With the beginning of winter comes a dramatic change of the weather in Northern California's Fall River Valley.

But this does not stop the local residents from getting out and enjoying this cool opportunity.

Looked over by two guardian mountain peaks, that help bring foth flowing water the valley provides a place for all who wish to share, enjoy and live in her bounty.

There's really no equivalent in the English language to describe the beauty and the feeling that I get when I'm here.

Fabulous, it's magical.

I started learning about secrets I started learning about the water and this is a good spot because it's open, it's clean, it's free and it's beautiful.

This valley was built by God, you know why?

Cause this is where he's going to retire.

Come join the celebration as Refresh Quest celebrates this sacred wonderland in the Fall River Valley.

Refresh Quest is the search for refreshing travel experiences that aim to inspire and uplift the mind, body and human spirit.

With a team of like minded friends Refresh Quest invites you along the journey as we explore unique destinations, meet inspiring individuals and gain empowering knowledge that will help us to create new realities and refreshing possibilities.

Welcome to Refresh Quest.

If you find yourself traveling 70 miles east of Redding, California, on Highway 299, you'll find yourself venturing to the north eastern side of the state.

This corner of California is truly off the beaten path for most tourist.

And now in the thick of winter, it has slowed even further due to heavy snow and ice.

This is holiday season in the Fall River Valley.

With below freezing temperatures outside most spend their days.

inside with a hot cup of tea and a blanket, cozying up to a warm fire that will burn all winter long.

Whether you've been naughty or nice, it's a time to give and receive.

A time for wonderful food and dessert.

And best of all, spending it with those you love and care about.

And all the while, this celebration is going on inside a break in the weather brings a cause for celebration outside as well.

Too much fun for me not to head out into the elements myself and engage in some white winter fun.

Building snowmen, making snowballs, and creating snow angels with some willing participants.

But for me, the best way to celebrate this time and place is Refresh Quest style exploring three special areas in the Fall River Valley starting with Fall River Mills, California.

Let's go.

Fall River Mills, California is a small farming community located in the Fall River Valley.

In the heart of town.

you'll find a few simple businesses and services for your daily needs.

On the outside of town, you'll find plenty of farmland with old barns, tire swings, cows and cowboys.

The town is named after the river that runs through it, The Fall River which supplies the community with 16 miles of spring fed water.

On the south end of town is the Pit River.

These two rivers help farmers grow wild rice, garlic, mint, hay, lavender and alfalfa.

The Fall River Valley is nestled between the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades.

A few notable peaks in the area are Saddle Mountain, Soldier Mountain, with a great view of the valley from the top and the larger volcanic peaks of from the top and the larger volcanic peaks of Mt.

Lassen and the majestic Mt.

Shasta that can be seen from anywhere in the valley.

The valley has a lot of history dating back to the early native Americans that lived here long before the white settlers came in the mid 1800s.

The best place to discover this history is at the Fort Crook Museum, where you'll also find the round barn built in 1916 and then moved snd reconstructed in 2009.

The Round Barn is a true community marvel.

After a quick stop by the Fall River Coffee Company, where you'll find Tina Peluso ready to serve you up a hot, delicious mocha.

I was now ready to continue the journey.

That's awesome.

In a bit more detail.

If you really want to know a place, talk with the people who have lived on the very soil that you seek.

My name is Milton Brownell and I've been here since 1968 and fell in love, love with the place and had the ideal conditions that I was looking for.

Well,I kind of looked at the river and saw that Big Lake out there.

Okay, this is where I'm going to settle for the rest of my life.

The water, the quality of the water, when I came here, the water was crystal clear and pretty natural.

But I've paddled every inch of that lake.

I see a lot of things there coyotes, we have foxes, we got mink, we have beaver and otters.

And I know where they all live.

Thank you for sharing, Trapper.

Just accross town, I caught up with another long term resident.

My favorite thing to do when I come out here is walk my dogs.

Makes them happy and it makes me happy.

We love the scenery.

We love the water.

We love the smells, the rocks.

We look down, we find things.

It's the most interesting place to be.

The winters are just as beautiful as the summers.

You see different things.

You see different wildlife.

You see different birds.

You hear different sounds in the winter as opposed to the summer.

