Apple Hill - October 2013

If it's October in Sacramento, it's Apple Hill time. Fifty years ago, the apple growers in El Dorado County got together and created the agritourism spot known as Apple Hill to promote the fall harvest. Growers opened up their barns and sold their harvest, eventually expanding to include fresh baked pies, candies and fudge, and the holy grail of candy apples. Whether you prefer the gourmet caramel apple or the traditional toffee, they have something for everyone.

If you are looking for candy apples, one of the best places is Abel's Apple Acres. This place has perfected the candy apple, and now has specialty apples resembling witches, pumpkins, and even panda bears! Plus, their caramel is pretty darn good, so it makes for a great stop. They also have great activities for the kids and plenty of shopping for the adults.

If you are not satisfied with candy apples, apple pie, apple donuts, apple strudel, or even fresh apple cider, they still do sell the raw apples! Lots of them! You can find many varieties including wine sap, Arkansas Black, pink lady, and the traditional red and green ones too at Boa Vista Orchards. This year round orchard is massive, but still has that small feel. They bake a lot of pastry; they press a lot of cider; they sell tons of fresh picked apples.

You have to work hard to NOT have a good time at Apple Hill. OK, the October traffic is pretty crazy, and the dust can be a little rough on the car's paint job. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to get out of the city and see where our food is grown. The farmers in El Dorado County do a great job and are very welcoming and happy to see us. Even though October is best, the rest of the year is also nice - especially when it gets a little colder and a lot less busy. They have wine too... Enjoy the pictures below!

SMUD Solano Wind Project Tour - October 2013

I had the opportunity to tour the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Solano Wind Project near Rio Vista, CA. SMUD is the local electric utility serving most of Sacramento County, including my house. The utility owns 230 MW of clean wind power that provides enough electricity to power almost 80,000 homes.

Above is a video I shot of the wind farm and one of the windmills on the tour. Each windmill is over 400 feet tall and spins much slower than those found over the Altamont and Tehachapi passes. This reduces the number of birds killed by the blades (already very low) and is much more efficient. Electricity generated by these windmills is competitive with natural gas which is the main source of electricity for California.

One benefit of wind power is that the land under the turbines can still be used for agricultural purposes. An interesting fact about modern windmills is that the blades can rotate to extract more or less power from the wind as speeds increase. That is why they always spin at a standard rate even when the winds are very high. These turbines can produce power in speeds up to 55 MPH and are already reducing the carbon emissions from our power grid.

Yes, I could not resist the obvious selfie on the tour. Even though California does not have the massive wind resources of other states, our state still leads the way in deploying wind technology and benefits from the cost stability of renewable power plants. Plus, they are a lot prettier than a dirty coal smokestack! Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Mercer Caverns, Murphys, CA - October 2013

I was fortunate to serve as a groomsman for one of my good friends at his wedding in Murphys, CA. I previously blogged about the town here. The wedding was a success and a great time, but I was able to sneak away for some wine tasting and a little caving at Mercer Caverns. The caves are a quick drive north of downtown Murphys.

The caves were discovered by Walter Mercer in 1885 and were named after him, of course! He was looking for gold, but found a much more profitable business in selling tours of his cave to miners for a pinch of gold dust. Before electric light, the tourists would hold candles on boards in their mouth to light the way. The above picture shows aragonite crystals on the cavern walls that were made famous when presented at the 1900 Paris World Fair.

This cave is a bit more rustic and cramped than the other caves in the Sierra Foothills, but it makes for a different tour. You feel much more like an explorer dodging rocks and squeezing through tight spaces. The tour is pretty short, but it is full of all sorts of cave bacon, popcorn, and ice cream. I guess the early cavers always were hungry thinking about food. Enjoy the rest of the pictures below.