2,430 games, or one roughly every 60 games.

National Park #2: Grand Canyon, Arizona

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, be sure to put it on your bucket list. Pictures or videos simply cannot capture its majesty and magnificence. My wife, Lisa, saw it for the first time and wept for 20 minutes. “Initially it took my breath away,” she said. “I kept thinking how majestic God is beyond measure. It literally is breath-taking.” Mike Tessier from northern Minnesota also had his breath taken away. “Breathtaking. It just doesn’t seem like it’s really there. It seems fake. It’s so massive. It’s out of this world. To me it just blows my mind.” Thousands of people roam the rim, and it’s an international affair.

GRAND CANYON STATS: It is 277 miles long, 10 to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. In 2024 there was an average of 13,477 visitors a day.

National Park #3: Zion – one mile north of Springdale, Utah

The east entrance to Zion leads you past layered ridges of brown and gray that slowly give way to orange and red as you go deeper into the park. The Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel takes you to spectacular terrain that rises high above the road. The access tunnel is narrow, making it challenging for RVs, buses and trailers. The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is a must but is accessible most of the year only by shuttle bus. Russell Petushanskyl, a native Ukrainian, is one of Zion’s biggest fans “It is one of best parks in United States for me,” he said. “A lot of different color – brown, yellow, green – all connect at river; and all beautiful. No. 1. Better than Bryce Canyon. Better than Grand Canyon.” Petushanskyl had a bone to pick about the shuttle service to the Scenic Drive. “Tell them please return old bus,” he said. “You could see better with old bus.” Consider the National Park Service told!

ZION STATS: Zion was Utah’s first National Park. It is 229 square miles. In 2024 there was an average of 13,552 visitors a day – more than the Grand Canyon!

National Park #4: Bryce Canyon – Bryce Canyon City, Utah

Bryce Canyon is almost a cross between the Grand Canyon and Zion national parks. The rock formations are amazing – and the coloring and texture of them are similar to Zion. Bulbous spires called hoodoos look like they are growing out of the ground. Be sure to visit Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise Point. “It’s a good place to see earth working,” said Tom Spilker, a planetary scientist from Monrovia, Calif. “A good place to see earth going through its processes,” such as weathering and erosion. Linda Spilker, Tom’s wife, works for the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. She said Bryce Canyon is spectacular. “Its views are inspiring,” she said. “This place is unique compared to other places on our planet and compared to other planets.”

BRYCE CANYON STATS: It covers 55,992 square miles. In 2024 there was an average of 6,944 visitors a day.

National Park #5: Arches - five miles north of Moab, Utah

Why?

Aliens. That’s one explanation for Arches National Park. Aliens who like to work with red rock and are obsessed with arches. The sculptured red rocks conjure up images of a ball balancing on a stick, a pigeon sitting on a ledge, a courthouse, a baseball glove and on and on. Be sure to gas up before you head to Arches because you have to drive deep into the park to see most of its famous arches. The spires, balanced rocks and sandstone fins are equally impressive as the arches. Robin Loss from Frankfurt, Germany, was unimpressed. “I like the arches but I only saw four of them on a six-kilometer hike. It is not the best national park. Bryce Canyon was the best. And the bus shuttle in Zion was also very good.” Arches has a timed-entry system so you will need to get that in advance for $2.

ARCHES STATS: It is 119 square miles. In 2024 there was an average of 4,018 visitors a day.

Press release from the Arcata Police Department:

On 5/10/25 Arcata Police Officers responded to the 4900 block of Valley West Blvd. for the report of a male brandishing a shotgun. Officers located the male, who was identified as Glen Holis SHAFER and was determined to be a convicted felon. Officers located three firearms, including a shotgun and two rifles near where Shafer was detained. 

Shafer was arrested for PC 29800(a)- Felon in Possession of a Firearm and an outstanding felony warrant for PC 3455(a)- Revocation of Post Release Community Supervision.

A search warrant was obtained and served at Shafer’s residence for additional evidence.

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) warns that when we experience the next Cascadia subduction zone earthquake, land near the coast may rise or fall significantly over a short period of time — think +/-5 feet in five minutes. If it falls, it could significantly expose new parts of our coast to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Check out the coverage from the Lost Coast Outpost or read the study yourself.

Dr. Jay Patton of the California Geological Survey joins the show to discuss why land may suddenly jump or fall, the archaeological evidence of past earthquake-driven subsidence, and the consequences of such a sudden shift.

