Rob: Coming up - Some of our top outdoor excursions from 10 seasons of Rob on the Road on A Decade of Destinations - Best of Nature.

Experience celestial sights at the Community Observatory in Placerville.

Oh my gosh its like like a fire that looks like a ginkgo leaf.

It'’s so pretty!

Pat: Yes, you'’re looking at the sun.

93 million miles away.

Rob: Plus - Along the American River, a behind the scenes look at the one-of-a-kind Nimbus Fish Hatchery.

There'’s an exciting experience waiting for you right here at the fish hatchery and there'’s so much to do.

It'’s experiential, it'’s hands on, it'’s interactive!

Discover how California native animals find refuge at Effie Yeaw Nature Center where kids get a closeup look at our region'’s amazing abundance of flora and fauna.

Loey: I'’ve never seen an owl.

Rob: Oh, period?

How cool, well look closely into its eyes.

Come here Echo this little girl wants to see you.

Stay with me.

Come here.

Woman: What color are they Loey?

Loey: Yellow.

Rob: Can you see those big pretty eyes?

And meet the lady of the lotus - Sacramento'’s Daisy Mah and this annual showstopper of blooming aquatic plants that draw thousands of people each year to Peace Pond.

Daisy: There aren'’t many places where you'’d see lotus, and so it was like, I need to create more beauty.

Rob on the Road starts now!

Annc: And now Rob on the Road exploring Northern California.

We'’re so glad you'’re joining us as we celebrate 10 seasons of Rob on the Road.

Nature has provided some of our most unforgettable moments over the past decade of Rob on the Road.

The Golden State is a nature lover'’s dream come true, and Northern California has it all - from our rugged coast to our majestic Sierra Nevada mountains.

In this episode, a nature sanctuary, a fish hatchery -even a place to look into space.

Let'’s begin there -- at the Placerville Community Observatory.

(Woosh) ♪♪ Rob Stewart: When you think of planetary sciences and astronomy, Placerville may not be the first spot that comes to mind, but since it opened in 2006 the Community Observatory has been providing free public access to explore the cosmos.

Let's take an up-close look into the sky and meet some of the docents who volunteer their time to guide space explorers of all ages.

Rob Stewart: It is one of Northern California's fascinating gems and it's right here in our own backyard.

It's the Community Observatory of Placerville where you get a window to the entire universe.

This is Gordon Dolfie, he's the Lead Docent here.

Gordon, good to see you.

Gordon Dolfie: Nice to see you Rob, welcome.

Rob Stewart: I'm glad to be here, this is so exciting!

Gordon Dolfie: Yeah, we're going to see some neat stuff tonight.

Rob Stewart: Okay, so first of all, where are we?

What are we surrounded with besides telescopes?

Gordon Dolfie: Well we've got a whole room here that's dedicated to looking at the night sky, this is where we are open every weekend year-round, and this where we show people the wonders of the universe.

Rob Stewart: This has been a place where as we talk about 100,000 people coming through here, you must see some really amazing moments on people's faces.

Gordon Dolfie: All the time and that's one of the joys of being a docent here at the observatory.

We have about 40-ish of really dedicated people that are volunteers, that are docents here, and there's not a night that goes by or a day when we're doing solar viewing when people who haven't looked through a telescope before don't gasp or shout out or say something like, "Wow, I never even knew what was visible."

Rob Stewart: One of those docents is Elizabeth Gabler who guided me on my very first solar viewing.

Rob Stewart: Alright, this is your scope.

Elizabeth Gabler: Yeah, so this is a white-light telescope, so what it takes is it filters out 99.9% of the lights so you just see the lower atmosphere of the Sun.

Rob Stewart: Okay.

Elizabeth Gabler: Do you want to take a look at it?

Rob Stewart: This scope looks really cool, we're looking straight into the sun.

Elizabeth Gabler: Aha.

Rob Stewart: I didn't even know that was possible.

Elizabeth Gabler: You'll notice it's a little bit more white than what we're seeing through the atmosphere.

Rob Stewart: Okay, the true color of the Sun.

[Gasps] Oh my gosh!

I thought it would be yellow, or orange, but its white!

Elizabeth Gabler: The yellow you see is from our atmosphere, so if you were in space looking at the Sun this would be its true color.

Rob Stewart: Wow!

I'm looking at the Sun!

I am 40-something years old and I've never looked straight at the Sun!

[Laughter] Its absolutely beautiful, how cool, thank you.

Elizabeth Gabler: You're welcome.

