All Things Bright and Beautiful

We've experienced it many places. When in a place of great beauty, people get quiet, the atmosphere is hushed. No matter what country they come from, what language they speak, there is a universal sense of awe when one is in the presence of something so massive, or so stunningly beautiful, so mind boggling that one feels they are in the presence of something sacred. In Muir Woods this month there is even a section called the Cathedral and a sign asking you not to talk. The massive Redwoods, the ferns, the sun throwing dapples all around the shade - everyone hushes and slows and feels gratitude for being in this space.

We have experienced so much beauty in California this past month. Aside from gas prices (from $3.95 - $4.49 a gallon!) and the high price of groceries, we think California is a lovely place. Everything is big in California. The strawberries, the flowers, the oysters, the rocks, and the trees. Even the snow was so big this winter that it is still blocking roads to places we had planned on seeing like Mt Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Parked at Shingleton, CA we were at a higher elevation and it was cold and rainy a lot of the days we were there.  Some days we did little but read and watch movies. I admit I complained that we had not been able to sit outside for months due to the cold and that we were not planning well to be this far north in the spring. Steve agreed we had not anticipated May to be so wet and chilly. But there were days the sun shined and we ventured out to nearby places in the car.

From Shingletown we took excursions to State Parks along the coast, Napa Valley's vineyards, and to Muir Woods. Long miles of the California coast are protected from development by state parks and there are so many awesome spots to watch the ocean and see the flowers and foliage that grow along side it. 

The sand is black

One of many unusual wild flowers on the coast

Near Salmon creek this path follows the coast for a couple of miles.

More coastal flowers.

Walking along the coast.

We felt we had the world to ourselves.

Huge 3-4 inch long oysters- yum

We visited two vineyards in Napa Valley where we were given tastings and a tour. Things we learned included how much work the vineyards are for a whole crew of people, that frequently the vineyards have been in the same family for many years, and the family and their workers become a very tight team. I come from a dairy farm that was a lot of work but I think the vineyards must be at least that demanding or more.

See the tiny baby grapes!

Family truck

Old trucks still used at Turnbull Vineyards.

Frog's Leap Vineyard has a garden that feeds the workers.

Roses everywhere at Frog's Leap.

Inside the keg room at Frog's Leap vineyards.

 We saw so many rose bushes at the end of rows in the vineyards and learned that roses in vineyards are like the “canary in the coal mine”. If the roses show sign of disease or fungus then probably the vines have the same problem.

"Canary" roses at the end of each row of vines.

Large roses.

The same vineyard frequently has grapes growing in different plots and the grapes of each place have unique flavor due to differences in types of grapes, elevation, soil content and moisture. It is the experimenting with mixtures of several kinds of grapes that gives each of their wines a different flavor.

A long walk in Muir Woods made another wonderful day. It was like a magical Eden with its green, lush foliage and immense redwoods- a very beautiful place I was glad we visited.

Lovely walk among the giant trees.

Muir Woods path

Muir Woods path with natural border

More beauty at Muir Woods.

 We tried to go to Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park but as you can see from the pictures, we could not go beyond the Visitor’s Center due to the deep snow still on the roads. As we drove down the mountain we could see the black lava rocks the volcano had spewed for over 20 miles from the last eruptions in 1915 and 1917. Then a mixture of SNOW! and rain came down. Snowing in May!

Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park Visitor Center

A little snow left in the parking lot

Mt. Lassen

Black Lava Rocks everywhere.

It was a little bit warmer the day we drove to Sausalito, a small quaint town across the bridge from San Francisco. There are a lot of great shops and restaurants there.

Pizza lunch in Sausalito

Lunch view of San Francisco from Sausalito

A week ago we arrived in Redding which is at a lower elevation and we were immediately warmer and enjoyed an outdoor potluck on Memorial Day weekend with other campers. We were able to go biking for the first time in months and enjoyed the Shasta Caverns, Shasta River, and views of Lake Shasta. To get to the Caverns we rode a ferry across Lake Shasta.

First you walk many steps down to the ferry that will take you across the lake to the caverns.

Then you ride the ferry one mile across Lake Shasta

Lake Shasta Caverns

More Cavern views

View of Lake Shasta from the cavern entrance.

Here in the Redding Green Acres RV park we are with people with diverse stories. We met two couples who lost their homes in the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise last year. They are living in RV’s until they decide whether to rebuild or relocate. We met a traveling nurse who is probably in his early 30’s who is working on his Family Nurse Practitioner degree. His wife and 2 year old daughter are traveling with him. They plan to move back to Kentucky near family eventually. We met two couples from Wisconsin and Illinois who park here in the winter to be near grandchildren who live in Redding.

Corn hole toss with fellow campers.

Sunday we were finally able to go biking- for the first time in months - along the Shasta River.

Biked across the Sundial Bridge

Burney Falls

So much moisture from the falls that the rocks are covered with moss.

Today, while walking in Castle Crags State Park we saw prisoners in the woods sawing up downed trees. We thought about how happy they must be to be working outside rather than penned up and wondered how much the state saves in using prisoners to do state work.

Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation!

Us at Castle Crags

View in Castle Crags State Park

From the view of Castle Crags turn 45 degrees and see Mount Shasta, a dormant volcano

Yak on the 5 is a famous burger place in the tiny town of Dunsmuir. Even the burgers are big in California.

 We will always think of California as one of the the most awe-inspiring states we have visited.

P.S. I used my Relief Band so much this month I had to put in new batteries. I get motion sickness on boats and in cars when they are going around curves, up and down rapidly or even just jostling over rough roads. If it was not for my Relief Band I would have been car-sick most days this month. It seems everywhere we go, a curvy mountainous road must be traveled to get there. A Relief Band operates on the Acupuncture technique of stimulating the median nerve on the inner wrist below your thumb. When it first came out you had to have a prescription for it. It was first marketed for cancer patients to control nausea and vomiting from chemo and then later as Prima Bella band for pregnant women who have nausea. Now it is available at Walmart. Unlike Seabands that just have a button that presses on the nerve, the Relief Band sends an electric pulse to the nerve and you can control how often it pulses.  For me it is a wonderful cure and makes it possible for me "go places" comfortably.