Want to be prepared for the big one? Check out “Living on Shaky Ground” for advice on how to get ready to rumble.

As a person approaching his 91st birthday who has been keeping abreast of present day transportation problems, I find an irresistible urge to compare today’s methods of getting from here to there to those of an era of some 80 years past.

A comparison that comes to mind is the trips that my mother made to visit her parents, who resided in Eureka, Calif.

My grandparents were Will and Laura Davis. Granddad worked for Hammond Lumber Co. as a woods filer. He retired in 1930.

My parents. Bill and Lucy Hinds, and I lived in McCloud, Calif., where my dad was plant superintendent.

To set the scene properly, McCloud lies approximately 120 airline miles from Eureka at the foot of Mt. Shasta. Today, that would be two hours travel time by air. In 1905, to my knowledge there wasn’t a single foot of paved or oiled road in Northern California. In winter, most roads would be impassable.

To get anywhere with any degree of certainty, you had two choices: the train or by steamship, both of which were considered to be fairly reliable for the times.

In Mother’s case, she relied on both the train and steamer plus city streetcars and horse-drawn hacks to get herself and a young son from McCloud via San Francisco to Eureka and return. A trip of some 80 odd hours one way if the trains were running on time and steamship schedules hadn’t been fouled up by storms or fog.

If one were forced by circumstances to attempt the trip over the mountains by roads and trails then available, one could safely figure weeks on the trail and a great many hardships to boot.

Mother always looked forward to these yearly trips, though not a Eureka girl. She had many friends there and her sister, Oma Lautin, lived on E Street. Oma and her husband, Sig Lautin, owned and operated a store on Second Street that sold clothing to woods’ personnel.

Though I had made the trip several times as a baby, the first recollections I have are about age four. My mother, by that time, was a seasoned traveler — at least by that route — so things were usually routine.

We would leave in the month of June when the deep snows were gone in the Siskiyou mountains. My dad couldn’t make the trip as mid-year was the busy time for him.

He would drive us to the McCloud River Railroad Station and we would take the afternoon train to Sisson (Mt. Shasta) arriving at 4:30. The Shasta Limited of the Southern Pacific Railroad was due at 5:30 p.m. and was usually on time.

The Shasta was one of the S.P.’s top trains. It would be made up of several Pullmans, a diner, one or two coaches, and several mail and baggage cars.

As a four-year-old and later at six, these trips were wondrous experiences. Even later, at the ripe old age of 10, I never lost my awe of the monstrous consolidated locomotives, the gleaming varnish of the Pullmans, the polite and efficient porters, the authoritative train conductor and that never-to-be forgotten dining car with its snowy white table napery and shining silverware. I remember, too, the smart steward, sure-handed efficient waiters and the excellent menus by some of the best chefs to be had anywhere.

Sisson (Mt. Shasta City) was only a short stop for the Shasta Ltd. and we had hardly found our Pullman section when we were on our way.

Mother always reserved a full section, which gave us an upper and lower berth with much more privacy. Trains in those days were usually booked solid and Mother would make her reservation well ahead of time. There would be one other short stop at Shasta Springs to allow the passengers to sample the soda water. At that time it lived up to its reputation — sharp, cold, clear and a wonderful mix for almost any drink (today it is polluted and undrinkable).

After Shasta Springs, the division stop at Dunsmuir was where engine crews were changed. Then came the long, non-stop drop down the Sacramento River Canyon to the valley floor. Soon after leaving Dunsmuir, the first call for dinner would be announced by a waiter ringing soft chimes.

By this time. Mother had made herself presentable and managed to get me in some sort of order so we could make our way to the diner.

This could be quite a trip in itself. If our car happened to be well back in the train, one would have to pass inspection by several cars of people. Mother was a very dignified lady and would take it all in stride.

The steward would meet us in the foyer and escort us to a table with a flourish—seat Mother and hand us the menus on which were so many choices that I had a hard time making a decision. However, I would wind up with breaded veal and Mother always had the S.P. salad (for which it was famous). I would have a dessert and Mother, her black coffee. The waiter offered finger bowls and the check. We had dined in style for $1.50, to which Mother added a tip of 25 cents.

By the time we had finished dinner, it would be dark and when we returned to our Pullman, we’d find the porter starting to make up berths. The intricacies of the Pullman berth of the period and the ease with which the Pullman porters solved the problems of assembly and were able to come up with a fairly comfortable individual bedroom in a short period of time was, to me, an engineering feat of note.