Rob Stewart: Very cool.

Rob Stewart: Next, docent Pat Graheck invites me to look through a different telescope to see spectacular Solar Prominences comprised of electrically charged plasma looping from the surface of the sun hundreds of thousands of miles into space and back.

Seeing this is breathtaking!

Rob Stewart: [Gasps] I see it!

Oh my gosh!

It's like a fire that looks like a gingko leaf.

Pat Graheck: Right.

Rob Stewart: It's so pretty!

Pat Graheck: Yes, you're looking at the Sun 93 Million miles away.

Rob Stewart: 93 Million!

Pat Graheck: 93 Million.

Rob Stewart: And it takes 8 minutes Pat Graheck: 8 minutes for the light to reach your hand.

Rob Stewart: Unbelievable!

Pat Graheck: That's how far it is.

Rob Stewart: 8 minutes, wow!

Rob Stewart: The sun and the moon are so spectacular, and I love how all of it is celebrated here and that you can get so close to our galaxy.

Gordon Dolfie: That's right.

Through the different telescopes we have we look at objects that are both close by like the moon, that's the closest one we look at, and we can look at objects that are as far away as other galaxies that are very far away.

Rob Stewart: I've been to planetariums and seen things like that, but this lets you really be involved with the solar system.

I mean you can come right up to it and have an intimate look.

Gordon Dolfie: No, I think that's a good point.

It's not just about coming and then being quickly moved through here and looking through the telescopes, we try to engage people for the whole two hours that we're open each night.

And we do it both through having them look through the telescopes, but also, we have other docents that can stand around and explain what they're looking at and actually give them tours of the sky in our amphitheater outside.

Rob Stewart: Wow, that's fantastic.

This is such a unique space.

I've been doing this show for 10 years and this is one of the most unique things I have found.

Gordon Dolfie: I think, you know, if you want to escape kind of the day to day and all the different troubles and turmoil, come here and you'll really be transported to a different place where you can get a better appreciation for where we fit into the bigger scheme of things.

Rob Stewart: That's pretty cool.

Gordon Dolfie: Right, so if anybody's interested in coming to our night time programs, it's every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night from 7:30 to 9:30 during the winter and from 8:30 to 10:30 during the summer.

Rob Stewart: Now your community events are fun, and they are packed, and people show up and it's like a tailgating and telescope party.

Gordon Dolfie: It is.

Rob Stewart: You know, it's a lot of fun.

(Woosh) ♪♪ Rob Stewart: Nimbus Fish Hatchery, a place where you can see the cycle of life.

Here, nature and science work together to help Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout thrive.

Nimbus Fish Hatchery was established in 1958 to mitigate the impacts of Folsom and Nimbus dams on Chinook Salmon and Steelhead populations in the American River.

Since then, millions of fish have navigated the fish ladder to the hatchery to spawn, and their eggs incubated for release back into the river.

Rob Stewart: We are inside the awesome and experiential Nimbus Fish Hatchery Visitor Center with Laura Drath.

Good to see you Laura.

Laura Drath: You too.

Rob Stewart: Nice to be here.

Laura Drath: We're glad you're here.

Rob Stewart: Every fall of every year you hear its salmon time, its salmon time and the eggs being gathered just I know it's a lot of information but sort of take me on the salmon story.

Laura Drath: Sure, so salmon are born in the river or here at the hatchery in the freshwater, they only stay here for a few months and then they start to make their way out to the ocean and that's where they'll spend the majority of their life and for our salmon they tend to just go up and down the California coastline for about 3 or 4 years on average then some switch flips in their head and they're ready to come back and spawn which is lay their eggs.

So, they'll turn around, they'll come back under the Golden Gate Bridge, back up through the Delta, through the Sacramento River, find the American River, and they actually come back to the same river that they were born in.

Rob Stewart: Instinctively swimming upstream, the salmon will eventually reach the hatchery's weir, where they're led up through the fish ladder into special holding ponds.

♪♪ Laura Drath: And then we will go through those fish and check to make sure that they are ready to lay their eggs.

You feel the belly of the fish and if eggs start coming out Rob Stewart: Really coming out Laura Drath: Literally they will expel eggs immediately when you feel the belly and so those fish are ready to spawn and we're able to then get those eggs out and start raising the next generation quickly and safely.

♪♪ Laura Drath: OK so we're going to go downstairs to where the eggs are be incubated.

Rob Stewart: OK. Laura Drath: Basically, once they've been rinsed off and they're fertilized, they're growing, they're going to be put into these tanks.

