Snow in the Foothills

Today I got a chance to take a drive up to Paradise and Magalia to find some wild art of the weather. I was treated with a beautiful white snowfall that came into the foothills. It's not everyday that I get to take my 4-cylinder car up the Skyway into snow paths and flurries, but it is always something that I enjoy to do. With proper safety that is.

Snow fell near into the trees at the Magalia Reservoir Friday, February 13, 2009 in Magalia, CA. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

I do enjoy the mountains, but that doesn't mean I want to be stuck up there. I drove up the Skyway and after getting past mid Paradise I began to see snow on the side of the road. Further up the snow began to pack up and I stopped just above the Magalia Reservoir on Dogtown Rd. I got out to take some pictures as the snow began to fall. I looked up to Sawmill Peak, but it was covered in the thick clouds and snowfall. There was a good amount of powder coming down.

Heavy snow falls as a vehicle waits for a clearing to pull onto the Skyway from Dogtown Rd. Friday. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

A car drives along the Skyway above DeSabla Reservoir as a fresh blanket of snow fills the trees. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

I continued to drive past Paradise and into Magalia. The snow began to fall but the roads stayed relatively clear. I kept going all the way up to DeSabla Reservoir. I saw a family sliding down one of the slopes off the reservoir. I stopped and took pictures of them for a while. They were really nice. I had spent a good hour searching for snowy pictures and found quite a bit. My favorites were all the fresh powder that had been dumped.

Ty Brown, 13, of Magalia, (left) laughs with his mom Gina Brown (right) as they play in the fresh snow near the DeSabla Reservoir. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)

It was nice to get out of Chico for the day. The weather in Chico was much more dreary and wet. I would have been cold and soaked with gray skies overhead. By heading up the hill I was met with a wintry wonderland. This was a nice change of pace. We need the snow pack to help with our drought that should be coming in Summer. I am sure to post more pictures of the lack of water soon. The trip was just right, snort and sweet.