Rob Cash Travel Photos

Close Window

The 2011 northern California trip, starting Wed 5/18

Eight hours driving got me to Yreka at 6PM, averaging 73 MPH (not counting stop time). The Sonata got 35.5 MPG. Not bad. The car said 37, but I didn't quite believe that. Still had two gallons left after topping the tank in Stanwood.

There's a distinct shift in moisture, starting somewhere around Roseburg toward dry, but it's most pronounced coming out of the mountains into Yreka. Go down that long long steep slope and it's definitely California.

It's been cool and moist for the area so I seem to be repeating previous trip's blah by starting too early. Couldn't wait, though, too antsy to hit the highway.

After dinner, I took a tour east of Yreka through the valley, pretty ranch country, open, savannah of sorts, but everything looked well maintained.

Thursday, gorgeous weather all day

I headed east again before going north to avoid the freeway, looking for the famous butterfly spot of Ash Creek. I had googled a map and found the road leading to it easily, but using the road was not so easy - it appeared to be maintained by the residents, not the county. I gave up before I got to Ash Creek Road.

Klamath River highway sounded appealing. I hadn't gone far when I spotted Ash Creek Bridge going across the Klamath where a creek came roaring out. It looked like a good lunch spot so I parked near a multi-mailbox panel (much to the annoyance of some mail pickeruppers) and proceeded to make a sandwich. Didn't get far for all the butterflies coming through. I suppose I accidentally hit the right spot. I got few pictures because mostly they didn't light. How can they keep on so long? Energizer butterflies.

The Klamath is definitely wild and scenic. A few miles down, I decided to head back toward Yreka along the Scott River, more wild and improbably more scenic. The hillsides are so steep the road is high above the river and one lane in many spots, but it is paved all the way. I saw a few more butterflies along the road with concentrations where larger creeks fed into the river. Something about those creeks drew them.

After following the river through miles of canyon, a valley opened out, irrigated to lushness, surrounded by snowy mountains. This, too, is ranch country. The extensive crop cultivation appears to be feed stuff like alfalfa. The valley is large, hosting a couple different communities, looking long settled, with a main highway leading back to Yreka. After dinner I explored more of Yreka. Didn't take long.

Friday, more gorgeous weather

I didn't want to head back north to check out the Medford area yet, so I decided on a longer loop through the Klamath mountains, starting further south than the Scott River valley, connecting into the Salmon River valley, and on back to the Klamath, much further downstream then the Scott River turnoff.

The road gets into mountains right away after leaving the valley south of Yreka. It goes up. And up. And up. Very steeply with hairpin curves, but very good road. At snow levels I kept expecting a ski area or something but the hillsides must be too steep. Across the Pacific Crest Trail and down the other side, there's a tiny community, which is where the road started getting really interesting. Still paved, but long ago, and one lane. How strange that the beautiful road coming up the mountains should lead to, nothing.

The road is similar to the Scott River valley road. Except that the hillsides are steeper. The road is higher above the river. The single lane is narrower. And the turnouts for passing are tinier and fewer. At each of the two communities I went through I thought surely the worst is behind since people are living here. Ha. Not only did the road feel worse, but I started running into traffic coming the other way. And I was on the wrong side, hoping I really did know exactly where those passenger side tires are.

The butterfly situation was similar; they still favored creeks. Not many birds showed. On this leg mainly Steller's Jays and lots of Turkey Vultures and one Scrub Jay. I heard a Black-headed Grosbeak singing its heart out but never did see it, and heard Swainson's Thrushes doing their whits, no songs yet.

Saturday, still very nice weather, slightly overcast

The plan was to check out Ashland, then overnight in Medford to explore that area. I did go through Ashland, and drove around the twisty confusing streets in Medford a bit, then found myself in Grant's Pass by ten AM. The weather was good. The beaches beckoned. I figured that I'd get there early enough that getting a room on the weekend wouldn't be a problem. No fear. The summer tourst season hasn't started yet, so I splurged on a room with a view of the beach.

I spent the afternoon exploring Crescent City. The sun was shining but the wind was blowing near a gale (OK not quite but when you find yourself leaning a bit into the gusts...). I actually did see two butterflies despite the breeze, a small orange and a Cabbage White, out on a spit leading to a big rock which formed a natural breakwater on one side of the harbor.

From my view: Osprey in the afternoon, hovering diving on the bay. Brown Pelican floating scooping, then rising to skim along the waves. Western Grebes bobbing, hunched down waiting...

much dog poop delivered to a small area bordering the beach

Sunday, Crecent City, started cloudy

I headed north to Brookings, OR after stopping at a NWR just north of Crescent City where I saw few birds. The weather cleared about half way and turned into a fine day. Something that passed my lips was way to eager to get out the other end, and I had to make a couple of emergency stops. I was going to go further north to explore the beach but turned around after the second stop. Rocks are rocks after all, even when they are in the sea.

