October 2, 2013
From the moment we started planning our trip we decided to spend at least two weeks in California. We wanted to see some of the sights in places we had never been. So we started south to the northern city of Redding CA.
Redding is close to Shasta Lake, one of the largest and most populated in CA. It is man made and a favorite boating destination. Besides the many yachts and houseboats, it is also home to a large group of caverns, 600 feet into the mountain. To get to the caverns you have to take a 30 minute boat ride and descend over 600 steps. Very challenging. Also, in the center of Redding is a huge park and home to the Sundial Bridge. Unique in that its a working sundial and much of the span is composed of glass panels. After a brisk walk we suddenly realized we were in California as we listened to a small concert in a cafe with 150 varieties of cappuccino. Totally a west coast thing.
That area of California is also very mountainous and the beginning of the plateau leading to the Sacramento Delta. The coastline of that area was very similar to Oregon but had a more developed feel. Still a lot of crop farms, but the cities were much more expansive that what we saw in Oregon.
At our next stop we ended up in the middle of the Sacramento delta in the small town of Isleton. This is actually halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and in a huge expansive river area with hundreds of low lying inlets and river estuaries. Our campsite was on the end of a long loop through many boat slips on one side and crop farms on the other, Our actual campsite was 30 feet below the rivers water level. Entrance to campground had warnings about frequent flooding. For the entire stay we lucked out as the weather was warm and sunny with no rain. In our travels throughout the delta we kept seeing signs to "Stop the Tunnels". It seems there is quite a bit of controversy in California because of Governor Jerry Brown's plan to divert the water from the delta down to southern california for crop and farming purposes. As far as I can tell the plan involves water tunnels similar to the common aqueducts you see in many parts of the state. Many millions of dollars had been committed to the project despite the opposition. When we eventually went south, many of the farms had signs decrying the fact that they had not seen any water despite the promises. Interesting fact. Due the lack of water in the south many acres of farm land had been converted from growing avocados and olives to almonds. Almonds take 1/3 the water to grow.
Being there for three days we divided our time into another visit to see more cousins (Beth, Luann,Patty, and Loretta), and a trip to Muir Woods. Beth lives in Dubllin and hosted us for a lunch. But before the lunch we decided to find a Catholic, Episcopal, or Lutheran church and go to Mass. We ended up St Anselm's Episcopal in Lafayette, CA. It was an interesting experience to say the least. The rite was traditional. But it was the first church we attended where the readings were paraphrased/interpreted from the original text and the Lord's Prayer had parts changed. Left us wondering if this was a local tradition or symptomatic of the unique ways of California.
We arrived at Beth's after church and she had a large sit down meal prepared. After the meal we had a chance to visit and catch up after many years. We shared a lot of laughs and memories and had a wonderful time. Our trip to Muir Woods was very scenic and once again snaked up and down mountainous roads. MuirWoods is the perfect place to get a sampling the California Redwood forest. The trees are hundreds of years old and actually grow in family groups. Totally peaceful and awe inspiring. Contrasted very nicely with the man made wonders of the bridges (Golden Gate and Richmond) which we travelled on our way.
On our last day we journeyed south towards our destination of Needles CA. After a quick overnight in Bakersfield, CA, we ended up in a large campground along the banks of the Colorado River. Needles is at the nexus of Arizona, California, and Nevada, so we had our choice of things to do. Note that all the things we heard about Needles are totally true. One of the hottest places in America. Each day was over 100 degrees.
Since we arrived realtively early, we decided to go out and see the gambling mecca of Loughlin, NV. Loughlin took its cue from Las Vegas and has a huge strip with mega hotels and live well-known entertainers. We stopped at the Aurora, one of the largest casinos, and found it relatively empty. Overall we were disappointed as the casinos in NV are mostly smoking venues. Returning to the campground we took a different route across the river and through Arizona. Must be confusing for some people as the time changes between the two states. Within our 30 minute drive the time changed 3 times!
Before we departed, we made a side trip to see "London Bridge" in Lake Havasu City AZ. Yes, it is one of the original London Bridges imported from England back in the 1980's. They even crafted a river for it to span. Looked like any other street or bridge except for the flags, tourist stores, and hotels that have sprouted all around. Overall we liked the city. It is well laid out, very modern and has great weather all year.