These 6 Unexplained Natural Phenomena in Northern California Will Baffle You
By Joanne Kraft|Published July 01, 2016
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Joanne Kraft
Author
Joanne is a fourth-generation Northern Californian. She knows good sour dough bread when she tastes it and understands the best parts of the Golden State are nowhere near Los Angeles.
Every once in a while you come across something in Northern California that makes you stop and scratch your head. You’re no dummy. You took biology and maybe even physics in high school. So, you understand how the laws of nature and gravity basically work. But Mother Nature likes to mess with our heads and create a few things that are more than we fully understand. These natural phenomena are a part of our home and we can’t get enough of them!
Located in the Redwoods in Santa Cruz, this amazing 150 ft of circular anomaly seems to ignore the laws of gravity and physics. Discovered by surveyors in 1939 and opened to the public in 1940, people come from all over the world to visit this spot that's still a mystery after all these years.
Ever seen a red tide? It's pretty rare but does happen. Scientists call it "algal blooming. It happens when algae grows rapidly and gets stirred up by the tide. Sadly, it's pretty fatal to birds and fish.
Mt. Diablo was named after "The Devil" so it's quite ironic that the face of Jesus takes up the whole side of the mountain. Can you see it? When I lived in Contra Costa County I drove by that mountain for years and saw it every time. Pretty cool!
If you're in the area of Ft. Bragg you must stop by Glass Beach. Years of glass left behind by littering folks has been turned into something of beauty by mother nature. Now, a place of amazing beauty. Scan the shore for some pretty pieces. You're sure to find a few.
Pacific Grove and Pismo Beach may claim bragging rights to the phenomenon of the Monarch butterflies' round-trip voyage - but a true Northern Californian knows better. I was enjoying a picnic on the side of the road in El Dorado County when thousands of these beauties fluttered by. I discovered that the migratory route is from Canada to our California coast - but MUCH of Northern California can draw these lovely natural fairies with milkweed. They love milkweed and use it for food. Milkweed is poisonous to birds and many of the Monarch's predators.
Over 800 years ago a redwood tree stood here. When it died, it didn't fall. From the trunk sprouted nine other trees which grew together to make the most amazing cathedral of trees around. Easter service is here every year and there have been lots of weddings here - LOTS of them.
Life is too short to ignore these sorts of things. Take a minute to stop and enjoy nature’s mysteries and the miraculous hand of God. It’s a sweet thing. If you’re interested in a few more natural wonders Northern California — here you go!
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