As I grew older. Mother always made me take the lower berth as she knew I would never get to sleep unless I could watch out the window.

As mentioned before, from Dunsmuir to the head of the Sacramento Valley at Redding, the train was non-stop. The S.P. tracks followed the river at the bottom of the canyon so there wasn’t much to see at night. In later years, when the Shasta dam was built, the tracks were forced to higher elevations and were much more scenic.

After the stop at Redding, sometime around midnight, the Limited rolled down the valley with very few slowdowns but I knew when we were passing through a town by the ringing of the crossing bells: Anderson, Red Bluff, Corning, Orland, Willows, Maxwell, Williams, Arbuckle, Woodland, Davis, Dixon, Fairfield, Cordelia and finally, in the early morning, the highlight of the train trip — Benicia and the transfer of the entire train onto the car ferry Solano, from Benicia to Martinez across the Straits in one trip.

This ferry was a marvel in itself and was the largest in the world. It was the last word in engineering ingenuity. It worked for many years on the Benicia run without a single failure until replaced by the present drawbridge.

I always awakened when we pulled into the ferry terminal at Benicia and watched the entire proceedings. The train was divided in half and each section switched onto the Solano and tied down as specified by safety rules. Then came the starting of the monster single cylinder engines — one to each 24-foot paddle wheel. It was then up to the pilot to keep the ferry on course by synchronizing the engines.

No one was allowed off the train during the crossing but I managed a good view of the proceedings from the observation car platform.

After the train was remade on the Martinez side and we were on our way again, we would go to the dining car and have breakfast. While putting away some of S.P.’s tasty pancakes, we could enjoy the view of the Emeryville Mud Flats and their accompanying odors.

After pulling out of the 16th Street Station in Oakland, Mother would get our things together for the end of our journey at the “Oakland Mole.” The “Mole” was world famous—the S.P.’s main terminal for trains from the North, East, Mid-West and deep South. At that time Los Angeles was not a terminal, only a station stop on the vast S.P. empire. Trains from New Orleans terminated at the “Mole.”

As the train slowed for the terminal, we would thank our porter and conductor for a pleasant journey. Mother would signal for a Red Cap and we would head for a waiting S.P. ferry. Fifteen minutes after the arrival of the Shasta Limited, we would be crossing San Francisco Bay. We had arrived at approximately 10 a.m.

Crossing the Bay was a thrill for me and I would hurry to the upper deck to watch the Bay traffic. The white paddlewheel ferries of the Southern Pacific—the gold, screw-propelled boats of the Key Route System and various other types of Bay traffic, made the trip an adventure for a small boy.

We would arrive at the ferry building at about 10:30 and have almost seven hours to kill before the coastal steamer the City of Topeka, would sail. Mother always chose the Topeka, as Mabel Standley was the stewardess on board.

Mabel was one of Mother’s school day classmates at Usal and Greenwood on the Mendocino Coast. They had also attended high school in Ukiah. Mother was born in Ukiah at the home of her grandparents, Jacob and Laura Duncan, on Oak Street. The Standleys also lived in Ukiah.

Will Standley was sheriff of Mendocino County. They later moved to San Francisco where Will was on the police force for many years. There was one other Standley, whom I met a few years later. He was a young ensign just graduated from the Academy and was with the Great White Fleet on its world tour. Hal Standley made it up the ladder to fleet admiral and on his retirement was appointed ambassador to Russia.

If Mother had any shopping to do for the folks in Eureka, she would spend time at Hale Bros., The Emporium, The City of Paris or Roos Bros. We would have lunch at the Golden Pheasant and, about 4:30, we would be aboard the Topeka, which would sail at 5:30. We would get settled in and I could roam the deck and watch the bustle of getting underway for the overnight trip up the coast.

The ship was always full to overflowing with passengers and a berth would be at a premium if not booked well ahead of time. Mable Standley always took care of this problem for Mother.

At this time, the only scheduled run north of San Francisco along the coast was to Eureka by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, which tried to keep three ships on the run: the Pomona, Corona and the Topeka.

The Pomona and Corona were hard-luck ships and always seemed to be in trouble. The Corona had wrecked on the Humboldt bar the year before and the Pomona found an uncharted rock off Fort Ross. The Topeka was just the opposite. She was in constant service for years from 1905 to 1918. She was sold to Inter-Island Steamship Company and worked in the islands until scrapped in 1935.

