Whenever I drive north or south up I-5 I try to stop in Dunsmuir, a place of pleasant memories and a lovely walk along the Upper Sacramento River. Down stream of Mt. Shasta the water is cold and clear. It has been 20 years or more since a disastrous train wreck that dumped thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the river, impacting the ecology and the economy of the area. Now the fishing is great and other wildlife has returned to "normal" levels. The town originated as a railroad stop with a roundhouse and repair shops for the Southern Pacific after the trains crossed the mountains to the north, so there are remnants of that early life in this town sort of stuck on the side of a hill. The slogan for the town has always been "The best water in the world." with a fountain on the main drag with spigots to access this sparkling clean water. The fountain was once located next to the train depot, which has long been torn down, but moved up the hill to the present location in the (I believe) 1980s. There are some shops located at the bottom of the hill across from the old roundhouse and I sometimes stop at Brown Trout, which has changed owners and inventory over the years. This time I only stopped at the city park along the river which is restorative and provides a bit of walking exercise after hours in the car. There is a nice playground for children. I am posting a lot of images so you can have a feeling of taking the trail along the river.
Exit I-5 at the northern exit and go south along the frontage road until you see the City Park sign on your right (west). The road in isn't very well marked, but it is short - just bear to your right at the intersections.
They currently have this lovely scabiosa growing under the sign.
Here is the car parked in the small lot across from the playground.
One thing about traveling alone is that there are never any pictures to prove one was there! I sometimes use the timer on my camera, but this time asked a couple ladies starting out on a walk with a lovely brown dog. I appreciate their help, but didn't expect to have a tree growing out of my hat!
On the left middle of this image is a train engine, one of four pulling a long line of freight cars up the steep slope. It was VERY noisy, but soon gone and the sound of birds and the rush of water could be heard again.
Along the way are plaques in tribute to individuals or organizations.
Large stones in the middle of the river create places for little flower gardens.
Setting out on the riverside trail to the south...
...and to the north.
Someone has placed an origami dragon on the top of this plaque.
New leaves on an emerging white oak tree.
The last of the dogwood blossoms. Unfortunately the Dogwood Daze celebration isn't until May 23. It is hard to arrange things correctly with Mother Nature.
New dogwood leaves on the same tree.
It is a great place to stop and get close to Nature and just relax a bit before hitting I-5 again - going north or south.
# # #
2 comments:
Gorgeous area and you capture it well with your "eye"
So many lovely sights to see while traveling alone or with a buddy. This reminds me of my time spent in that area. We live in a beautiful state, with gorgeous and diverse scenery. I feel very fortunate to be here. Thanks for the reminders.
Post a Comment