Redding, California

Roger here....  Some towns and cities just seem to have that "it" factor.  For whatever reason (money, community pride, the foresight of community leaders), the quality of life in those places excel.  They are places where you wonder what it would be like to live there.  Vacaville had an "it" factor.  Twentynine Palms did not.  After three nights in Redding, California, we can now add that city to the short list of municipalities that seem to have things together.  

After looking at the weather forecasts, we picked the best day for taking the dogs on a five-and-a-half mile hike on part of Redding's extensive hike/bike trails.  

We started at the Sundial Bridge.  This unique structure crosses the Sacramento River.  It leads to a hiking trail along the river that is 42 miles long.  The deck of the bridge is glass.  Yes, glass!  You can see the river below and the infrastructure of the bridge by looking at your feet as you walk along.  

Bandido looked at his feet (paws).  He looked at them a lot.  He was petrified.  Look at the position of his head and how his legs are spread far apart.  It took quite a bit of coaxing and tugging to keep him moving.  His natural inclination was to freeze.  He earned quite a few chuckles from passersby, and from us.  Poor Bandido!   (I made sure Tequila was just in front of him the whole time so he could see that she was not afraid at all, but it didn't help.  -- D.)

When we weren't urging Bandido to move forward, we enjoyed the magnificent view of the Sacramento River and the mountains in the distance.  

The tall spire is actually a working sundial.  

When the bridge was completed in 2004, it anchored a community center on one side of the river to a museum, cafe, gift shop, and extensive garden on the other side.  

Dianne could not resist a picture of the California poppies in the formal garden.  We used to plant them in our Indiana garden every summer.

The paved pathway along the river was easy to find.  The scenery varied as we wandered through forests, picnic areas, and public parks.

The turquoise, rapidly-flowing river was always nearby.

We shared the path with other hikers, many with dogs, as well as the bicyclists who zipped by.  We were on alert so as not to be run over by a bicycle or by the occasional guitar-playing unicyclist.

Lots of turtles in the turtle pond.  Dianne was able to get a close-up of this interesting guy below.

At one point we became aware of the increasing sound of moving water.  We soon arrived at this waterfall-like structure that spanned the river.  We did not know what it was at the time (probably a hydroelectric structure), but enjoyed watching the turbulent water.

A ramp led the way to the water level so that we could watch through a glass window.  

Bandido here....  This is a shot of me explaining to Mom and Dad that chinook salmon can be seen here during the spawning season.  I explained that hundreds of them can be seen through this window as they jump up water ladders.  Mom and Dad were disappointed that they were not swimming there now.  I patiently explained (again) that they would have to come back again in the fall during the spawning season.

After getting such good information from my dog, I just had to share it with one of the locals.

Before retracing our steps, we found a picnic table at one of the many parks and enjoyed the picnic lunch that Dianne packed.  We listened to the sounds of children playing in a playground while we ate.

Back at the Sundial Bridge, the shadow confirmed that it was 1:15 p.m.  Enough time left in the day for Dianne to get her hair cut.

We will close this post with pictures of the amazing sunset from the night before.  

The pet picture of the day is a shot of Bandido as he gingerly recrosses the Sundial Bridge.  Our next post will be from Oregon.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Roger here.... We are in Redding, California for three nights, staying at a really nice RV Park, a Premier Resorts Property.  There is a lot to see and do in this appealing community, more than two full days will allow.  

There was a 50% chance of rain on this first day, so we opted to drive 48 miles through the mist to Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We figured that we would see some nice scenery even though the weather was less than perfect.  Wow, we have not seen rain and wet roads for months/years.  And look, trees!  Not desert trees (even though I like them), but REAL trees.  This was going to be a good day.   (Dianne here:  In the words of Mitt Romney, "The trees are the right height."  :-)

We intended to drive the length of the park, north to south, and then return.  About 30 miles from the park, we passed a road sign that indicated that the road through the park was closed ten miles from the entrance due to snow.  Snow!?  After 59 years in Indiana, we had hoped to never again drive through snow.    I guess if the road was closed before we got to the snow, it would be OK.  It was.  Our first view of the snow-covered base of the mountain from Manzanita Lake was scenic.  

The prolific green lichen growing from the trees in this area of the park was certainly eye-catching.  

The bare branches of the trees were literally smothered by the lichen.

Dianne liked the way that the lichen covered the tree nubbins where branches had broken off.

I loved the way that the bright, bright chartreuse color contrasted with the otherwise misty gray day.

The north visitor center was closed, a disappointment,  but the ten-mile drive up to 7000 feet was fun.

The wet, misty clouds limited some of the expansive views, but added a cool element to the scenery.  We are not in the desert anymore.  Up we went. 

On the way, we stopped to get a better look at this massive boulder.

During Mt. Lassen's last major eruption in 1915, it was blown from the top of the mountain and pushed five miles in an avalanche from the summit to its present location.  

When this picture was taken after the eruption, the boulder was still sizzling.

On we drove, still going up.  We were hoping to see the summit through the drifting etherial clouds, but it does not look like it is going to happen.  We reached the road closure.

