Scenic River Route: Environment for the Artist

By Diann Hokanson
The Scenic River is a painter’s paradise. Monet’s Giverney gardens with lily pones and Japanese bridge summoned the Impressionists no less than our Klamath inspires the Realist, Abstract, Representational and Surrealist artist.
The River itself with its deep emerald still places and raging white water rapids, travels both swiftly and lazily through narrow steep rock walls and wide open spaces. Edged with spiky river grasses, the smooth worn river rocks invite the graceful Snowy Egret. Blue Heron and the artist!
The Klamath is fed by bubbling streams and some pretty swift creeks. Down along their banks the temperature can be twenty degrees cooler.
Our own little Ferguson Creek isn’t even on the map. Walking under its conifer, oak and maple canopy is like closing a door, shutting out the noise of traffic from the highway, and opening into a world of quiet, cool and non-electric gurgle of the creek. Huge ferns grow here and moss covers the trunks of the Oaks and old fallen logs. N the middle of all these greens and earth tones are surprising brilliant reds, tiny fuchsia and delicate pinks and lavenders of wild flowers and trillium.
The landscape painter finds scenes of majestic grandeur. In the Wilderness area Ukonom, Sprit, Blue Granite and Cliff lakes, each set like a diamond in the Marble Mountains. Ukonom falls, a mile up Ukonom Creek from the other side of the river, is worth the hike. The beautiful double waterfall is much like the Wiamea Falls of Hawaii. From Greyback, the high country, you can see across thirteen different layers of mountains and hills, each a little fainter as if you could see to infinity. In the spring and fall, mists settle in below and between the mountains, and we feel like the very first human.
Pastoral Scenes are also available; cattle and horses in cattle in golden meadows as well as lovely old barns and cabins. Along Highway 96 are old communities left from the Gold rush. Klamath River, Scott Bar, Hamburg, Seiad Valley, Fort Goff and Happy Camp. We have our old buildings and small town atmosphere. It’s like stepping into a time warp.
The portrait artist is after my own heart. You would think living in all this would be pretty distracting but the closest theater is 75 miles and the closest shopping mall is 110 miles away! What makes our place unique are its people. Do you know a medicine man? Have you seen the expression on the face of the prospector who held two nuggets of gold in hand? I know a 63 year old lady who dredges underwater, A man who can fell a tree in a stand without hitting another, a doctor who came to retire and fish and has never worked so hard in his life, a woman who runs a publishing house, and people who really live off the land with no phones and electricity. There are river guides and wilderness packers who will take you into the wilderness and artists living here. We have lived here fifty years and haven’t made a dent!

Poetry Honors won by Happy Camper

by Judy Bushy

Rusty Williams had exciting news! She received the honor of a third place award for her poem, “Jeremiah,” which she entered in the National Amateur Poetry Competition. A photo which she had taken of the Jeremiah Tombstone and entered in the Siskiyou County Fair had also won a blue ribbon among the photography entries.

Rusty shared with me that she has written many poems, some on the backs of napkins. She has also has a poem called “Crab Tree Blues” published previously in the Lost Coast Poem and Stories from Humboldt County California. This new award by Eber & Wein Publishing is of special importance since she won among vast numbers of poets on a national scale who entered the competition! Congratulations Rusty, we will look forward to reading more of your poetry in the future!

October My-ena-ca Art Show was great!!

Some of our local Happy Camp artists had a very well attended art show Friday; the fifth My-ena-ca Show was at the Klamath-Siskiyou Art Center! Myanna is one of the trio artists that presented their work and her sister even brought music and the gentle folk tunes they played made a beautiful background for a wonderful get together. Veronica Rassmussen had some lovely colored paintings and Nena Creasy had some especially nice metalwork that she has created!! There were beautiful pieces to enjoy and to inspire you!

It was great to see Don and Jane Hall from Yreka. Don and Jane have been enjoying travel and Don keeps taking exceptional photography since retirement. It was fun to introduce Gloria Chappelear to my son Stephen. Steve has changed a bit since she taught him Sunday School about twenty years ago! Old Friends and also new friends like Megan Hogue who is the new RSP teacher since Liz Laney retired.

