4/22 - 4/29 In Shasta's Shadow
4/24 - We find ourselves retracing our steps from 4 months ago as we work our way back to our home port. I had intended to take a more circuitous route through northeastern California's high desert country, but eBoy has developed a transmission fluid leak. So we're taking the direct route via I5, planning to get this repaired at home.
This leg of our voyage began with a short trip back south to Rocklin where we spent Friday night in the Camping World parking lot, lulled to sleep by the sound of rushing traffic on I80. The stopover worked out well; Gypsy is now sporting her brand new awning, Timmy got a haircut & I did the laundry while we were waiting. Then we dropped in on my niece Sarah & her guy Rob who live just 30 minutes away in Sacramento. We camped on their side street after savoring Rob's great barbecue of pork chops & ribs. I've now been able to visit all 3 of my California nieces on this trip.
Sunday morning we were back headed north on I5, through off & on showers. Despite the rain, the Sacramento Valley is already drying out & the lush spring greens are turning to summer golds & browns. But in the higher country near Mount Shasta, it is still early spring, with trees just beginning to leaf out. The clouds obscured the mountain, always an awesome landmark when it is visible. But we'll see more of her.
We're camped at Lake Shastina, just a few miles north of & only
figuratively in Shasta's shadow & a little northeast of the town
of Weed. The lake is a smallish reservoir on the Shasta River, nestled
among a range of sparsely wooded cinder cones. The vegetation here is
juniper, ponderosa pine & sage brush, typical of northeastern California.
White pelicans, gulls, cormorants & Canada geese grace the lake;
killdeer & quail wander the shore.
Lake Shastina Gallery
The weather is going to be a little dicey this week, with a couple of cloudy days promised & some cooler weather. But I think we'll get enough sun so that we can stay put until Friday. I've still got several days to go on my nonresident fishing license, so we'll see if my luck improves.
4/26 - After a rather blustery day yesterday, today was nearly perfect.
It was warm & for most of the day so calm that the lake was like
a mirror. Late in the afternoon I tried my luck in the lake, but came
up empty. So we've still got an oh'fer going on this voyage, at least
in the fishing department. We weren't alone today, as several
boats that we encountered at the dock also came in empty. But we explored
the lake a bit, encountering gaggles of goslings at the upper end. I also
came across what I think was a killdeer nest in the flat grassy area between
the woods & the lake: 3 darkly spotted, pointy eggs (points down)
clustered in a bare depression in the gravel. You wonder how a nest like
that can produce chicks, but as I tried unsuccessfuly to find it again
to take a picture, I realized how well camouflaged it was. In the evening
we had a campfire, our first in several weeks, & watched the dusk
turn to twilight. Dimples on the lake indicated that maybe we started
fishing too early.
is a minor aniversary for us. We've been on the road for 4 months now.
And we also completed our 5th week since we were last plugged into the
grid. We may just get the hang of this after all!
4/27 - I finally relocated the killdeer nest for a photo on the third try. I knew I had to be close because one of them was doing her best to distract us & lead us away. The photo shows how well camouflaged the eggs are.
We've got some weather coming in today, strong gusty winds & threatening
clouds. I took the awning down as a precaution. Don't want to lose it
again so soon.
4/28 - We'll be wrapping up here tomorrow & heading north to Eugene with a stopover in Medford. I plan to write up a summary of this entire voyage after we arrive in port. We probably won't launch another extended trip until late June or possibly July, but I do hope to make a couple of shorter forays after eBoy gets tightened up & Gypsy has some warranty work completed. I also plan to spend some quality time over the next few weeks standing in the McKenzie River.
Lake Shastina has been a very nice place to stay. Last night's storm was wet & wild, and it was still cool & damp this morning. But the afternoon has been quite pleasant. I'd like to get in a steak barbecue this evening & have one more go at fishing toward sunset.
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