Lunch back in Brookings and then the Azalea park, worth a stop. The touristy part of Brookings is crammed against the ocean by low hills, but just a little way in at the park it feels like a small city (pop. 6600).

Back at the hotel in early afternoon, I did a strange thing for me: I sat in the room and watched the beach. The wind came up as it cleared, making it a bit chilly out there.

Monday, misty

Got an early start south, which got voided when I realized I had left a bag behind, fortunately not that far down the road. Having lost the time, I decided to skip the groves of redwoods - a scenic loop off 101 was quite fantastic.

Eureka is a larger town than Crescent City with several industrial plants - probably pulp mills considering that forest appeared to be the only resource readily available. It looked like the windy weather pattern would continue so I headed toward Redding.

Redding is hillier than I thought it would be. On the map it looks like the north end of the Sacramento valley. The river certainly runs through it. Lots of trees, seemed like a nice town. Drove around a bit in the evening.

Tuesday, sunny

Got a fairly early start heading north to see man-made Lake Shasta. Beautiful views of teh mountain over the lake. By then th eparks etc would be open so on to Turtle Bay park which is quite nice along the river, but the butterfly exhibit was closed due to funding problems. I did cross the famous (in Redding anyway) Sundial bridge, a walking only one, which crosses the Sacramento, not a small span.

Rechecking the weather that morning indicated only that day left of the fine weather, so I decided on scenic viewing. Curious about where the valley starts feeling more like a valley, I headed south to Red Bluff (sure enough there's a red bluff next to the river on the way into town). Just south of Redding the country opens up into savannah, so by Red Bluff it was starting to feel like the great Sacramento Valley.

From Red Bluff, I headed to Mount Lassen, a volcano that last erupted explosively in 1915, similar to Mt St Helens, though Lassen continued moderate activity for another two years. The park was still winter closed, but apparently there are boiling mud pits and several indications of near surface hot zones. From this southern route, the mountain was hidden behind cloud layers.

Susanville sparked my curiousity when I saw a documentary about the symphony there, a small town (~17k) to host a symphony orchestra but by some quirk a confluence of musicians made it possible. The town doesn't look it. At least the downtown part hasn't succumbed to the sameness of modern development - most places look like any other these days, differing mainly in the street layout. It wasn't so inviting as to spend the night, especially since it was still early afternoon and the weather was closing in. Leaving Susanville I took the northern route around Lassen and got some good views as the clouds parted a bit. By the time I got to Weed to spend the night, cold rain had started.

Wednesday, pouring rain

The cold wind and rain inspired a leisurely breakfast at the cozy cafe, but had not let up by the time I left, heading northeast to Klamath Falls. As I got closer the rain became intermittent so I followed the plan of the several NWRs to visit, seeing a few birds, nothing unusual. The first was Butte Valley National Grasslands and Meiss Lake, west of 97. A short way north and east of 97 is Lower Klamath NWR with Tule Lake NWR further east yet, connecting to highway 39 on north into Klamath Falls city. Regular readers of these reports will no doubt recall how well my brain works with Oregon signage, which is to say not at all.

I thought I was heading into town OK but a sign said to 97 go left and thinking that would be the main route, I went left and found myself on 140 going west nowhere near Klamath Falls. Backtracking, I turned north on a major arterial (no highway signs anywhere that I saw) figuring this would take me into town and I wouldn't have to go all the way back to 39. The arterial sort of dribbled out in a series of roads going right and left. Still no signs about highways, just street names. A guess took me right and I found myself on some unknown highway leading southeast out of town. Turning around, I came to Crater Lake Boulevard going north. Right direction, familiar name. A sign said city center left but I thought I'd better find the highway first, and by the time a 97 sign showed up I was too far north to turn back to see the city. Besides I might never have found the way back out.

Further north, I wanted to see Klamath Marsh NWR, due east of Crater Lake, which looked too socked in to make that detour worth it. A sign said Silver Lake to the right, which I was not interested in but after passing the intersection, a sign on the left said Klamath Marsh to the right also. The marsh turned out to be far enough that I thought not worth it considering the weather and the likelihood of seeing anything much different. So I got into Redmond to visit my sister late in the afternoon.

After a nice visit with sister Pam, it took most of a day to drive home, where I was greeted by a Wilson's Warbler. Two Steller's Jays are gathering honeysuckle vine pieces; they must be nesting nearby which could explain fewer other birds in the vicinity.