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Sacramento to Redding
Sep. 26th, 2011 07:03 pmMy flight got in late last night, so my drive from Sacremento to Redding CA was in the dark. Since I've never heard anybody wax lyricly about the scenic beauty of the Central Valley, I assume I didn't miss much! At any rate, I got to the Holiday Inn @ Redding with no incident. Yeah, I know the cool kids don't stay at Holiday Inns, but then they don't go to Redding either.
Lassen Volcanic Park was impressive - you can still see damage from the 1915 eruption. The park is never very crowded, and on a Monday in September I practically had the place to myself. Lots of pretty scenery, and I got to see my first hot spring. The big attraction, Bumpass Hell, is on a 3 mile hike with 500 feet of elevation, all at 8000 feet. I skipped it.
Getting to the park was interesting. The road, CA 44, is a 'freeway' but only 2 lanes wide. It was lined by small ranches, but the only town before the park, Shingletown, is a couple of mini-marts and a school. You could tell it was a tourist area - the mart I stopped in had a big wine selection!
Coming back, I got treated to a California invention - the pilot truck. Basically, they were doing road work on yet another 2-lane road, so they formed up convoys to take traffic through construction.
Speaking of treats, the hotel is giving me a free drink, and they have ribeye on the menu, so, signing off for now. Tomorrow is the run north to Crater Lake, and an overnight at Klamath Falls.
Lassen Volcanic Park was impressive - you can still see damage from the 1915 eruption. The park is never very crowded, and on a Monday in September I practically had the place to myself. Lots of pretty scenery, and I got to see my first hot spring. The big attraction, Bumpass Hell, is on a 3 mile hike with 500 feet of elevation, all at 8000 feet. I skipped it.
Getting to the park was interesting. The road, CA 44, is a 'freeway' but only 2 lanes wide. It was lined by small ranches, but the only town before the park, Shingletown, is a couple of mini-marts and a school. You could tell it was a tourist area - the mart I stopped in had a big wine selection!
Coming back, I got treated to a California invention - the pilot truck. Basically, they were doing road work on yet another 2-lane road, so they formed up convoys to take traffic through construction.
Speaking of treats, the hotel is giving me a free drink, and they have ribeye on the menu, so, signing off for now. Tomorrow is the run north to Crater Lake, and an overnight at Klamath Falls.