Wow, I'm only just finding the time to sit down and write a post about all the excitement we had showing our corner of the world to Joe, who left sunny, warm Key West to come spend a week with us here in northern California.
After he'd been over and met the family, he and I headed off to Burney Falls, over by Mt. Lassen. As usual, it was beautiful and green, even with a bit of snow still on the ground!
It always astounds me that not only does the water flow over the top of the falls, but out from various levels too. And most of that water comes from a single spring!
The other thing that always gets me about these falls is that they are so HUGE. When I think of waterfalls on the mainland, I think small streams over gentle rocky inclines, not huge dropoffs that have thousands of gallons spilling over every day! But Burney reminds me of falls on Maui, like the one at the end of the Bamboo Forest Trail.
After admiring the falls, Joe and I actually ended up hiking to the headwaters spring and beyond. We were expecting a big spring like the one at Meramac Caverns in Missouri (by Raleigh), but the headwaters were just a wide spot in the creek, so we ended up passing it by. We actually were hiking along the creek just off the Pacific Crest Trail for quite a long time. But it was very pretty, as you can see, and worth missing the headwaters on the way upstream, though we did pass by there on the way back!
After Burney, we drove home past Lassen and had entertained thoughts of going up to see Manzanita Lake at least, but then we actually got to Lassen and changed our minds. Too much snow!
Next day we rode the Sacramento River Trail and had a wonderful time admiring the blossoms, water, and mountains.
All those blossoms make me think of Anne Shirley's White Way of Delight!
Then we spent two days on the coast. We went to Samoa Island hoping to see the seals, but they weren't there. The shell collecting was primo though.
It always astounds me that not only does the water flow over the top of the falls, but out from various levels too. And most of that water comes from a single spring!
The other thing that always gets me about these falls is that they are so HUGE. When I think of waterfalls on the mainland, I think small streams over gentle rocky inclines, not huge dropoffs that have thousands of gallons spilling over every day! But Burney reminds me of falls on Maui, like the one at the end of the Bamboo Forest Trail.
After admiring the falls, Joe and I actually ended up hiking to the headwaters spring and beyond. We were expecting a big spring like the one at Meramac Caverns in Missouri (by Raleigh), but the headwaters were just a wide spot in the creek, so we ended up passing it by. We actually were hiking along the creek just off the Pacific Crest Trail for quite a long time. But it was very pretty, as you can see, and worth missing the headwaters on the way upstream, though we did pass by there on the way back!
After Burney, we drove home past Lassen and had entertained thoughts of going up to see Manzanita Lake at least, but then we actually got to Lassen and changed our minds. Too much snow!
Next day we rode the Sacramento River Trail and had a wonderful time admiring the blossoms, water, and mountains.
All those blossoms make me think of Anne Shirley's White Way of Delight!Then we spent two days on the coast. We went to Samoa Island hoping to see the seals, but they weren't there. The shell collecting was primo though.
And was the water as cold as it looked?
Yes!
Our favorite town Ferndale was next. It is always beautiful, so very green and rural.
Plus it is right on the coastline, so it is the perfect town! Rural and with ocean access, my favorite. Course, it might be kind of hard to scale those cliffs...
And of course we had to go see the redwoods. They are so huge, it is mind boggling. Shoot, they live in two climatic zones. Pretty impressive!
And we finally got to drive through one! It was quite nerve racking because even with the mirrors pulled in it was a pretty tight fit.
I just had to include this picture. The only way he could see out was through a little spot in the windshield, but he sure must've had a great day out muddin'!
Before we left for the drive home, we had to stop at our favorite California beach: Clam Beach. Vanessa and I were drooling over these four horses. Not only were they beautiful but exceptionally well trained too because as soon as they got out on the beach the lady just turned them loose and they all followed her. Too cool!
It was extremeley cold out there near the water and the shells weren't as good as out at Samoa Point, so Vanessa, Joe and I headed to the dunes, which are completely awesome.
They are excellent for chasing each other through
and being goofballs.
After only a couple of near death experiences on the drive back from the coast, Joe and I spent the next couple of days driving through the orchards and hiking on BLM land.
All in all, we had a really wonderful time. The weather was perfect here in the valley, it was beautiful, and we had a ton of fun. Now we just can't wait for him to visit again!
2 comments:
Well I had an incredible time out there and it was really good of you family to put up with me. You posted some really nice pictures. Thank you Veronica for everything. Joe
Sounds like you had a great time! Love the pics - especially all of you being goofy at the dunes! :)
Post a Comment