Summer, a lot more going on, a lot more birds chirping.

And it's all quieted down in the in the winter.

It has its own special energy and flavor.

There's really no equivalent in the English language to describe the beauty and the feeling that I get when I'm here.

I can't describe it in words, and they're not broad enough, deep enough feeling enough to describe how wonderful it is to walk this path to be with my dogs, my family, whoever is with me.

Fabulous, it's magical.

Here's to the next 20 years, walking on your magical path, mom.

The Fall River Lake turns back into Fall River as it crosses through town and eventually cascades and falls into the Pit river.

Hence the name Fall River.

You're about to see Fall River Falls right this way.

There's a park that's going to go in here and it's going to be called Two Rivers.

One of the rivers which to me is one of the best rivers in California is called the Fall River.

Behind these trees, maybe we can get a little view of it is Fall River Falls.

It's been around for a long time.

It meets up with the Pit River.

Then from there, it goes down to the Pit River Canyon, all the way to Shasta Lake.

which from Shasta Lake goes into the Sacramento River.

And the Fall River Falls is one of the highlights.

Will Snider is a retired schoolteacher.

It has recently completed a deep dive into the history of the Fall River Valley, where he has authored a book on this subject.

If there's one guy to talk to about the Fall River past, Will is the guy.

There's a lot of history in this valley.

You know, we're probably sitting on it right now This was one of the last areas, This was one of the last areas, this area right here where the Native Americans, the indigenous people were standing off and not allowing people to come and take their way of life.

Then right down here in this actual area is very historic right here where I'm sitting is because this is where the ferry was on the one side at the beginning.

And then when that got destroyed, it was on this side, then one ferry was made and it was made by a man named Sam Lockhart and his brother Harry.

They were twins.

They were the ones that started up the town of Yreka, the town of Dunsmuir, and the town of Fall River Mills.

Really cool history.

My name is Will Snyder and I have lived here for 46 years.

What brought me to this area was the other area that I used to live in.

There's too many people.

So it was a combination of just not enough room.

I needed more room, more elbow room.

I want to be able to walk down the middle of the street if I want to.

I want to be able to be free and to go to anywhere I want.

And you can do that at any direction.

Special things, every direction has got something to do.

When I was growing up, I saw a lot of cement and I was drawn to water.

I wanted fresh water.

When I first came to Fall River in the past through Burney and the tree belt, oh this beautiful.

I love all these trees all the pines.

Hope Fall River is going to be good.

And as I drove down into Fall River, I saw the fact that there weren't too many trees.

I didn't see the tree belt That was my first impression.

Like, maybe this isn't so great.

It's rocks.

Lots of rocks, not many trees.

Ugh And that road going in, the big mountain going over was scary.

But then, I started living here.

I started learning about secrets.

I started learning about water.

What you do have when you move to a spot like this is you get to see the sky at night.

You actually see stars.

It's a big deal.

And when you could see Mount Shasta.

You're looking at the best, looking mountain in California and swing your head over like that and you can see Mt.

Lassen and the magic of the mountains, a whole another story This is a good spot because it's open, it's clean, it's free.

And it's beautiful.

Driving to my next destination.

I was reminded that in a town like Fall River Mills, there is a different set of rules to the road.

Uh oh, We got some cows in the road.

We got to pull over.

Here, livestock have the right of way.

Now, this isn't something you see every day.

A good old fashioned cow drive.

Bye cows.

Hi cows.

Good bye cows.

Hello, birds.

Following the Fall River upstream on Glenburn Road, just past Saddle Mountain and out into the frozen rice fields a spectacular gaggle is gathering.

Thousands of waterfowl and in particular, geese.

I wanted to show you guys something really special, something that a lot of people don't get to see that's very unique to this area.

One of the few spots.

I know.

Where this many waterfowl gather and they put on a show like this for anyone who comes into this area at this time of year.

This is the biggest party in town.

And if you're up this way at this time of the year, you're invited to witness an epic social event like no other in the world.

Who's on the guest list?

White Fronted, Crackling Canada, Snow, Brent, Swan, Mallard and just about anyone who wishes to join this grand conversation.

Of course, it does help if you're fluent in avian.

