Shasta Journey, Part VI

Shooting range for firearms and archers, along Highway 99.

There was a 2 hour leg of the journey I didn't document, but should have, between Burney Falls and the beginning of Highway 99 in Red Bluff, because some of that included dramatic vistas, such as seeing the snow-covered Trinity Alps in the distant West, some breath-taking views of Mount Lassen and other peaks in the NE part of California, as well as a variety of ecosystems. Highway 99 is another North-South Road, just a bit east of Interstate 5, and was the original road for the Central Valley.

Typical sights along 99.

Quite a few improvised signs advertising produce stands, and a mix of produce, including many well-established orchards along with new ones just planted.

Walnuts? I wonder how many of these folks will try to grow cannabis once it gets legalized? Then again, the prices will likely crater. Not like I care either way, just think prohibition never works.

Plenty of storage facilities.

Co-op in Chico, CA.

We saw so much rice being cultivated in the valley, and Chico's right in the middle of it.

Cal State Chico. Reputation as a real party school. Since Sierra Nevada is based there, no wonder. Nice looking town.

Rice fields. Note the water.

BBQ chicken stand. Nice smokey flavor, and he gave us a cup of salsa so picante I swear it grew some extra hairs on my chest, ears, eyebrows, and nether regions.

Kept thinking of that crop duster scene from North By Northwest.

Drawing close to "civilization." Nearly forgot to mention. The temperature from Redding all the way to a few miles east of Vallejo was around 98. Sure glad I don't live there. 

And, finally, Woodland. From here, it was a short trip home.

Shasta Journey, Part V

I probably heard about Burney Falls in the past, but it wasn't until this past weekend that I had the notion that this was a place worth checking out, and, in fact, we were going to be close to it. It is not only a Natural Wonder, but sacred and divine in my view.

Crossing Lake Britton which the falls feeds into. Pretty sure this is all part of the Pitt River watershed, originally settled by the Pitt people.

California Civilian Conservation Corps cabin built on the grounds in the 1930s. Public works that are of lasting benefit to the Public? What a concept!

I also have 15 seconds of video I tried to upload on part III of this series.

Shasta Journey, Part IV

Yesterday morning we left the Mount Shasta area, and started heading towards Medicine Lake to hunt for mushrooms, deep in the national forests.

We headed east from the Weed, Shasta and McCloud area on 89, took a left on forest road 15, then took the branch from there on forest road 49.

After a while, we drove through a section of the forest full of igneous rocks.

Decided to search this area. We were getting way up there in elevation, evidenced by the hard pack snow on the ground. No luck here.

Note the moss on the pine trunks.

Snow blocking the road. With no snow tires, no way were we going to risk driving the rental car through that. At this point we were only about 5 miles from Medicine Lake.

More intersection of lava fields and forest.

Well. Back onto the main roads, where potholes are filled and fallen trees aren't blocking half the road.

Shasta Journey, Part III

This fifteen seconds of unedited Quick Time video shot on my digital camera took about 15 minutes to upload here. Be warned. 

This is video/sound footage of the "Eighth Wonder of the World," according to Teddy Roosevelt, the McArthur Burney Falls.

Shasta Journey, Part II

Superb Indian Cuisine at Glassy Junction, in Weed, CA.  

We lucked out and found a room in Shasta that allowed dogs. It was a little more than Motel 6, but the shower I took Sunday morning was so exhilarating it was worth the extra money. Combination of water pressure, pure water, and a massage effect on my cranium from all those spry little bubbles. Felt like a thousand enlightened gnomes were applying acupuncture and shiatsu massage. 

On our way back from getting the water bottle filled at the Shasta Springs, I spotted this view of the sacred mountain.

Above and below: breakfast at Lily's, a locavore/organic restaurant in Shasta, which is more centered around salads, but I thought their Smoked  Salmon Benedict was divine (though a bit odd they used mixed greens instead of spinach); Robin didn't like her Chicken Fried Steak as much. 

Here's 5 photos of Mt. Shasta.

I can't believe how great this food was last night, and it completely changes my frames of reference for Weed and the region around Mt. Shasta, even Northern California itself. So how odd is it that a restaurant that's been known for pizza & BBQ, which recently started serving Indian cuisine was packed last night full of Indians (with one or two tables with Anglos), meanwhile the old part of the restaurant is empty?

Perhaps the explanation has to do with the fact that Weed, CA has a junior college, College of the Siskiyous, which feeds many students into places like UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and various Cal State colleges. Many of those students are foreign students, including Indians, keen on paying cheap rent, and hey, the rent's pretty cheap in this part of the state. If it wasn't for immigrants, would there be enough demand for an Indian restaurant way out here?

Garlic Naan. Clearly made from scratch using a tandoori oven. You can't fake bubbles like that. Perfect blend of dough and crisp.

Chicken Biryani. Absolutely stunning. All about the intense spice blend. Rice though was perfectly cooked and redolent of saffron, clove and other spices. Chicken was more like a flavoring, but succulent & tender.

At left, a perfect bowl of basmati rice, and to the right: Goat Saag. Praise be to all the Deities of the Hindu Pantheon, especially mighty Ganesh. Hallelujah! Great spinach flavor blended with the intense flavor & aroma of goat, so tender, so buttery, and yet it occurred to me they probably used ghee.

This was so exquisite, I'm pretty sure I've never had better Indian food in a restaurant in my life.