Mountain Driving; Mount Shasta; Serpentine; It’s a Dog’s Life; An Easy Labor

We are now situated at the base of Mount Shasta, in northern California not far from the Oregon state line. The drive here from the coast was... interesting... California Route 299 between Arcata and Redding is also known as the Trinity Scenic Byway. This is a deceptive term used to lure unsuspecting flatlander tourists into mountain passes and river canyons on a two-lane, twisty-turny-hairpin-infested road with numerous fully loaded logging trucks barreling down the other direction and frequent one-lane road repairs due to avalanches and rockslides. The eight (8) mile section east of Weaverville alone has 52 tight curves with average speeds of 20-25 mph. It took us almost 5 hours to go 142 miles. While it is a favorite route for tattooed riders of Harley-Davidsons and wild drivers of Corvettes, “big-rig” RV types will often go 100 miles out of their way to avoid this road. We didn’t. After all, it is a scenic byway... This is the view down into the Trinity River canyon, which the highway parallels for about 60 miles.

When you finally reach I-5 in Redding, it is with a sigh of relief. Then you head north on the interstate, steadily climbing from Redding’s 495 ft to the crest at Dunsmuir, at 2,280 ft, where Mt Shasta comes into view.  The photo on the left is ours; the one below is not.  I wanted you to think I took it from a hang glider.

Mt Shasta is a very impressive volcanic peak, 14,194 feet elevation, one of the highest mountains in the lower 48 states. Anyone who sees Shasta has to be impressed. Theodore Roosevelt commented, “I consider the evening twilight on Mt Shasta to be one of the grandest sights I have ever witnessed.” Naturalist John Muir said, “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.”

Suzanne is very happy to be here, because the mountain has spiritual properties, as well as great beauty. She has spent time in several of the metaphysical stores and interacting with local practitioners. (I scored some points by picking out for a birthday present a beautiful piece of polished Mt Shasta Serpentine which is purported to hold the spiritual qualities of the mountain.)

This is another river gorge nearby, just below the dam at Lake Siskiyou. The terrain is quite steep in this area, so we decided not to ride our mountain bikes down the hairy singletrack trails. Every now and then common sense does find its way to the surface...

It’s that time in a dog’s life... time for baths! Suzanne had the dirty duty because of my aching back. Gretchen doesn’t look real happy, although she enjoyed being blow-dried afterwards. Now she’s really fluffy and clean, like a pretty little girl should be. Rudy got his bath, too, but asked not to be embarrassed by being photographed before his stylist finished prettifying him. He is so vain!   

Last, but not least, Suzanne has experienced an "easy labor" giving birth to her new book, The Real Alzheimer's. It is now available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It should also be available now for order from your local bookstores.