Indian Creek Lodge to Redding 08-18-11

I am in Mount Shasta City tonight, checked into a swank resort where I cannot hear any traffic - silence reigns supreme!  There is a heavy bodied bug bumping into the window because I have a bright light on over the table.  No "in between" - either on brightly, or off and pitch dark.  I am very tired, so I will only show the pictures driving to Redding and save the others for tomorrow night as I am staying here two nights. Tomorrow I intend to sew all day.  I will probably have to go out to eat as I don't have much in my cooler.  The one piece of bread, half an avocado and two little chunks of cheese sliced verrrry thin made dinner tonight.  I do have PB & jelly on crackers to fall back on.  And two hard boiled eggs.

 

Only a few miles east of the motel we hit the construction zone.  They are repaving the westbound lane(s), so the traffic is allowed alternately in the remaining lane.  Weren't we lucky, we were only the second car.  We sat there about 17 minutes.

Then we set off - the white truck is the "Follow Me" guy.

We only drove about 15mph, so I had time to admire the scenery. Can you believe that BLUE sky?

When we came to where the westbound traffic was waiting the "Follow Me" truck did a U turn and pulled in front of that line of cars.  Corky was complaining and I thought he needed a pit stop, but when I walked him up and down in a parking area he didn't do anything.  However, he continued to complain and jump all over in his seat until he managed to knock it over.  His parents said he was a pill when they drove to the motel on Sunday, but thought it was because his mommy was driving the very twisty road with lots of 20mph curves and his daddy was holding him - usually it is the other way around.  But now we think it was a combination of twisty road and high embankments on either side much of the way.  Corky is usually a great traveler, but that is in the desert - the flat lands where he can see great distances out either window.  I finally pulled over and made some adjustments.  I held him in my left arm while he rested on a pillow in my lap and had his nose glued to the driver's side window.  I hooked his seat belt onto mine - in case of an accident we would be attached - and drove with my right hand and as slowly as I could.  There wasn't much traffic.   He was still frantic at times when the embankment rose straight up and and he was panting as though he was going to have a stroke.  We met his parents at the designated spot in Redding and he quickly went to sleep in his carrier when they started south on I-5.  He slept most of the way until they stopped for the night.  Poor little guy, he has never traveled so far and never on mountain roads.

One of the places we stopped along the road had a huge patch of asters - like pieces dropped from the sky.  Seems early yet, but we were up about 2000 feet and, of course, further north.

After the stressful drive down to Redding I spotted a Cold Stone Ice Cream store, stop for a medium bowl of Sweet Cream w/cherry pie filling and Kit Kat bars ("Del's Delight") and drove over to Turtle Bay Park to sit under a tree and watch the Sacramento River run south.  Of course, by the time I got there I had to drink about half the ice cream - it was delicious that way also!  The famous Sundial Bridge goes over the river from Turtle Bay to connect to the river trails system and the campus of a local college.

http://www.turtlebay.org/sundialbridge   I did not get out and walk this trip due to my ankle, but it is  fascinating architecture.

 

There were Canadian geese along the river and...

.. also red-headed mergansers which are diving ducks.  They pop to the surface and paddle upstream against the strong current at a speed that is amazing.  Suddenly, they disappear underwater again.  They were working the shallower side of the river.  You can see the white ripples where the deep water begins and runs along the opposite bank - I've never seen the Sacramento going so fast - a result of all the snow California mountains received last winter and the very slow arrival of summer. 

 This little island is right at the edge of the deep water and was crowded with mergansers and Canadian geese.

In keeping with the dictum of Katharine Hepburn I never pass up a chance to pee and there were  freestanding restrooms near the river shore.  I was surprised to find them to be top of the line and decorated inside with lovely pictures printed on ceramic tiles.  Kewl!  I might research this for when I have my master bathroom remodeled. 

I drove north on I-5, but was so tired I didn't get far.  So, I will post those other pictures tomorrow night.  Right now I am going to fall into bed! 

     #   #   #