Leaving Mount Shasta Heading South

Leaving Mount Shasta on the backroads

Within an hour or so we came upon a huge area scarred by forest fires. It went on for many miles in all directions as far as the eye could see. But as you can see, there is life coming again -- see the mossy green color at the lower left of the picture! Hope springs eternal.

This is becoming a typical view! Just another beautiful mountain road!

To get where we are going, we had to drive into Nevada and back out again. How much the terrain changed along the way! This was north of Reno.
The train seemed camouflaged in the golden landscape.

Most of the towns en route looked a lot like this one, on the outskirts of Reno.

This was the sweetest town of all of them today -- Carson Valley.
Old fashioned lampposts, hanging baskets of flowers... very nice!

This was a beautiful area -- lush with a river running through it. It is known as Antelope Valley.

And Topaz Lake, the first of several lakes in the area.

We're getting closer to our destination. Stay tuned to take a tour of the June Lake Loop with us...

Mono Lake, California

Getting Acquainted With Mt. Shasta City

At the city park in Dunsmuir

This is not mine -- I found it online and thought it was beautiful!

This was the window of the little grocery store I stopped at to pick up a few things.
The prices were way better here than in Sedona!


Main Street

A restaurant with a good reputation.

Another peek at a beautiful peak!

Elevation 14,179 feet

After we went into town we came back to Dunsmuir, which is about six miles south of Mt.Shasta City. On the way out of Dunsmuir we saw a guy walking his dog.
On the way back into Dunsmuir we saw a guy jogging.
On the way out again we saw a guy riding his bike.
Every time he was the same guy! Weird!
Population in Dunsmuir is 2763.

We found the most wonderful City Park in Dunsmuir complete with Botanical Gardens. The Sacramento River runs through it and the trees grow HUGE! Here are some photos to show it:

Sacramento River

Not Staying in Shasta Long

Cave Springs Resort -- What They Don't Tell You and Why It's Only $50/night.

This is our "home" in Mt. Shasta at the Cave Springs Resort. It has its sweetness, but we can't get out of here soon enough. We leave tomorrow, two days early. There is NO air conditioning! And they don't tell you that they are 350 feet from the interstate -- and near a curve too, so the nearby trucks downshift all night long.

This is the screen door off the tiny little kitchen (so small that the fridge is outside). You can see the river running below out there. The river is really beautiful and FULL of trout! The fishermen are everywhere fly fishing here!

By the way, there are only two outlets in the whole cabin and they are near the kitchen sink, so she had to set up our office in the kitchen.

It's pretty cool really (hot temperature-wise but cool otherwise); the Sacramento River runs behind the cabin. We get the fresh air but the roaring river is REALLY LOUD. It sounds like a GIANT FAN RUNNING ALL THE TIME. But it helps to drown out all that traffic noise coming from the front.

But oh dear! The railroad runs along the river too -- so a dozen times per day (and night!) the trains come through -- slowing down around the curve long enough to blast their horn and wake us from our slumber!

But that's OK. We are so lucky to be traveling and seeing new things! We'll sleep one more night on a mattress that must be about 40 years old and we'll be on our way tomorrow.

See you whenever we get where we're going!

From Oregon to California

Next stop, Roseburg Oregon...

The Veteran's Administration Medical Center Campus in Roseburg is BEAUTIFUL! Rose gardens, tennis courts and a golf course. The river runs through it and it seems to me the entire town is built around this campus. She submitted an application for employment just for the heck of it here, so the campus was our first stop.

Then a self-guided tour of the city of Roseburg. This was the historical district, but it was not revamped like other "historical" districts that I know. It is just plain OLD! A little depressed, but it just feels like Small Town America like so many other towns in the USA.

A few hours later we are approaching Mt. Shasta. Wow, could this be it???

Nope! There it is up ahead -- it took our breath away. 

And to think it is snow capped when it's 103 degrees down here!

The local cattle have a nice setting to graze in!

Snow in Summer.

On The Way Out of Bend

My wonderful friends Sharon and Chris -- I stopped to see them on my way out of Sisters, OR.

Population 1706!

I wasn't the only one to stop and take a photo en route to Sisters -- The one taking the photo makes a pretty good photo too.


This was bronze art -- it was absolutely eye-catching!

This is volcanic lava rock -- in certain areas it is all along the terrain at the highway's edge and as far as the eye can see.

Leaving Bend

This is Drake Park which is about 1/8 of a mile from the cottage. We have walked here every day. Click HERE to see the Parks and Recreation page for Bend. There are SOOOO many parks! And eight of them are doggie parks!

The other day we went to the dog park at the "Old Mill District". We mingled with the locals and it was FUN! Then we walked over to "Dog Beach" which is an area where the black labs and retrievers can go swimming and fetch the floating targets. She took me down there to see what I'd do since I've never really been near water before. I got right in there with the best of them! But only up to my torso! 
Below is a picture she took with her cell phone so the quality isn't very good, but it's evidence.
 There were six or seven black labs in the water -- and one long-haired blonde collie-afghan poodle!

Anyway - - it's our last day in Bend. We are taking the long way to Mount Shasta via Eugene and Medford OR. A special stop in Roseburg OR to drop off a resume (hey, you never know). We have enjoyed our days here and have learned our way around. It is a beautiful community and we have learned some interesting things about Oregon while here:
~

~Most people here are very courteous and "well-behaved". A realtor I met who has lived here for ten years made the comment "It would be nice if someone would just speed through town or something. It gets a little dull here."

~They may tend to be old-fashioned here, but they tend to be very liberal.

~There's no Sales Tax in Oregon!!

~They pump your gas for you -- it's state law (state law in New Jersey too by the way)

~It's state law to "Move Over or Slow Down When A Car Is On Shoulder of Highway" (in other words, it's required by law to be thoughtful and courteous if it doesn't come naturally to you!)

~There's a strict leash law in this part of Oregon. If we are caught off-leash in a public place it's a $375 fine.

~Gas stations have unisex bathrooms complete with automated faucets, soap and towel dispensers

Off we go! Six or so hours to Mount Shasta! We'll keep you posted!

I Loved This Place in Bend on the River

Welcome to the River Willow

This is the willow tree that the cottage is named for. It has a ladder that goes up the side of it and a rope that hangs from it for old fashioned jumping!

People rent inflatable rafts up the river and then peacefully float down the river for about three miles. It's hard to believe that there are any problems whatsoever in the world when you are just floating along like that -- or watching others floating along like that! We had a great time just waving and saying Hi to everyone who floated by!

Outside on our patio.

Wish you were here!!

Kayak Jack!



River Willow Garden

This place reminds me of Paul McCartney's song
Little Willow:

BEND, LITTLE WILLOW,WINDS GONNA BLOW YOU
HARD AND COLD TONIGHT.
LIFE, AS IT HAPPENS,NOBODY WARNS YOU,
WILLOW, HOLD ON TIGHT.
NOTHING'S GONNA SHAKE YOUR LOVE,
TAKE YOUR LOVE AWAY.
NO ONE'S OUT TO BREAK YOUR HEART,
IT ONLY SEEMS THAT WAY...HEY.
SLEEP, LITTLE WILLOW,
PEACE GONNA FOLLOW,
TIME WILL HEAL YOUR WOUNDS.
GROW TO THE HEAVENS,
NOW AND FOREVER,
ALWAYS CAME TOO SOON.
... OH, LITTLE WILLOW.