Day 11 - Redding to Sacramento, California

For Tuesday, September 13

Waking up in a motel room in Redding, the morning was a little unusual for this trip. With electricity and some Internet access, it was time to copy hundreds of photos off the camera and make some backups of the photos I have so far. It was good to have that done. But it resulted in a late start for a day of traveling.

I learned of an interesting foot bridge in Redding. So I went to check that out. The Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River is pretty cool. There are markers on the lawn that match the time of day (in season).

Sundial shadow across the lawn

After a quick visit to the bridge, I set out to find Bethel Church. Since it was a Tuesday, I expected things to be quiet. But, it turned out it was the first day of school for their various schools. There were young adults from many states, including the Midwest. With the big crowds, I decided to skip trying to go inside. Perhaps I can visit some other time. They have some good things happening there. But we have much of it at my own church. So I left and finally got out of Redding after noon.

With potential auto repair places south and slightly east from Redding, I took back roads south. I had mostly been avoiding the interstate freeways anyway. I saw some more fields filled with volcanic rock (I think). The dark rocks contrasting with light grasses were interesting, to my eyes anyway.

I got to see quite a few orchards of various types. I probably should have stopped. Within California I wouldn't have to worry about the state border checks where they take away any fresh fruits and vegetables from out of state.

Central California orchard

Here is a little video of traveling through a couple orchards. I tossed together a little guitar, drums, and bass so you can listen to something other than wind noise with the video.

It was 4:00 p.m. by the time I got to the Mazda dealer in Yuba City. It was too late. And I got the impression they may have only had one Mazda mechanic, with everyone else specializing in GM vehicles. Rather than hang around there, I headed south to the next possibility.

In Roseville, California, near Sacramento, I arrived late in the day. But I was able to schedule an appointment for the next morning. And I had some confidence they had Mazda expertise.

I stayed fairly close by that night at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area campground. There were plenty of open campsites here on a week night. There were a few wild turkeys (animals).

With the hope of the car being fixed at reasonable cost, I considered potential destinations for the rest of Wednesday as I fixed a meal over the fire. The night was mostly uneventful except for some male couple arguing loudly for a while during the night, perhaps on the trail near the campground. San Francisco wasn’t too far away.

Day 10 - Lassen Volcanic National Park

For Monday, September 12

Friendly reminder that in this series, if you click on a photo, you can view larger versions of the images in a little gallery, without context. The videos can also be expanded to full screen and HD quality if you wish. Functionality in the mobile version of the site may vary.

I woke up in Lassen Volcanic National Park. My son David had recommended this place for me. He had visited a few years ago. So I ventured out to see what made this place unique.

The place is quite interesting with a variety of volcanic activity all over. The trail to the top of Lassen volcano is temporarily closed. But there were plenty of other things to see. It was strange to see so much constant activity in the ground around me.

Even in September, there were flowers blooming.

Some trees were full of pine cones (or were they cedars? Some evergreen...)

The trail is certainly wide enough to meet people. But, still, it is a good place to ignore fear of heights and focus on the trail rather than the drop of a few hundred feet just off the trail.

It's hot and dry. But why not choose to bloom anyway?

Even in September, there is snow from last winter:

Bumpass Hell

A Little Volcanic Action

They have a boardwalk that keeps people from damaging the fragile areas. And it keeps people from accidentially breaking through and falling into steaming water.

A few of the mountains here are tall enough to create their own weather. So even if there isn't any particular weather front moving through, they often accumulate clouds and develop rain and thunderstorms. I saw it quickly get more and more cloudy, primarily around one mountain. So I headed back.

The view down below with the small stream looked intriguing. But I think the climb back up may be a little tough. Perhaps another time...

It is a big park. The road through the park, with stops and a hike along the way, took quite a while. I wanted to get back to the visitor center since that was not open yet when I left in the morning. I thought it might be quicker to take some non-park regular roads to get back down that way. It turned out they were very curvy also, although with smaller drop-offs on the shoulders. One road in particular was filled with 10 M.P.H. curves. It was fun (if I hadn’t been in a hurry). And I missed any deer or cattle near the road. Some of the terrain was unusual (for a Midwesterner) with large dark stones dotting the landscape. Crop farming would be a challenge here.

After my stop at the visitor center, I left for Redding. Along the way, I was delayed by some road construction. They were widening the road in a couple spots for slower-car pullouts. This is extra complicated on the edge of a mountain and when large trees must be removed. Since the road was still open, they had to continually move logs and brush around to keep one lane open as they took down trees and loaded them on trucks. Through my trip I was learning to appreciate some of the civil engineers and others who dealt with problems here that we did not face in the relatively flat lands with wide shoulders and ditches.

There were two destinations for me in Redding. One, I hoped a city that size would have a Mazda dealer to finally fix my car. And second, I hoped to get a very short visit to Bethel Church there. I listen to some of their music and messages. And my church has a close association with them.

In Redding, I wandered around several roads looking for car dealers and hoping to stumble upon a road named College Drive, or something like that, where Bethel is located. I didn’t find any of that. But I did see parts of the city prospering with many new retail businesses. Eventually, at a gas station north of the city a ways, I got some help from a local person. I found some auto dealers on a road I had not tried. But there was no Mazda dealer. It is getting dark. I decided to get a motel room with Internet access.

I checked out a local Mexican fast food place for dinner. Before the Internet connection got extremely slow, I was able to learn about some Mazda dealers in northern California. There were none near Redding. But at least I now had some leads.

Day 9 - Lake Tahoe to Lassen Volcanic National Park

For Sunday, September 11

With the balloon event and camel races behind me, I woke up to a day with a very flexible schedule. I planned to be back in Reno on Thursday. But until then I could head any direction.

The morning was relaxing. I explored east of Dayton, Nevada a few miles on highway 50. I saw a motorcycle group ride for September 11^th.

Heading back west, I went along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, in Nevada. There was a big bike ride that day. It was a scenic route. But the mountainous roads are challenging when you are pedaling. There were many weary cyclists. On the northern end of the lake, I stopped at the state park to get better views of the lake. There was rain and storms on the west side of the lake. So my photos did not match some of the more typical Lake Tahoe shots. It was refreshing to take a very short swim in the clear water. I might have stayed a little longer. But there was a good chance of lightning striking the lake somewhere.

Leaving Lake Tahoe, I drove through a real nice downpour. The sign for the first road heading north said curves next 12 miles. Call me a party pooper if you wish. But I skipped that one and took the next one. That had a few more straight stretches. I wound back east to Reno and went by the airport I would visit later. On the way to Susanville on 395, I saw a shoe tree. There are others around. But I think this was the first one I had seen. My employer’s president is named Susan. And associating Susanville with work was about the most I thought about my job back home. I am on vacation.

Shoe tree north of Reno, Nevada

It was getting dark as I headed over to Lassen Volcanic National Park, north of Redding, California. I stopped briefly for some sunset pictures.

Northern California sunset

I arrived at the park in the dark, hoping they still had camping spots. There was one right in front near the parking lot. Favor! But I do admit it wasn’t exactly a flat spot. Using blankets or towels, it is pretty easy to prop up one side or end of a sleeping pad to make it fairly level. I slept all right. I had no need for the bear-proof containers. But it was a good reminder that I was out of the flat desert and back in bear country again.

Camp site (photos taken the next morning)

This is one type of bear-resistant storage container. The garbage cans here and at Lake Tahoe have levers that cannot be opened with bear paws.