Saturday 7-21-2018

OK, here it comes.

One thing I forgot to tell you about Mt. Lassen National Park, is that I used the Geezer Pass and got in FREE.

Saturday morning found us heading North on Interstate 5 toward the town of Dunsmuir, California. It's about 45 miles from Redding. On the way, I took this photo of Mt. Shasta. I might add that this too, is a volcano.

Mt. Shasta

We arrived in Dunsmuir about 11:15 and it took a few minutes to find Yak's. When we did, only to find it opened at 11:30 so we had a few minutes wait.In that few minutes, an additional 4 or 5 cars parked waiting for the diner to open.

Yak's on the 5

Here it is, the Winking Lizard Burger.

Burger, fried egg, fried onion strings, Jack Cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato with a side of fries. I'd say a good 8 inches tall. Even with my big mouth, I had to eat it in layers. I would tell you what my wife had, but I don't remember.

After stuffing ourselves we headed back down the highway to Castle Crags State Park. 

Castle Crags

After you enter the park, you drive up this road big enough for one vehicle only to the "Vista Point". By the way, they have signs that say "Yield to uphill traffic" which is the law, but apparently people can't read, can't comprehend, or are just to stupid to understand the rule. I put one guy in the ditch (on the hill side of the road) because he wouldn't back-up to the pullout about 25 feet behind him.

Drawing

This is a hand drawing (and nicely done) of the area you see from the "Vista Point". 

This explains Castle Crags

Sorry, but the shadows are from surrounding trees.

Place called Gray Rocks explanation

Another of those geological wonders you find all over our country.

Gray Rocks

It wasn't a very long tour. I think we might have been in  the park a half hour at most.

Then it was time to find the local wineries.

I remembered a sign for 10 of them on Highway 44 toward Mt. Lassen Park so we headed out that way. We drove quite a ways before finally giving up and pulling out the old GPS.

Came to find out we were waaaay off. Following the GPS put us on a road called Ash Creek. There we found this:

The fence

This fence was about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide and went for miles and I mean miles. Before I give you the story, think of the labor involved in making this fence.

As the newspaper story goes, ranch hands cleared the land for cattle by stacking the stones and making the fence.

The locals have a different story. The ranch began around the 1890's and had a batch of indentured "servants". It's said that they did part of the fence. During WWII, it's said (local gossip again) that the Japanese in the local internment camps were used. Free labor, both. Who knows, only the people now gone know the truth. 

Sunday morning breakfast was sticky buns.

So, there you have it. Burgers, Sticky Buns, and two Parks.

Stay tuned.