Of all the places I’ve lived, this one has the most interesting responses to rain. For many, the precipitation is met by either dread, anger or scorn. After years of drought-like conditions in much of the country, including parts of Northern California, the rain is of course needed. It’s needed for the crops, for the grass, for animals, for cocktail-party conversations, and for plenty of other reasons. The folks who monitor our lakes and waterways are thrilled to have the extra water, and if you’ve kept your lawn sprinkler off for months and months, the moisture is good news for you too.

But one could argue that it has been a bit much. According to the Press Democrat’s impressive, if esoteric, weather database, it has rained 33 times in the past 62 days. That puts Santa Rosa at a normal rainfall level for the year, of about 23 inches so far. Last Sunday, in between a rainy Saturday and a rainy Monday, a few of us headed out to see one of the main beneficiaries of all this rain – the amazing waterfalls that have come to life this winter.

We didn’t have time for a mega-hike so we kept it local (shop local! eat local!, hike local!….), heading to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. If you’ve been to the park before but aren’t familiar with the waterfalls, they’re well worth checking out. Technically, they are the headwaters of Sonoma Creek, which eventually discharges into San Pablo Bay and then into SF Bay itself. About a half-mile before the park entrance is a place to pull over and head down a trail to the falls. Obviously we weren’t alone in wanting to do this, as there were several cars there already.

A few minutes of careful downhill walking and we were in the midst of rushing water. To the left the falls headed up, and to the right, downstream. It’s possible to climb onto a few well-placed rocks and be right between the semi-rapid flow.  It’s also a great shot for photos. Our group was photo-deficient for our impromptu hike so no great images to share this time, but they probably wouldn’t do the scenery justice either.

The falls are about 25 feet high at their peak, and on Sunday, they were at full throttle. Once down in the waterfalls, it’s a good idea to venture off the trail and explore a little. You may get a bit wet and muddy from scrambling between rocks or climbing back up a steep embankment to an actual trail, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Of course, there are plenty of full-fledged trails in Sugarloaf that don’t involve waterfalls, and our group did a broad loop on one of those as well, climbing a ridge for a beautiful westward-facing view and some reflection on how nice the scenery is out here. And even though it was sunny at the time, when it does rain, it’s not too bad around here either.

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