Calfornia's gold country.....and rattlesnakes?

Friday, 21 September.  Left Yreka at 8:30am and headed south down I-5.  While not the lush evergreen forests of the Oregon Coast - including the Umpqua River scenic drive - we still had tall evergreen forests on both sides of us as we continued our trek to Sacramento through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.  The Winnebago was challenged by a couple passes – Black Butte Summit at 3,900-ft and Snowman’s Hill Summit at almost 4,500-ft – but managed to handle the climbs and descents with minimum effort.

We were also treated to a magnificent view of Mt Shasta as we glided around one I-5 curve. The mountain was still bathed in morning shadows, giving the whole scene a slightly eerie feeling as Shasta seemed to jut right up out of the surrounding forests.  As Mt Shasta came in and out of view as the motorhome curved this way and that way, winding its way south, it dawned on us that this has to be one of the West's most stunning peaks.  On a side note, the mountain is considered one of the major spiritual vortexes in the world along with other mountainous regions such as Sedona, Arizona.  Mt Shasta is so highly regarded spiritually that many spiritual/metaphysical retreats are held in-and-aroundd the mountain throughout the year. The energy here - and at Sedona and other similar areas - is of a higher frequency and serves as a vortex for higher consciousness.

 

Mt Shasta is not connected to any nearby mountain and dominates the northern California landscape, rising abruptly and soaring to nearly 14,200-ft. On a clear day, Mt Shasta can be seen from about 150 miles away. The mountain has attracted the attention of poets, authors, and presidents. It was once described by the poet Joaquin Miller as lonely as God, and white as a winter moon, Mount Shasta starts up sudden and solitary from the heart of the great black forests of Northern California. Naturalist and author John Muir said of Mt Shasta:  When I first caught sight of it over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since. Even President Teddy Roosevelt considered the evening twilight on Mt. Shasta one of the grandest sights I have ever witnessed.  On our day’s journey south we were later treated to a very stunning close up of Mt Shasta as we sped past Mt Shasta City, Shasta Pass, and Shasta Lake. 

I noticed Shasta Lake's water level was at the lowest level I’ve ever seen – and I’ve been driving up-and-down this part of the country for many years.  Not sure if California’s agriculture lobby is winning the annual water war with the recreational crowd, or if the snowfall was unusually light this year. I later read on-line that an unusually large amount of water was released from the dam this past summer.

California’s scenery suddenly changed – as expected – as we passed through Redding and Red Bluff, and we began seeing less forests (and lower elevations) and more and more agricultural.  We passed oodles of olive trees (I did not know Northern California was known its for olive oil) and what looked like some type of “nut” trees…walnuts, we thought maybe?  Turned out to be pistachio tree groves – go figure.  [Editor's Note: I asked my brother about the olive trees and olive oil.  It seems the area around Corning, CA, is well-known for its high quality olive oil and Olive Pit restaurant at Corning serves some of the best olive burgers on the West Coast. 

We finally arrived in the Sacramento area around 1:30, and snaked through the myriad of freeways and interstate roads, finally picked up CA 50, headed to South Lake Tahoe.  Traffic was heavy, but it moved right along, and we soon found our turn-off for the TT Ponderosa campground.  With just a tad amount of time spent actually finding the campground (not well-marked) and some gerry-rigging with the dumping our sewer (we won’t have full hook-ups here, only electricity and water), we were set up and in place before 4:00pm.  Not a bad day of traveling at all.

As we sat outside enjoying a couple cold drinks, we noticed the following sign that Obidiah pointed out to us.  Rattlesnakes?  Really?  Guess we’d better watch our steps to and from the restrooms and showers and any walks down to the river.  Even the campground newsletter warns that rattlesnakes are a part of the local environment.  If you spot one, leave it alone (no kidding!), and notify one of the staff immediately.  Welcome to the great outdoors!

The other photo was taken from our campsite, looking out on the American River that runs right by our site.  Pretty nice set-up, eh?   As we were taking in the views of the rapids, Obi swore he caught a glimpse of Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe riding their horses among the scrub trees across the river.  While Obi has excellent eyesight, I think he might have been feeling the effects of a couple of rum and cokes.  Still, this is Ponderosa country, so will keep our eyes open for that Cartright bunch.

We have plans to meet up with my brother, Laren, and his wife, Teena, early tomorrow afternoon.  We’ll be here in the Sacramento area until 2 October and are looking forward to our visit with Laren and his family – as well as some sightseeing in the middle of California’s historic gold county.  More later…cheers from the Ponderosa RV campground!