Check Out the Dinafem Team’s Journey Through the Cannabis Crops of the US West Coast: Oregon to California

At the end of October the cannabis fields are ready to harvest in Oregon and California. Thousands of sturdy, lush cannabis plants show off their mature flowers, with tips ready do be cut and dried. We, the team at Dinafem, did not want to miss out on the spectacle, so we didn't think twice: we flew to Seattle and drove down the West Coast, from Southern Oregon to the movie mecca of Los Angeles, to check out these plantations in all their glory.

Pick-ups and redwood-lined roads

The cannabis adventure involved driving 1,500 km, with many beaches to explore, thousands of redwoods to embrace, hundreds of towns to discover and, of course, millions of flowers to smell. Eager to explore the Promised Land, we filled up the tanks of our pick-ups and headed for the mountains.

For those arriving from Europe, America's geography is of a magnitude we are not accustomed to. There everything is big: the distances are long; the trees, redwoods in our case, are towering; the nature is lush and wild. Impressed by the massive dimensions of the landscapes, we went down roads flanked by endless trunks, undertaking our adventure surrounded by majestic redwoods.

Cannabis buds dangling over fences

While it is true that the most important treasures awaited us in the highest valleys, the road to them was priceless: on both sides of the street we spotted long fences, from which protruded compact cannabis flowers, seeking the sun. Upon our first cannabis sighting we wanted to stop the pick-up to peek over the walls and smell those buds we had spotted from the car.

Amused, our hosts informed us that from now until the end of our journey the landscape would be like that the whole time, with crops lining both sides of the road. "That's what Oregon and California, are like, my friends," we were informed. And they were right. Of course, besides being a paradise for lovers of the happiness plant, the trip had other charms too, and we met people who we will never forget.

Unique characters, pristine nature and cowboy towns

Over the miles we covered we came across a passionate wood craftsman, able to turn the redwoods into sculptures, tables, coat racks, chairs and any other kind of decorative art object you can think of. In the middle of a forest, where he had built tree houses in some of the trees, this veteran spent his days carving redwood trunks by hand, creating the most astonishing figures.

Not far from the artist's home we found some absolutely dazzling lakes, as crystal-clear waters on sprawling plains marked mandatory rest stops. At this point we had already become accustomed to the presence of the redwoods, and refrained from taking pictures in front of them with our arms outstretched, but when we stopped at these enormous natural ponds the whole Dinafem team just had to pose for a photo. Back home we had to have something more than just cannabis buds to show the family…

We also got out our cameras when our friends took us to a cowboy town. That's right: a real western-style village where we though that John Wayne was going to appear any second. It should be noted that the OG Kush might have had something to do with our certainty that we were in a western movie, but, frankly, the town was like something straight out of the "The Lone Ranger."

As you can imagine, the classic California genetic guided us on this adventure and was a faithful companion throughout the trip. How were we going to miss out on the incredible landscapes of the American West without savouring the smoke of its most cherished creature: the original OG Kush? With this strain, precisely, we found ourselves in a Northern California town, a location that is certainly the most unique place we've ever visited, a town where the houses' gardens were teeming with cannabis plants. A village of growers, literally. They were all cultivating. And, why plant roses when you can reap OG Kush?

Burning rubber to reach California's largest cannabis crops

Amidst western backdrops, wild deer, awe-inspiring nature, and legendary characters we approached the great treasures: those huge plantations where the cannabis is not counted by the plant, but by the tree. We had left behind Oregon and the inaccessible valleys of Northern California were now our target.

What we found in those mountains was simply the most dazzling cannabis spectacle we had ever seen: hectares and hectares of cannabis crops, with all the plants growing in an orderly fashion, guided by trellising systems. Without this cultivation technique it would be impossible to get good results from the plantations, as when the branches of the Indicas and Sativas cannot bear the weight of the buds alone, horizontal wires are needed, along with vertical cages to keep the branches up.

California beaches and a bit of OG Kush

It was time to go back home, but we weren't going anywhere without relaxing on those sands we see in all the movies. So we kicked back in the Redwood State, which treated us to some dreamy sunsets and magical colours. We also enjoyed the legendary Santa Monica, and a stroll along Sunset Boulevard. Once we took a photo with Bob Marley's star on the Walk of Fame we were ready to head back, bringing many cannabis memories to share with you.

Do you want to check out the spectacular cannabis landscapes we visited? We invite you to explore them with us, just a click away.