Rob Stewart: Oh my gosh!

Laura Drath: Into these jars.

Rob Stewart: They're so full!

That whole tanks is full!

Laura Drath: Yes, so we're going to put the eggs in here from a lot of different fish about 70,000 eggs in each jar and each jar has water, American River water, upwelling from the bottom spilling out the top so that they've got a constant circulation of water moving over them keeping oxygen flowing over them so that they can incubate and grow.

We actually have a very high success rate in hatching our eggs so if you've got 70,000 eggs in here, we're going to get probably at least 60,000 of those to hatch.

Rob Stewart: Wow, wow That's amazing!

Laura Drath: It really is.

Rob Stewart: Fantastic.

How long will they be in here?

Laura Drath: For them to hatch out takes about 6 to 8 weeks depending on water temperature and conditions.

Rob Stewart: After about 4 months being raised indoors, the baby salmon are moved into the hatchery raceways.

Laura Drath: The salmon only stay in the raceways for a couple of months and then they are at about 6 months old they're ready to start migrating out of the ocean and not will put them back into the river.

♪♪ Rob Stewart: As you soar above this amazing place you see gorgeous, gorgeous rushing waters, you see the dam, you can see fish in clear water, and that really helps explain everybody's importance and role in nature because you see how it all weaves together.

It's wild!

Laura Drath: Yes, our job is to make sure that these animals survive and that we provide the habitat and the conditions that will allow them to survive into the future, and we're always refining what we do, we're always trying to improve our methods, our methodology, our research behind it, we want to make sure that we're using the best science at all times, but it's always with that goal of, of sustaining these resources for the people of California.

♪♪ Rob Stewart: As I look around this visitor center, I see fish staring at me and it's really, really cool this is an interactive room this is a salmon egg development display it walks you through it and then you walk right outside and it's a real life you don't see that very much.

Laura Drath: Yeah well our goal here is to kind of take people through the experience of the salmon, so when you enter our visitor center it's as if you're coming out of the ocean and you move into the river and we've got some of the habitat the predators the kind of things that the salmon would experience so you can kind of imagine yourself in their world here for a little bit.

You're just minutes from the highway from downtown Sacramento.

There's a huge annual migration of wildlife and you can get within a few feet of these wild animals and watch them doing their thing they're doing what salmon do and you get to, to experience it up close.

Rob Stewart: That's cool, I love that, I absolutely love that.

When it comes to the joy that you get to see as people feed the fish and then discoveries happen the annual event of the Fall salmon.

Tell me what you see.

Laura Drath: Oh, well when the salmon ladder opens for the first time at the beginning of November we're going to let those fish start entering the fish ladder they've already been here in the river for a month or two biding their time waiting for the water to get cold, schoolchildren are starting to come out the crowds are starting to gather along the fish ladder to watch these fish come home.

Rob Stewart: Oh!

Laura Drath: And it's just so exciting it really is and you see it on the kids' faces just this is exciting this is real life you know and it's not a virtual experience it's not you don't need to plug into anything you can just come and see this happen right in front of you, it's very cool.

Rob Stewart: I have to say that it is impossible to be around you and not be amazed because you're incredible so thank you Laura, I appreciate it, what a joy!

Laura Drath: Thank you.

Rob Stewart: To be here with Laura Drath at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, you've got to check it out, it is super cool, and experiences await you.

Rob: Coming up on A Decade of Destinations - Best of Nature.

All this began with one little lotus, and just look at it today!

We'’ll meet the lady who planted the very first lotus inside Sacramento'’s Peace Pond.

But first, immerse yourself in the great outdoors at this animal sanctuary and learning center.

♪♪ Rob: I am endless fascinated with exploring northern California and where we turned off of the road today is one of the reasons why.

We are at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, 100 acres of beauty and animals.

Right here is Heather Gable and she is a naturalist here.

Good to see you, Heather.

Heather Gable: Good to see you, thanks for coming out today.

Rob: I'm thrilled to be here.

Who do we have here?

This is Wek-Wek, but what is Wek-Wek?

Heather: Wek-Wek is a Peregrine falcon.

Rob: Peregrine falcon.

Heather: Yes.

Rob: Okay.

Heather: Yeah, and Peregrine falcons are really well known, especially amongst the kids.

They're known for their speed, incredible speed when they're diving to catch their prey.

They can go up to 240 miles an hour.

Rob: Oh my goodness.

Heather: Unfortunately, Wek-Wek isn't capable of that speed anymore because of her injuries.