Thanks Denise Bearding, Jennifer and Glenn Rickel, Rachel and Tai Kim, Chris Magarian for the delicious supper, hadn’t planned to eat but Stephen said it was great and he was right! Enjoyed the Taylors Sausage, Massaged Kale, Cucumber Salad, BBQ’d Marconi Peppers and delicious quiche-like dish! Yum! Robyn couldn’t leave the Football game so I brought her a dish also, last plate of supper as there was a very large and congenial (and hungry) crowd.

I think the Art Center needs a playground also!! It is such fun to see the younger ones playing together under the Bigfoot Statue but rather worrying for the mom’s who keep a watchful eye as the kids frolic with the traffic in the nearest thing to a traffic jam besides five o’clock weekday afternoons at the post office. A town without a single stoplight doesn’t have much traffic most of the time! A number of our citizens get around on foot or bicycles!!

Great to see the younger set growing up with such friendly Klamath neighbor gatherings and appreciation of the metal work painting and other artistic endeavors of our local neighbors!!

August’s Fantastic Friday Supper at the KS Art Center

Last Friday evening Jon will be served a Mexican Dinner at the Art Center at Bigfoot Corner!! According to Alan Crockett, “… Friday, September 6th, join us at the Art Center for a unbelievable Mexican Dinner. Guest Chef Jon Grunbaum’s ever popular Chicken Fajitas with succulently cooked Beans and Rice and Jon’s Famous Show Stopper Guacamole! And of course we’ll have a sensational music mix blended with the most refreshing of refreshments.”

Jon Graunbaum cooking for Fabulous Friday
at the Klamath Siskiyou ‘Art Center!

Rockin’ the Klamath Fun & Music Coming June 29th


Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2013 headline band for Rockin the Klamath

The Spiral Kings

The Spiral Kings return to Happy Camp after headlining RTK in 2011. They are from Medford Oregon and are a well known band performing together for many years. Back to Happy Camp by popular demand, they bring an even expanded show. Visit their website for a preview of their outstanding classic rock and blues show.

Spiral Kings Myspace Page

Spiral Kings Facebook Page

Opening Band – Ponderosa Breeze

Rockin the Klamath is a wonderful musical experience (featuring two top bands) and a talent show on the banks of the Klamath River in Happy Camp, California – deep in the heart of the Klamath National Forest.

Rockin the Klamath starts early afternoon on June 29, 2013 in the River Park with “Happy Camp Has Talent.” This is a talent show for people to perform for a crowd. Any act is welcome (within reason, modesty and decorum) from solo musicians, comedians, bands, etc. We had fun poetry recitation, and look forward to your sharing your talent!! (This schedule subject to change)

12:00 PM to 4:00 PM – “Happy Camp Has Talent” – a show of our local and talented performers! The crowd will choose the winner and the Chamber will award 3 prizes: $50 First, $30 2nd, $20 3rd.

Walk-in contestants welcome – report to the MC by the stage to get a performance time.

4:00 PM – Jam session! All musicians are welcome to join in!

5:00 PM – The 2nd and 3rd place winners of the “Happy Camp has Talent” contest will perform an encore.

5:30 PM – 8:30 PM Opening band – Ponderosa Breeze (Southern Oregon)

8:40 pm – Raffle – Grand Prize: Inflatable Kayak package donated by Klamath River Resort Inn

9:00 PM – 12:00 AM Headline Band Spiral Kings (Medford Oregon)

Tickets:

Adults $10 at the gate, $7 in advance

Children (under 18) $7 at the gate or $5 in advance

Advance purchase tickets may be bought at the Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce Office at 35 Davis Road – next to the Post Office in Happy Camp, CA. Or mail a check to the Chamber at PO Box 1188, Happy Camp, CA 96039 and we will mail the tickets in return or hold at will call depending on the date.

Raffle Tickets $1 each or in advance at Chamber office $7 for 10 tickets. Do not need to be present to win.

(2013 grand prize is brand new inflatable kayak, paddle, pump, and life jacket by KRRI )

Other Prizes: New Guitar Hero for Play Station 2 donated by Rosemary Boren

River tube with handles for floating down an easy section of the river by KRRI

There will be food and drink booths at the park as well as local arts, crafts, and jewelry vendors.

