Lassen and Whiskeytown

Working our way north, we cut over to the I-5 in northern California. We have driven this route many many times between Tacoma and San Diego. We drive right past Redding. We made the decision to park the motorhome at the Elks Lodge. It is a beautiful facility boasting a large pool, rolling lawn, large shade trees and conveniently located on the Sacramento River near the Sundial Bridge. 

Sundial Bridge is a pedestrian only bridge that links to Turtle Bay. The weather is perfect for a bike ride along the Sacramento River Trail.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is open year round, however the road that winds through it is usually closed from Oct-June. We were only able to drive about 10 miles in to Devastated Area. This is where 101 years ago the mountain top blew. The reforestation you see here has occurred since the eruption.

This huge "hot rock" boulder was born only 100 years ago, formed by the eruption. It came from over three miles away being pushed by a lahar. We have a lahar warning system in place in the event of an eruption for the areas surrounding Mt Rainier in WA. It is a type of mud flow with huge pieces of debris that flow from the mountaintop, frequently along rivers.

If I would have taken this picture when we first arrived when there was no wind it could have earned it's name of Reflection Lake

Ten miles from Redding is Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. 

The hike rounds through fragrant wild lilacs and along the river.

Whiskeytown Falls goes on and on. It is over 220 feet.

We kept going up and up

And looked over the top

On the way back to the trail head we stopped here for a picnic.

Crystal Creek Falls is a picturesque "man-made" waterfall in the park. The water was diverted when an overflow structure was built to reroute excess water from a quarry tunnel.

Grass Valley, CA

We are going to visit Bob and Melinda who have a home in Grass Valley. They are avid travelers and wonderful friends. Their home is nestled in the trees. While outside on their patio we saw deer and wild turkeys. The sound of the creek is soothing and peaceful. 

Bob was shocked to see that Becky and Steve had joined us from Idaho for a surprise visit.

Rob and Sarah took us out for a great day boating on Lake Wildwood.

How fortunate are we?!!

Robert has a crush on Mrs. Robinson. Who could blame him?

 

We were so happy to see Maggie and meet her new friend Scooter

Melinda and Bob are wonderful hosts and tour guides. While at the Empire Mine and took the Garden and Mine tours.

Although these yellow roses had already bloomed, we were informed the owner had traveled to Asia to bring them home. At the time only red and pink roses were available in the U.S.

The owners vacation home was on the property of the mine, however miners were not allowed on this part of the property. For obvious reasons the owners guests did not go to the mines either.

The rocks that were taken from the mine were broken down to golf size rocks. Then they were put under these to pulverize them.

The Empire Mine produced more gold than any other mine during the Gold Rush. At the height of production they made one gold bar every other day. How much does one gold bar weigh? Guess.

One gold bar that measures 4" x 3" x 10" weighs 69 pounds.

Our final day brought us to Bridgeport Historic Ranch on the Yuba River. This is the longest single span covered bridge in the United States at 229 feet. 

These tolls are pretty steep but when you're on the major transportation route from the San Francisco Bay area to the gold mines of California and silver mines of Nevada, you pay up. They said at it's peak over 100 wagons per day crossed the covered bridge.

During the 1997 flood the waters of the Yuba River reached the roadway, causing significant damage.

The Kneebone family built this gas station in 1927. They sold gas for 12 cents a gallon along with fresh fruits and vegetables from their farm.

The barn was filled with wagons and 

The road to the bridge was lined with rock walls built by Chinese laborers to constrain wagon teams and keep livestock contained. We ate some wild mulberries along the walk.

Bye bye Maggie and Scooter. Until next time.

Rolling in Reno, Nevada area

Driving on Hwy 395 along the Eastern Sierra Nevada's north from California into Nevada we encountered a bit of weather. We soon moved out of it to our destination.

We are in Carson City and Reno for about 10 days and there is plenty for us to do. We enjoy actually being in a city for a change, rather than the outskirts so we have easy access to amenities Travelling with our bicycles is great. One fine day we took a ride along the Truckee River Trail in downtown Reno.

It is a lovely area. In the heart of the city there are "gates" for kayakers to go through. As the Truckee River flows downstream there are several Class 5 rapids between Reno and Truckee. We stopped at the National Car Museum. They have an impressive collection of cars.

About 30 miles away is Virginia City. We are in gold country and the history is rich here. It's Mother's Day and we stopped at the Bucket of Blood Saloon for a Bloody Mary to start the day. 

We talked with the bartender while a neighbor delivered her a delicious looking Eggs Benedict from across the street. 

Like most of the mining towns we've been to it's built on a steep hill.

Yet, it's a tourist town, and we can only entertain ourselves for so long.

Until, of course, I find the local cemetery.

Another day we drove to Lake Tahoe. It was crisp and cool. We took a bike ride around Zephyr Cove area. 

We stopped in the busy South Lake Tahoe area. The only way you can tell you've crossed from Nevada into California is the lack of casinos.

The air is so clean and the sky a brilliant blue. 

We ended our driving loop going through Genoa, Nevada. It is the home of the first Mormon settlement in Nevada and a very important Pony Express stop. The pioneers never cease to amaze me.