They come to us after they've been through a rehabilitation process and it's been determined that they are non-releasable.

Rob: From a bird rehabilitation facility.

Heather: Exactly, yeah.

She came from the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Center and she was found shot.

She was laying on railroad tracks.

Rob: Oh, but she's thriving here at Effie Yeaw.

Heather: She is doing great.

She is wonderful for us.

Rob: All right.

So many animals are as well.

We've got a lot to see and to show you about this wonderful place, so let's hit it.

Heather: All right.

Rob: And let's take Wek-Wek with us for the second.

Heather: Okay.

Rob: Okay.

Rob: The animals you're about to see are California natives.

They came in with injuries, were healed and then brought here to live since they can no longer survive in the wild.

That means all of us can come here to learn about these magnificent creatures.

♪♪ Heather: This is Sophia.

She is a northern Saw-whet owl and they're typically found at a little bit higher elevation up in the foothills but they can pass through this area during some migration.

Rob: She's adorable.

Heather: She is a beautiful bird.

The kids, especially the small kids, love her.

Rob: This is exactly what Effie Yeaw is about, people and kids getting up close to nature and to see the interdependence of being human and with nature.

Rob: Kids, come on around so everyone can see you and give a big wave to the camera.

Are you all having fun?

Kids: Yes!

Rob: From Southern California, how cool!

Rob: So what do we have here, Heather?

Heather: This is Echo.

She is our great horned owl.

Rob: Hi Echo.

She's beautiful.

Heather: She is a beautiful bird.

She's about eight years old and she has lived here at the Nature Center for almost that entire time.

Rob: How did she get here?

Child: Is she your pet?

Heather: She is not a pet but that's a really good question and it's important that we talk about this because she's what we call an imprint.

Rob: Oh, that's how she got here.

Heather: She got here because when she was very little, people found her and started feeding her when she was in the wild.

And is it a good idea to feed wild animals?

Children: No.

Heather: No, because it can mean that they don't learn how to be wild or they forget how to be wild and that's what happened with Echo.

Loey: I've never seen an owl before like that.

Rob: You haven't?

What do you think?

Loey: I've never seen an owl.

Rob: Oh, period?

How cool.

Well look closely into its eyes.

Come here Echo, this little girl wants to see you.

Stay with me.

Come here.

>> What color are they, Loey?

Loey: Yellow.

>> Yellow.

Rob: Can you see those big pretty eyes?

Let's hike.

Rob: The trails have signs all along the way telling you exactly what you're seeing and what to look for.

Hawks and birds soar above.

Almost 25,000 school kids make this nature center a classroom each year.

We met up with Effie Yeaw's Barb Lezon hiking down to the lower American River to talk about protecting the environment.

Barb Lezon: Things we put in the water, things you put down your sewer end up in the river, so really important that kids are learning this now, taking that knowledge with them so that it prevents future pollution.

Rob: Yeah, and you see how fast the water is moving.

Barb: Absolutely.

Rob: So it shows you how fast pollution can travel.

Barb: That is right, that is right.

Yeah.

Rob: Which is another sign about nature, because whatever we do here has a ripple effect.

Barb: It absolutely does and that's why we think it's so important, what we do here is so important for our community but for the greater world as well.

Rob: What is the Takeaway for today.

We are right here in such a beautiful setting, what is it we have to come here to share.

Barb: I think what we need to share is if people come down here and take a look at they really absorb this.

Rob: If you come here.

Barb: Yes, if you come here.

Take a look around and see how beautiful the area is that we truly do live in, we are lucky to be in this region with the river and the beautiful woodlands and it something to protect and it something to maintain.

There was a child that walked out and said "“is that the ocean"” ...

He had no idea.

And so those are the reasons that we continue to do those things.

Rob: I love that he asked.

Barb: I love that he asked too.

And he learned something that day for sure.

And was inspired by what he saw.

Rob: All questions are welcome.

Barb: Yes of course.

Rob: And people Barb: And people Rob: This has been a fantastic experience today.

Barb: I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

Rob: And I have discovered so much here today and I thank you for that.

Barb: Absolutely.

Rob: For touching me and I hope it touches you as well.

Barb: Yes.

You come back any time and I hope your viewers come down and enjoy it and support us as well.

Rob: Okay.

Thank you so much here at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael.

Come explore.

♪♪ (Woosh) ♪♪ Rob: This is spectacular.

Daisy: Yeah.

It's something you won't see anywhere else but Asia.