This is a stop where you really have to pull over and get out of your car to experience and take in the sight, sound and the feeling that you get when you put yourself within yards of this excitement.

Pretty cool, huh?

Awesome.

This was a party I did not want to leave, but I also did not want to overstay my welcome.

And there was still much more to Fall River Valley that I needed to explore.

Traveling east on Highway 299 from Fall River Mills, I was headed to the next town over McArthur, California.

(♪) Oh, cotton fields back home.

(♪) McArthur is known for the Inter-Mountain Fair that takes place in the beginning of September every year.

(♪) from Texarkana and.

(♪) McArthur is also the gateway to Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, our third and final destination on this quest.

(♪) Fields get rotten (♪) (♪) You can pick (♪) But before we get ahead of ourselves, we came to McArthur to meet a singer and a banjo player whose family history goes back to the very foundation that the town was built on.

(♪) It was down in Louisiana (♪) (♪) Just up a mile from Texarkana (♪) This is someone who understands the importance of family heritage and is proud to call McArthur, California, his home.

That's it.

My name is Don Smith, and we're in McArthur California, the garden spot of the universe.

This is it.

This is uh, this is where I live and this is where I want to be.

My grandfather, William John Albaugh, who left his home in Pennsylvania.

Became a rancher.

He raised six wonderful children.

My mother was one of them.

My mother's sister, married Roderick McArthur.

His father, John Jr. built the town of McArthur.

This is where we live.

I mean, we're related.

It's a good spot.

I appreciate being able to just come here, look out over the valley.

My relatives are here.

I love my cousins.

There were 13 of us.

Nine of us left.

And the people here are absolutely wonderful.

They're kind, generous.

You know, there's not uh not a bad egg in the bunch.

I mean, it's just it's a great spot to be.

This valley was built by God.

You know why?

Cause this is where he's going to retire.

I mean, wonderful spot.

Good place to be.

You play the banjo?

I play the banjo.

Yeah.

And you sing?

Yeah.

The only reason I play the banjo is because uh who wants to sing by themselves.

So I had to put a little accompaniment with it.

We have a little band up here.

Got a drummer, a piano player, a fiddler, banjo player, and two or three guitar players.

And you know what?

We're really kind of good.

(♪) Swing low (♪) (♪) Sweet chariot (♪) Take us home, Don, or in this case to Ahjumawi Lava Springs, State Park.

(♪) Well, I looked on the shore (♪) (♪) and what did I see?

(♪) There are no signs directing you to the park.

So if you don't have a map, you'll have to stop.

Anyone in town would be more than happy to show you the way., On 299 make a left hand turn onto Main Street, head past the fairgrounds, and onto a dirt gravel road.

(♪) Sweet chariot, coming forth to carry me home (♪) Here you'll come to a fork in the road, keep right towards Big Lake.

From here, it's a straight shot to the end.

(♪) Coming forth to carry me (♪) (♪) home.

(♪) (♪) Ahjumawi is one of the least known and visited parks in the state of California.

Out here, you really are off the beaten path.

Ahjumawi means where the waters come together and where water comes together, life comes together.

I hope to experience some of that today firsthand.

The waters that come together form one of the largest freshwater systems in the country.

They're comprised of Big Lake ,Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek and Fall River.

With Mount Shasta rising above this northern wilderness.

It was a fitting backdrop as I strolled the shoreline spying Bufflehead ducks, Clarke's grebe with their almost glowing red eyes and American coots with speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

Backtracking a bit to the Tule River, you'll be able to spy red tailed hawks, which are always on the hunt.

Rough legged hawks with their cool Arctic look and the master fisherman, the Osprey.

Taking a time out from the birds, I decided to take a moment for a bit of inner reflection for myself.

Along the bank of the waterway, Redwing blackbirds will sound the alarm for other critters that are nearby.

One of these notable critters is the muskrat.

Introduced in the late 1800s for their fur the muskrat is now protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Often mistaken for a beaver, they spend their days building nests and burrows along the marshy banks of the river.

Some of these nests can measure up to six feet wide and up to four feet high.

Following the waterway further downstream and out into the marshland I came across a year long resident that is always a fascinating sight to see.

The sandhill crane known for their long legs, large wingspan and graceful mating dance.

