Redding, CA

I arrived in Redding, CA at 3:30 pm and got the shock of my life when I opened my car door at the motel and stepped into a furnace. It is 103F here, and I've spent the last two months in beautifully cool temperatures. I haven't checked to see what Sacramento is like, but Redding is always hotter. (Just checked and Sac is 96 with a low of 59 tonight--Redding's low will be 70, so I'm going to get an early start in the morning. Just 3 hrs or so and I'll be back home. It's not hard to believe I was cold at Crater Lake this morning at 7600 feet in elevation!

When I came through Redmond OR yesterday I saw a billboard advertising an Italian restaurant, and the big caption read: "Legalize Marinara". I thought that was pretty funny, and then today I drove through Weed, CA. The signs here say "I Love Weed".

This picture was taken yesterday, and shows the river between Washington and Oregon - the hills are on the Washington side. I love photos that depict reflections.


Entering Crater Lake area:


Now I'm going to inundate you with snow pictures:







I saw a pull-out and decided to see what view could be seen. I was so glad I did, and you can see a rushing stream to the right of center in the picture.



I met two very nice couples who travel together - one from Massachusetts and the other from Arizona. I took their picture, and they were kind enough to take mine. We had a nice discussion about traveling, the National parks, and so on. It made the stop worth-while, in addition to the views.



Further down the hill was a turn-out for a rest area, so Lady and I took a walk around. This building is a snow shelter, and I suppose since parts of the Park are open for winter recreation, it could come in very handy. I could easily make this building my home:




And finally for today, a shot of beautiful Mt. Shasta taken through buggy windows!


This journey is nearly over, and I'm already planning the next one, but in the meantime I want to come back to Crater Lake and do some tent camping. Maybe in the early fall, when the bulk of the tourists will be gone and before the snows start to fall. There is so much to do and see here, but I think I need to leave the dog at home.

I will close with something that comes from my heart. "God bless Teddy Roosevelt!!!" He had such great foresight to see that the nation needed to protect its wilderness and lands that would otherwise be developed and desecrated.

(By the way, I haven't found the connector cord that allows me to upload my pictures from the camera to the computer, but DUH!, I realized I could remove the memory card in the camera and insert it into the computer.)