Rob: Tell me exactly what we are looking at.

These are lotus flowers, but what all are we seeing?

Daisy: Well, this is a lotus plant that used to live in a planter about maybe 15 years ago that was protected by a cage so that, um, the ducks wouldn't consume it.

Cause every part of this plant is edible.

Rob: The leaves, the seed pods... Daisy: The roots.

And, uh, it's an ancient plant from, uh, Asia.

Rob: They're stunning.

They're exquisite.

You may have noticed that Daisy said a lotus plant.

Daisy: [laughs] Rob: You are looking at the person who planted this.

You're responsible for this.

I mean, I just thank you.

It's spectacular.

Daisy: Uh, it's become, uh, a place where, um, people are drawn to, you know.

Families come and, uh, elder, uh, older people who normally don't come to the park, come to see the lotus.

Rob: We've seen many out here today.

Daisy: Yeah.

Yeah.

Rob: This started with one plant.

Daisy: Slowly but surely.

It... it, you know, it started in one section and then it just kept going and going.

But that's the nature of water plants.

They, they're unstoppable.

As long as they have water.

Rob: You know, I have to say that that says a lot about the power of one and what one thing can do.

One plant.

Daisy: Yes.

Rob: One thought one action.

Um, one step in the right or wrong direction can explode like this.

Daisy: Yes.

Rob: And you mentioned that many people are calling this peace pod.

Daisy: Yes.

Mhm.

Rob: It would be so nice for peace to spread that way.

What do you think about the name?

Peace pond?

Daisy: Oh, I think that'’s a beautiful name.

It... it, for years, it was called the duck pond, which, you know, it's sort of more, um, generic.

And... but peace is something we, I think we are all striving for, or we would hope for right now during these unsettling times.

Rob: Tell me about the actual, the flower.

How long does it last?

Daisy: The actual flower doesn't last that terribly long, but it starts, the plant starts blooming in May.

It likes the warm temperatures of Sacramento and it will bloom into October, which is amazing that it has that long, beautiful bloom period.

Part of my reason for being a gardener was to make the world more beautiful.

I was seeing how, uh, the immigrants from Southeast Asia were, um, struggling with, uh, adapting to their new world.

And I thought, you know, I want to plant something that will speak to them.

And... and I think I was successful.

Rob: This is the best year-— Daisy: Yes.

Rob: That the lotus have had since planting.

Planted around 2005.

We're in 2020 and look...

I have to tell you something, the person you're taking a picture of planted all of these.

I know!

[laughter] I just have to, I have to say that every time someone stops to take a picture.

I'm like, it's... she did this!

Daisy: I just planted one though.

Rob: And they all did this.

Rob: See it's... it's every... people just love knowing that.

Daisy: Yeah, everyone can connect to it.

Visitor: I'm coming from Visalia.

And just come here to see the lotus flowers.

It reminds me of China because in China we have this flower in the Southern China.

Daisy: Yeah.

Yeah.

Visitor: No, it's 3 hours.

3 hours, 17 minutes.

Daisy: Wow.

Visitor: Yes Daisy: In Asia this has so much symbolism.

It, uh, it's a symbol of reincarnation and purity.

And what the, what I keep hearing or reading is that it emerges from the muck and the mud, pure and beautiful.

And that's kind of what people should strive for, even though they might have some negative, you know, flaws, um, they can always become better.

Rob: We all get down in the mud.

Daisy: [laughs] We... we can.

Rob: But we can also do this.

Daisy: Yes.

Emerge beautiful.

Rob: What does the Lotus mean to you personally?

Daisy: It was kind of a present for me to the community to... to grow it.

And there aren't many, like I said, there aren't many places where you would see lotus.

And so, it was like, I need to create more beauty.

So, that I think, that helps our society.

Rob: I would like to ask you, if you could speak for the lotus flower, what would you say?

Daisy: To me, it connects us kind of to the way past in that we could have something that is so ancient and primordial living here and thriving.

So that gives me a little bit of hope that, you know, our world hasn't been so inhospitable that we can, we can't grow something so ancient.

Rob: And beautiful.

Daisy: And beautiful.

Rob: Thank you, Daisy.

Daisy: It's my pleasure.

Rob: I'’m forever grateful for you.

Daisy: Yeah.

Well, I'm grateful to be able to speak to you today.

♪♪ ♪♪ Rob: Thanks for joining us on this episode of Rob on the Road - and all along the journey of 10 Seasons.

Watch all of our videos at robontheroad.org