We stopped in Grants Pass for dinner and although Lorelei had seen a billboard earlier about an Applebees there, we were not able to find it so we settled for Denny's. We DO NOT recommend the Denny's in Grants Pass! Onward we went through the many curvy sections of I5 that take you through the mountainous southern part of our state. It was raining off and on but that's not unusual for November in Oregon!
Crossing the border and on into California, it was nearing 8:00 o-clock and the next big town would be Redding about an hour away. We had a bad hotel experience in Redding a few years back and Lorelei was not looking forward to that being our stopping point for the night. Just about that time we were passing the town of Mt. Shasta and the sign before the off ramp had a Best Western listed. I said "hey how about here" before I finished the sentence Lorelei said "Ok".
We checked in to a beautiful place with lodge type furnishings and a real log fire burning in the lobby. We decided to go for a walk so we put on an extra sweatshirt. We went across the street to a very nice little market that looked closed from the outside but once inside was bright and well stocked. I must have counted ten or twelve people working in this market and only one other customer at 9:00 o-clock on Saturday night. Lorelei got some lunch meat and some bread to make us some sandwiches for the next day. We walked around the small shopping center that included an auto parts, bank, Radio Shack, cinema and a hardware store that had fishing gear! I told Lorelei, you know you are in the right place when the hardware store has a huge fishing gear section.
We tried calling home but we had no cell service. We had talked to Cody earlier in the day and he was all set and Jon was going to be home after 8:00 from work so we were not too worried. I was a little worried however that I really needed to talk to my dad first thing in the morning to find out where they were and how far we needed to travel to meet up with them.
As usual I woke up and looked at the clock and it was 4:30. I ran through the different scenarios in my head. How far had my dad and Franci drove. Do I need to just get up and drive south, meet them and then come back for Lorelei? Could I wait a couple of hours and then Lorelei and I both head south? I decided to go find cell service and try calling. I waited unit almost 5:30 before rolling out of bed and telling Lorelei the plan.
So I get this brilliant idea (sometimes I get these) maybe I could get some pictures of sunrise with Mt. Shasta in the foreground! Trouble is, I wasn't sure where Mt. Shasta was. Yes I was in the town by the same name but it was dark when we pulled in and it was still dark when I threw my camera gear in the truck and headed out. When I got to the main intersection it looked like heading east was at least going up hill and if I could get high enough I could get cell service. So east it was and yes it was going up! After about 10 miles the road began to look and feel different? Hmmm.....what's that on the road. About the same time I looked over at the side of the road and in the darkness there was snow on the ground, so what was on the road was ice! I slowed down and in the beginning glow of the morning I rounded a corner and realized where Mt. Shasta was. I was on it! Well so much for getting a picture of sunrise with Mt. Shasta in the foreground.
I finally found a spot where I had service and pulled over and called my dad. They were going by Lake Shasta! Wow they had driven all night with just a nap break. They met up with us at the hotel as we were finishing breakfast. Lorelei and I went back to the room and got ready to leave while my dad and Franci ate. We then loaded up the parts and let them use the room for the rest of the morning to get some much needed rest.
Lorelei and I headed out to do a little sightseeing and begin the drive back home. We drove up to the highest point we could on Mt. Shasta where they had the road closed. The peak of the mountain was shrouded in clouds so we didn't get a good picture of it.
We found this really cool old bridge near Rogue River and stopped to take some pictures.
We had a fun drive and got to see a few new sights! A few more pictures are HERE
Glynn Jr.
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