Contrasts
The top of the cascading Brandy Falls
The boss sends sucker down to explore while she tans on a rock near roadside
This is an actual conversation that took place on Thursday at midday. We are sure of the time and place because soon afterwards, we are not afraid to admit, we were…well, afraid.
“You climb down there, head to the water, then move across and see whether you can stand on that rock,” our editor commanded
“Which one?” We asked, not being sure that she would expect us to do what we thought she meant. In fact, we were quite taken aback at the instructions, not so much that it looked a little dangerous but it’s usually our granddaughter, Ellie, giving us orders so crisply.
“The one that looks like a diving board,” she pointed towards the rock sitting below on a slippery slope covered in tiny, loose stones and sand. “I’ll take a picture of you,” she added, as if that would be the clincher. She turned out to be correct.
“And where will you be?” We were delaying our little adventure as we plucked up courage.
“I’ll stay up here,” she indicated. ‘Here’ being along the roadside perched on a rock next to the cliff.
“I see,” we replied, not 'seeing' at all.
Whiskeytown Lake, a time and spot that shows the clarity and colors
Jenni's idea of a diving board. We were so disorientated, we did not know which way to face
The rock editor sits above giving instructions
Jenni creeps across rocks, approximately the mid-level falls
After a somewhat successful sojourn down the cliff, pumped with adrenaline, we headed for another waterfall. It was quite a trip for the car and our nausea, too as we twisted and turned along a gravel road. The hike was short, only three miles with quite a bit of elevation gain. However, walking in a cool forest on another hot day was delightful. The cascading water with cataract features is most attractive. It seemed to be a day for testing the body as we headed above the falls on a very steep and admittedly dangerous path. In the end, the position we achieved did not provide an as attractive viewing as the simpler positions. You win some…
Over all, the lake in or near Redding is pristine—quite beautiful, providing unique views at different times of the day. We headed north on Freeway 5 the next day, glanced at Shasta Lake and dam—another spectacle but even larger. The Shasta-Trinity area is stunning with its abundance of water and trees, not forgetting the mountains.
Some scary moments without visual rewards
The top of the waterfall and its cataracts
There is a mountain, well maybe quite a few, that get the juices flowing, the knees knocking and the enthusiasm flying. Our routing along that freeway gives the game away. Mount Shasta dominates the region, dwarfing all other mountains in the vicinity. It is so domineering that it creates its own weather pattern, we are told. We have been quite high-up on that mountain, a few times thus far, but are waiting to try and reach the summit. Should we continue waiting we have no doubt we will not succeed—another attempt is on the cards, we hope.
We are now in the great state of Oregon, one that is filled with trees and covered with lakes and rivers. The previous sentence is an understatement. We think it was in this state that the saying "You can't see the wood for the trees" was formulated. And if Venice thinks it has a lot of water than it obviously hasn't swum past Oregon. Finally, what a pleasure it is to enjoy a bath with soft water...one of life's little pleasures.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Some pictures along the journey
From time to time, we are asked, 'What is your favorite hike or place?' There really isn't an answer to that question. However, if we had to take a stab or someone said 'gun to head' answer, we might say the Shasta forests. Dominated by Mount Shasta as the class act, Black Butte close by, Mount Eddy on the opposite side, Castle Crags down the road and Heart Lakes in the vicinity, it is a special place indeed. To get one of us emotional, just mention Mount Shasta and our day with Robbie as we climbed past Helen Lake. Sometimes you only need to mention Shasta on its own for the same result.
Black Butte, we have climbed to the peak a couple of times; it still looks like there is no way to the top
What's that peeking through the trees?
Aha! Mount Shasta from the north...a dream.
Some nostalgia from June 2012
Our son, Robbie, on Mount Shasta, perhaps my favorite photograph
Some of the tricky slopes—we are and were in awe of the mountain
Early morning sun catches a part of Shasta
A final look at this dangerous but enchanting volcano from somewhere near Helen Lake (Mount Eddy across the way)
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