#modoc county

Demuth, CA

Modoc County is a county located in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 8,700 as of the 2020 census, down from 9,686 from the 2010 census. This makes it California's third-least-populous county. The county seat and only incorporated city is Alturas. Previous County seats include Lake City and Centerville. The county borders Nevada and Oregon. Much of Modoc County is federal land. Several federal agencies, including the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, have employees assigned to the area, and their operations are a significant part of its economy and services. The county's official slogans include "The last best place" and "Where the West still lives".

As much as I enjoyed my time in nature on this Modoc County California camping trip, I think I have to admit to this being my favorite photo of the excursion. While driving back to camp on Blue Lake Road alongside beautiful Jess Valley, I caught up to these folks in this old Pierce Arrow (early 20's touring car, I THINK). They pulled over in a wide spot allowing me to pass. Knowing that there'd most certainly be cattle in and around the road ahead, an idea began to form. Sure enough, I found a few cows, got past them, and waited. I sort of expected to hear the sound of an "ahooga" horn as these folks approached but did not. However, this cow picked just the right moment to decide she wanted to join other members of the herd just out of the frame to camera left and this capture is the result.

Naturally, I felt compelled to process it for a bit of an "antiquey" look to the final image which is likely representative of a scene that happened many times in a bygone era. Frankly, in many ways, Modoc County never completely let go of that era. It's still sparsely populated with lots of hard working decent folks and cowboys on horseback are still a common sight. It's certainly not what many folks in other states think of then they think of California.

Rainbow Obsidian