I was allowed to roam the deck until we were outside the gate and before the seas became rough. Then I was confined to our cabin or the ship’s salon. The narrow decks of the ship were not safe for a small boy. However, I didn’t lack for entertainment. The Topeka‘s chief engineer was a friend of Mabel’s and he would take me down in the engine room and sit me in a chair where I could watch the big triple expansion engine and the crew in the boiler room as they shoveled coal into the marine boilers. I could never remember the ship’s captain but I never forgot Lars Kennedy, the big chief engineer. (He and Mable both went with the Matson and U.S. lines years later on their runs to Hong Kong and China ports.) I was usually asleep by 9 p.m. I never knew when Mother got to bed as she and Mabel would drink coffee till all hours as they hashed over the whereabouts of old friends.

I always woke in the morning when I felt the ship’s engines go to “slow, ” as the captain got the ship into position to run the bar. As described by Lars, running the bar was a tricky bit as attested by the Corona wreck on the north jetty.

The Humboldt bar didn’t give a ship too much clearance, plus the fact it was always shifting.

The Topeka was smaller by about 300 tons than the other ships of the line, so it had a better chance of getting in okay. What the captain did was wait for a high wave crest, then he would surf in.

When the engine speeded up you knew we were on the wave crest and in we would go. In later years, as better dredges were developed, this hazard was eliminated.

After the bar crossing, we would move sedately up the Bay, serenaded by a few sawmill whistles; then into her dock where about half the population of Eureka stood waiting for friends, freight or mail.

Grandmother Davis and Aunt Oma would be standing on the dock. Then, after gathering our luggage, we would take the California Street trolley to my grandparents’ house on Albee Street and the first half of our trip would be over.

Our stay was usually about two weeks. We would sometimes go out to the camp where granddad worked. This would entail a trip across the Bay, where we took the Hammond Logging train out past Big Lagoon and Trinidad. We would visit for a day or two, then head back to Eureka.

The return trip would be a repetition in reverse. The Topeka would sail on the evening tide and would dock in the city in the morning. We usually spent a couple of days in the city, as Mother would have a lot of shopping to do for friends in McCloud and clothes to buy for the family. Stores in Siskiyou County didn’t have many bargains in those days.

The Shasta Limited pulled out of the Oakland Mole about 8 p.m. and the return trip’s running time was the same though two engines were needed after leaving Redding for the steep grade up the canyon.

It would be well into daylight when we reached Dunsmuir, so I could watch the scenery. But, as it was the country we lived in, nothing new was added.

The Shasta pulled into Sisson at 10:30 a.m. and Dad would meet us as he knew Mother would be loaded down with luggage. After an hour in Sisson having lunch, we loaded aboard the McCloud RR combo and an hour and a half later our trip ended back at McCloud. The last trip my mother and I made to Eureka was 1913. In 1916 my dad and mother moved to San Francisco.

By 1918 the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was completed to Eureka and in operation. By 1924, the road system of the Northern California counties was complete enough so that my grandparents, then more than 80, drove their Chevrolet 490 from Eureka to Sonora, Calif., without incident.

So ended a most interesting era….

Today, one would have a choice of many routes to make the trip from McCloud to Eureka, but he would find it impossible to duplicate the trips my mother made in those early days of this century.

The scheduled steamship runs, up and down the coast, disappeared many years ago and even passenger trains are now hit and miss by Amtrak.

If one is on business and with limited time, one can hop into a Cessna 180 and, in less than two hours, be landing on any one of Humboldt Bay’s area airports, including Murray Field inside Eureka city limits.

By auto you have several routes, all with paved roads — some fast, some scenic. The fastest is 1-5 to Redding, then 299 across the Coast Range direct to Eureka — running time: six hours.

Route 96, through Yreka, Happy Camp, Clear Creek, Weitchpec, Hoopa and Willow Creek, is one of the most scenic in Northern California. Allow eight to 10 hours.

Another interesting route is 36 from Red Bluff through Platina, Wildwood, Forest Glen, Dinsmore and Fortuna. Time: eight hours.

In 1905, all of these land routes were pack trails only. Today, they are all-weather routes except under severe winter storm conditions. Then they may be closed for short periods only.

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The story above is from the Autumn 1994 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

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Despite federal pushback and industry uncertainty, Humboldt County officials and international developers are moving forward with plans to bring floating offshore wind facilities to the North Coast.