There was a parking area there.  The trail-head for the half-mile Devastation Trail was situated at that parking lot.  The temperature was chilly (43 degrees), and it was damp, like being in a cloud, which we were, but we decided to ignore the discomfort and walk around the loop.

We are so glad we did.   As the clouds drifted by, the slightest opening appeared, and there was the summit of Mt. Lassen.  

We were able to snap a couple of other pictures (including the opening photo), before the clouds again blanketed the view.

I have to say....

Seeing Mt. Lassen unexpectedly through the clouds was probably more magical than it would have been to see it on a clear day.  Very cool.

Ok.  We enjoyed the short hike.  We gazed in amazement at the mountain.  It was time to drive back down the mountain, but not before a little frivolity on Dianne's part.  She wanted to have her picture taken next to a snow bank.  (Tiny, but snow nonetheless. -- D)

Since we were apparently the only people in the park, it was simple to pull the car to the side of the road, so Dianne could scramble down to the snow.

She wasted no time in fashioning a snowball, her first in many years.   In  my humble opinion, I think she looks pretty good in this cold weather.  However, it looks like she is getting ready to throw like a girl.

Look carefully below.  You can see her throwing arm on the right, and the snowball in midair in front of the small pine tree.  

After all this activity, snowball tossing and such, we were hungry.  On the way back to Redding, we passed through the small burg of Shingletown and stopped at this cafe --- a good decision.  We both had chili beans with cheese and onions.  It tasted great.  

Our waiter (who was also the cook and the cashier), then brought Dianne a piece of blackberry pie.  Yum.


Dianne here:  At the end of the day, after we returned from Lassen NP, we had just gotten back from taking the dogs to the dog run when the skies opened up and it RAINED.  HARD.  First rain we've been in since November!  Our poor motor home was washed and waxed just before we left Texas, but since that time we've been in desert sand and dust all the way through West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and most of California.  To say it was dirty doesn't describe it.  I had kicked back in my recliner and was watching TV when Roger asked where the poncho was.  Without a word, he went outside, and next thing I knew I saw the washing pole scrubbing the windows.  I leaned out the window to catch this photo of him (no way was I going out there), hard at work:

Yay!   We now have a reasonably-clean home!

The pet picture of the day shows Tequila enjoying the shade under our picnic table when we were at Black Butte Lake.

Black Butte Lake – Boondocking + Friends

Hi all, Dianne here.  After we left Vacaville, we headed north through more beautiful golden hills for two nights off the grid at Black Butte Lake in Northern California.

Our good friends Mike and Brenda are in charge of two campgrounds at this Corps of Engineers lake, and we knew we’d be able to visit them and enjoy some Retama-style happy hours. 

 As we pulled up to the booth, we saw Mike’s smiling face to

welcome us.  

They helped us find a perfect site with a beautiful lake view... 

Roger especially liked the way the reflected bands in the water looked gold like the surrounding hills:

It was so peaceful and quiet that I tried to read on our patio area, but fell sound asleep,
with my pal Bandido by my side.

After a very relaxing afternoon, we brought some wine and snacks to Mike and Brenda’s site for happy hour.  Brenda had told me ahead of time that she was fixing supper for us, but wow, I sure wasn’t expecting a spread like this!
Pot roast, potatoes, perfectly-skillet-roasted vegetables, cauliflower salad, artisan bread.  Not pictured was the awesome warm dessert made with sauteed pineapple, bananas and Italian mascarpone cheese.  I knew Brenda was known for her cooking, but wow!


It gets very hot at Black Butte Lake in the summer (100s), and it was 96 the second day we were there.  With no electricity for air conditioning, that was an issue! We stayed comfortable in the shade with a breeze until late afternoon.  Roger took Bandido and Tequila swimming in the lake several times.  The dogs loved it, and it cooled them off. (Wish we had pictures...)

When we went back to Mike and Brenda’s for happy hour and dinner (yes, she cooked two meals for us, lasagna this time!), we took all three animals with us, because it was just too hot to leave them behind.  Mike and Brenda have a very shady patio area, and it was always cool and pleasant with a wonderful breeze while we were there. 

Charlie was in heaven, relaxing in the soft, Indiana-style grass.  Our dogs enjoyed seeing Lucky and Lucy, Mike and Brenda’s two little dogs.  Lucky was interested in Charlie (they both weigh about 15 pounds), but Charlie twitched his tail, flattened his ears, and Lucky got the message and steered clear!

It was great to meet up with our friends and catch up on the latest news since we all left Retama Village in Texas earlier this spring.  All too soon it was time to say good-bye, but we know we'll see them again in Texas next fall.  

There are a series of pet photos of the day this time, because we took some good photos of Bandido and Tequila playing together in the nice dog run at the Vineyard RV park before we left  Vacaville.  They LOVED it there!  Here are some photos, with captions:

Catch Me if You Can!

Can you still catch the ball with a cattle dog hanging from your neck??

Oh, Boy!  Dad threw the ball!   Here it comes!!

Caught it!!

Way to go, Bandido!   You're my hero!!