The sandhill crane can reach a height of four feet, six inches and a wingspan of over seven and a half feet.

These are very large birds.

They spend their days in the marsh and wetlands, feeding upon seeds, berries, insects and various types of vegetation.

Their call is unmistakable, and as they began to notice my presence, they let me know not to get any closer.

(Birds honking) It is a picture perfect blue sky day.

It's a beautiful day to be out.

The sun is shining, not a cloud.

Well, there is one cloud.

We're going to get out of the canoe and we're going to take this entry way over to Ahjumawi State Park.

You have to take a boat to get there.

And it is cold, it is probably around 37 degrees.

So the water is really frozen.

Lots of ice.

So we're going to break it up as we go to see how we do.

But I think once we get going, we're going to get out there.

It'll be smooth sailing.

A place like Ahjumawi is a sacred place.

It's a sacred land.

And it was sacred to the Native American Indian tribes that once lived here.

We're going to treat it as such as well.

We're going to tread lightly and have a lot of fun.

Being only accessible by boat, traversing this part of the lake by canoe in the winter can be very challenging.

The shallow areas were almost completely frozen over by thick sheets of ice.

Paddle by paddle, I slowly made my way through this beautiful but difficult obstacle.

The entryway over to the lake is pretty icy.

A lot more icy than I thought.

You can hear it as I paddle.

These are big sheets of ice and they're all over this entry point of the lake.

What felt like eternity, but in actuality was only 30 minutes.

I finally began to enter deeper water, where the warmer temperatures could no longer freeze over.

(Ice scraping on canoe hull) I think that's the last of the ice.

I just spotted a blue heron.

They're a very shy bird.

Any big movement ay all that you do is going to spook the bird is going to fly away.

We're going to see if we can get some shots.

This time of year, you can experience more solitude.

The solitude can be a very good thing.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my solitude right now.

These trees back here are so cool.

Old looking like they have wisdom, Wise, they look wise.

Wise trees.

I'm trying to find my entry way into the park.

And I didn't do my due diligence of figuring out where the trails and the entry point actually begins so I can dock and get up on shore.

I'm not even sure if there even is one.

We'll find a way in Just around the bend, I found the perfect place to come ashore.

The Horr Pond Boat dock.

There are several short hiking trails here.

I decided to head west and explore the Ja-She Creek area.

On the forrest floor, I discovered acorns, juniper berries and wolf moss.

While high up in the tree, I spied a Bald Eagle, keeping a watchful eye on the action below.

Further down the trail, I hiked under Oaks.

Pines and Junipers, where I discovered another fine feathered friend, the Golden Eagle.

As I explored and adventured below the forest canopy, my Bald Eagle friend returned, giving me another glimpse of her majestic beauty.

Less than a mile down the trail, you'll come to Horr Pond.

Here you can walk among the rabbit bush and foxtail.

As you admire the brilliant turquoise bays and tiny tree studded islands lining the shore.

Carrying on, I spied a turkey vulture, a red breasted nuthatch and a bird I've been looking for for a long, long time.

The elusive Pileated woodpecker.

Two thirds of the park is blanketed with geological lava rock and lava flows, creating pit craters, pressure ridges and lava tubes.

What a fascinating exploration.

This is the part of the trail where you'll begin to notice ancient lava rock ruins once built by the Ahjumawi people.

They also built rock fish traps near the shoreline where they easily caught trout.

and Sacramento sucker fish.

We made it to the ancient Ahjumawi fish traps.

Right now, as I'm looking through the actual water.

There's giant rainbow trout.

I mean, these trout must be 20 inches or bigger.

Oh, there's one big one little fish.

Oh, another one!

Giant fish.

Ahjumawi is a true geographical wonder.

I could have easily spent all day just exploring this area.

Wow.

It's pretty amazing.

Today, I was very thankful just to get outdoors and experience the Fall River Valley, Fall River Mills, McArthur, and Ahjumawi State Park.

What a beautiful way to end my sacred journey through this beautiful land.

Seeing some of the things that it had to offer.

And now the sun is beginning to set and the temperatures beginning to drop.

So it's time for me to set sail and head back home where it's a little more warm myself.

Until next time, I wish you a warm, happy trails.

Enjoy Goodbye Ahjumawi.