This week, the county’s Economic Development Division hosted a renewable energy conference — POWER CA, an apt acronym for Partnering for Ocean, Wind and Energy Renewables in California — at the Bear River Tish-Non Community Center in Loleta to discuss the future of commercial-scale offshore wind development in California and how to navigate potential hurdles imposed by the Trump administration. 

“There are significant uncertainties created by the federal government in this moment. That’s why discussion is so important,” said Jana Ganion, senior offshore wind advisor for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office. “We deal with adversity; we ride through it, and we are stronger at the end of it. So when we talk about pathways and partnerships, we know that in this moment these things are recalculating.”

The project slated for our shores is still in the very early stages. Even if everything goes according to plan, it will be another 10 or 15 years before any turbines are spinning out in the ocean. 

Right now, local stakeholders are focused on getting the Port of Humboldt Bay up to snuff and laying the groundwork for the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project, which aims to convert the old pulp mill Redwood Terminal I property on the Samoa Peninsula into a state-of-the-art industrial site for manufacturing, assembling and exporting the massive components needed for offshore wind development on the West Coast. 

Chris Mikkelson, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, acknowledged “policy challenges” imposed by the current administration but was optimistic that the project would move forward. 

“We have to build a great port — that’s a huge infrastructure challenge … but we have an opportunity to create a legacy project here,” Mikkelson said. “We’re doing this to replace antiquated marine infrastructure. This is rural economic development. It’s job creation. Why would we not want to have our children stay in this county? This is a legacy.”

Speakers also delved into workforce development strategies that aim to promote the trades in local schools to get aspiring workers in the pipeline. 

“We’re going to rely on a lot of local training opportunities here locally,” said Erik Peckar, director of West Coast external affairs for Vineyard Offshore. “We, as developer, want to ensure that we are training as many local folks as possible, so the local folks have the first opportunities to earn a living wage, buy a house, raise their kids here and live the dream.”

Jack Sheppard, Trades Academy coordinator with the Humboldt County Office of Education, is working with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties to bring VR headsets into local schools to simulate the experience of working on a 525-foot floating turbine and drum up interest in the field. 

“The big goal is to get out there so these students can see what’s available,” Sheppard said.

On the state level, researchers and engineers are working to expand and reinforce California’s electrical transmission system, which isn’t equipped to handle the power generated by commercial-scale offshore wind developments. That issue is particularly important on the North Coast because local capacity is extremely limited, and Humboldt is relatively isolated from electrical load centers. There are only a handful of transmission lines running in and out of the county, and they’re old and undersized. 

CAISO, the entity that manages the flow of electricity on high-voltage powerlines and oversees infrastructure planning across the state, estimates the total cost of transmission development over the next 20 years, including transmission line and substation upgrades across the state, to clock in at a staggering $30.5 billion.

California regulatory agencies are also working out the state’s centralized procurement strategy to streamline access to renewable energy resources. 

“There will be a market for this energy, and we want to be involved in that process,” said Elizabeth Burks, executive director of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA). “We have a really distinct role to play to make sure the central procurement process works for our community and increases access to affordable energy that we can use. We also have to make sure that it’s a fair deal for the developer so they are incentivized to keep moving forward.”

As developers and stakeholders move steadily ahead on local planning efforts, Floventis Energy, a joint venture between Cierco and SBM Offshore, is testing the waters with a floating offshore wind pilot project in Santa Barbara County. The CADEMO Project, located in state waters roughly 2.8 miles off Point Arguello, is expected to host four wind turbines capable of generating 12-15 megawatts of renewable electricity apiece. 

The project will help developers and regulators understand some of the pros and cons of floating offshore wind as the commercial-scale projects take shape.

“Given the above factors, CADEMO can fill a fundamentally important function to bridge risks and clarify unknowns,” the project website states. “Making an early launch of full-size offshore wind technology at a small-scale is a sensible proposition in California’s unique ecosystem and economy – but also globally, where CADEMO is likely to be the first floating wind farm using this size technology.”

CADEMO is expected to be fully operational by 2027.

Throughout this week’s conference, speakers emphasized the importance of fostering partnerships with the local fishing industry, North Coast tribes and other community leaders to create the best project possible. 

“I don’t feel discouraged,” Burks said. “I feel like there’s a lot of work ahead, but I feel like I’m in really great company to get it done.”

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