After recuperating a few days, which required naps on the patio furniture during the sunny afternoons, a good book to read, and repeated applications of cabernet or chardonnay, we headed back south for SoCal. It’s a long 2 days drive south, but it’s a route I’ve taken many times.

There’s not much to say about the drive south. The roads are in very good shape, there are lots of services along the roads, and if you can dodge rush hour traffic through Seattle/ Tacoma and Portland its a fast drive. Lots of RVs in Oregon.... part of this may be there are several RV manufacturers with plants along the I-5.

Stopped for lunch at the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. About 3 miles off the road if you know where it is. We had found it some years back with the help of an Audubon Society guide. Had a nice relaxing lunch on under some trees on a small knoll overlooking part of the Willamette Valley. Picnic Table, pit toilets, and no one else around (a couple of cars drove by). Not much going on at the Wildlife Refuge this time of you – but you could watch as local farmers were reaping a field down below, and hear some songbirds singing in the trees. Stretched the legs reading the descriptions of the birds and layout of the Refuge, and had a nice leisurely lunch. Then hit the road again.

Spent the night again in Mt Shasta. To make a two days drive between Vancouver/ Seattle and LA area, you have to travel around 600-700 miles per day. Half way in between the two cities puts you south of the California border somewhere between Yreka and Redding. At some point I’ve stayed in hotels in just about every town along here, but the biggest concentration of hotels being in Redding. For our trip, Mt Shasta is almost exactly half way.

One of the amusing things I always look for when we get near Mt Shasta are the inhabitants of Mt Shasta. Mt Shasta has a reputation as being one of the mystic mountains of the world. Back in the 40's and 50's there were a rash of sitings of people and creatures who lived on Mt Shasta. The theories went around that Mt Shasta was actually the last remanent of Lemuria, amd there was a race of god-like people who lived inside the mountain and who would show themselves to those they found worthy outside the mountain. There are also theories that there are hidden flying saucer bases inside the mountain, guarded by yeti. So.. every time I pass by, I always look for the inhabitants. Never seen any, but then I'm always hopeful.