Bigfoot? A Walk in the Woods; Raising Trout; Shastina; Only a Little Ice Cream, Please

You may have heard of that denizen of the Pacific Northwest, Bigfoot (also known as Sasquatch to some Native American tribes in this area). We actually saw one... well, at least a representation of one, carved in wood... They are reputed to be 7-10 feet tall, weigh about 500 lbs, are covered in red or brown fur, nocturnal, and omnivorous. Tales of such ape-like creatures exist in many cultures worldwide, but recent “sightings” of Sasquatch in this area can likely be attributed to the widespread use of recreational drugs in California, Oregon and Washington State. The town of Weed, California, 20 miles north, is reputedly a popular place to see Sasquatch in the woods on a summer’s evening, at least for those sampling some of the local vegetation or chemistry projects gone amuck...  

On the positive side of life, one of Suzanne’s new friends here directed us to a lovely park nearby. We found the parking lot almost empty of cars; only one other person was walking there, a nicely-dressed, middle-aged lady. This is somewhat remarkable, because of the high incidence of hippies in the area; when we visited another park in town, most of the visitors were unwashed youngsters with multiple colored body piercings and tattoos, ragged clothes, dreadlocks, broken down cars and trucks, and pit bulls running loose. In any case, the trail here was most pleasant, and meandered through a fir, pine, and redwood forest with pine needle trails and a small, clear stream.

Close by this small park was the Mt Shasta Fish Hatchery, the oldest such facility west of the Mississippi River. I am an avid fisherman, but have never had the opportunity to take Suzanne to a trout hatchery. Since trout have to have flowing water to survive, the hatchery is monitored 24/7 with on-site staff to ensure the fish's survival.

These brook and rainbow trout were enormous by my standards, and I was about to grab one for dinner when Suzanne noted that I might be eating dinner in the town jail if I persisted. Prudence won out, so following one of the Scout’s mottos, I took only photos and left only footprints. (My bride can be a real wet blanket sometimes).

Suzanne did pose for a “how to catch them if it had been legal” instructional photograph. The resident fish hatchery worker must have wondered about her technique; she was simulating using a casting rod and reel, but most trout are caught with a fly rod... I will have to take her fishing more often.

Oh, I almost forgot, she was leaning down to look closer at the trout and touched the electric fence designed to keep bears, coyotes, and other predators out of the fish runs... fortunately, they don’t turn on the juice until dark to protect unwary tourists.  ;-)

This secondary cone west of Mt Shasta, named Shastina, is bereft of snow because of its lower elevation and the hot weather (95F today). Like Shasta itself, it is a dormant volcano. Mt Shasta's last eruption was in 1786, and was actually observed by the French explorer La Perouse from his ship on the Pacific Ocean over 100 miles to the west. Sadly, La Perouse never lived to describe the event except in dispatches; he and his entire expedition were lost when shipwrecked on coral reefs in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific on the way home to France. Let's hope they didn't become the main ingredients for an islanders' bouilliabaisse; the Solomon Islanders were known to be cannibals back then... we, on the other hand, lived to tell our story, and this evening enjoyed barbequed ribs (not French) from a local outdoor vendor.
Dessert tonight was a shared Double Caramel Magnum Bar; Suzanne tried to give me the larger piece, but I said, "No, Sweetheart, you take the large piece; you've been working out the past two days, and the only workouts I've had were the two therapeutic massages for my bad back that I've gotten from the attractive 25 year old blonde masseuse..." Smack....