Northern California

From Sacramento I headed toward altitude and forest cover hoping to find some heat relief. Into the Sierra Nevada mountains and 3 days at Lake Tahoe. OMG, I had never seen any of that area before. It was absolutely spectacular. Even with the evidence of the most recent fires, it was absolutely stunning to behold the lakes and forests and sky in all their jewel-toned hues. At one point I found myself driving across a strip of land (glacial moraine, I believe, for all you rock-geeks out there) high above two crystal-blue lakes, one on either side of the road. The little joy buzzer on the dashboard was blinking like crazy. That night I had to sleep on an ice pack because the muscles in the back of my neck were so tired from holding the top of my head on, while I smiled with glee.

From Tahoe, I decided to stick to the mountains for the elevation to moderate the heat. First night was in Sierraville, CA near the CA/NV border. It is a crossroads on the map, well not even a crossroads, but a three way stop. Population 350 and an equal number of cattle. At least the barber had a good sense of humor. A great jumping off point to explore the Tahoe National Forest. Great hikes and dazzling views. I felt like I had the place all to myself as long as I got out early and hiked uphill no one bothered me.

In Tahoe I was adopted by a family in the camp where I was staying. They insisted that I must go up toward the Oregon border to see Burney Falls and, of course Mount Shasta. I always take sightseeing advice from the locals, so I pulled up stakes for Burney/Hat Creek CA. It didn’t occur to me that those names had been heavily associated with the Dixie fire, but I found that out soon enough. The scenery and scale of the terrain was breathtaking, in a lot of ways.

Next, I’m headed to Lassen Volcano National Park CA and then on to Idaho. Need to pick up the pace a bit because my calendar reveals plans to rendezvous with family and friends on the other side of the country in early August.