The beer booth is provided by Happy Camp Coordinating Council Inc. (aka Bigfoot Jamboree Committee) in support of the Bigfoot Jamboree on Labor Day Weekend.

The River Park is a well-shaded venue to spread out your blankets or lawn chairs and spend the day listening to the music at the beautiful River Park along the Klamath River in Happy Camp.

A FEW RULES:.

No outside food or beverage are permitted to be brought into the park.

No illegal substance to be brought in the park or consumed.

All people must purchase an admission ticket to enter and must wear their admission wrist band at all times – or be a volunteer and wear their volunteer wrist band at all times.

Do you have questions? Contact the Chamber Office 530-493-2900 or email info @ happycampchamber.org

To volunteer and receive free admission please sign up at the Chamber of Commerce Office. Limited numbers of volunteers needed! Sign up early!

Extreme Prospector from Happy Camp!!

Extreme Prospector
Authored by Dave McCracken of Happy Camp!


J.E. Bushy
Congratulations to Grace Bennett who was honored as the Citizen of the Year in Yreka recently.

One of the last times I saw Grace was at a Collier’s Information and Interpretive Meeting and they were brainstorming ideas for the name for the new California Welcome Center name that will be added to Collier’s title. One of those suggested was Extreme California, because it is located at the farthest north in California!! We have such extremely fun outdoor recreation, extreme hiking, extreme biking, extreme mountain climbing. Just everything seems to be the utmost extreme fun! People come to Happy Camp for the extreme fun of gold prospecting and treasure hunting.

This week I picked up a book about a man, well known in Happy Camp for his gold prospecting fame. Dave McCracken, also known as Dave Mack, founded the New 49ers Prospecting Club in the old Kevershan Drugstore Building in 1985! Dave is a well known authority of gold mining and gold dredging and has written a number of books on the subject.and videos.

The book that he has written @2012 is different from the previous instructional books. Extreme Prospector by Dave Mack is an exciting book about his adventures as a modern day gold and treasure hunter. The back cover blurb compares his adventures to Mission Impossible Action Stories, and suggests that the fact he has survived them all will leave you wondering if he has a whole army of guardian angels watching over his shoulder.

True to form, the book is dedicated to Dave’s friend and mentor, Sam Speerstra, who is likened to the fictional character Indiana Jones.
The introduction starts out with Dave and Rob Towner working along the bottom of the Klamath River with an 8 inch dredge. When they started moving a large boulder that neither Dave nor Rob could move themselves, you kind of hold your breath. Such action in strong currents can be hazardous. This occurred a number of years ago, so I’m sure logically I know they survived, but the telling of the tale keeps you hoping they do make it from this emergency!!

Dave talks about experiences growing up in a Navy family as the son of a submarine commander and homemaker with two brothers and a sister. Building a rowboat in the living room of their home enabled him to start a lobster business. That likely led to his being scuba qualified at 13 years of age. Due to his passion for boats and the water, his mother suggested seeing a Navy recruiter to see if there was any kind of diving program. There wasn’t. As they were leaving, the recruiter said in passing, there was a “Navy Seal” program-toughest, meanest men on the planet.

Dave’s account of the harrowing experiences of training is amazing. His class started with 58 men and only 8 survived to graduation. Reminded me of my husband’s helicopter pilot training when they “washed out” as many as they could You never knew if you’d be there another day let alone to finally get “your wings” and became a Warrant Officer! But piloting a helicopter training didn’t include drown proofing. only crashes!

At any rate, there were high adventures in the Seals, jumping ship and swimming against the tide to get Suzy Wong’s phone number, for instance. The adventure didn’t end when he left the mlitary.

He tells of being pursued by Royal Canadian Police, diving for rich diamond deposits in crocodile infested waters in the Amazon, and venturing to the far corners of the world to seek the gleaming gold nuggets and priceless gemstones.

In between he has information on gold, of course, the economy, and responsibilities of being the leader of a team; to the recent work up on the Rogue River, and back home on the Klamath.

Extreme Prospector by Dave Mack is available in hardcover at the New 49er Prospecting Club on Davis Road and also on the Internet.

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