Chris and I had so much fun together in Sacramento, we decided to head up to Shasta, where I grew up, and spend the weekend in the Northern part of the State with my parents.
Chris and I had such a good time in Sacramento, and she wanted to see a different part of the our great State. So we borrowed Tracey's vehicle and headed up to visit my parents and sister in Shasta. We arrived during the night, at about mid-night, while everyone was fast asleep. In the morning we made our way into the mountains for some breakfast at one of my family's favorite restaurants. My mom had to work, so it was just Chris, Trina, myself and my dad. Here we have Chris enjoying the ride and then a few photo's of us in various poses in from of their sign.
After having a filling breakfast, we decided to do a little hiking around Manzanita Lake, just below Mt. Lassen. It was a bright, gorgeous day, and because of the elevation, not as warm as it was down in the valley. It's not difficult to walk around this lake, even if part of the trail is washed away.
After hiking around the lake we walked up to a small store and also found a small amphitheater, where I began to perform my Kafka skit, as Chris listens patiently. Oh, and yes, that's snow at my feet!
Well, it was beginning to heat up, so we had to head indoors, which only means another short hike through the area's "Subway Caves". Once you get inside the caves, it gets dark very quickly so it's difficult to take any reasonable photos, but it's nice and cool down there. Here are my attempts:
Chris and I convinced my Dad and sister that we should head back down the hill. Later on that evening we all made our way downtown to some fancy (well for Redding, it's fancy) Italian restaurant for some dinner. I think my parents believe that Chris and I need to eat more. As we were arriving Trina noticed that some family friends had parked in front of the restaurant.. and yup, there were Don and Carol Porter, enjoying the late evening atmosphere (and a bottle of the place's finest white wine I might add). Oh yeah, this is where my parents learned that I am vegetarian. They were a bit surprised.
The next day we convinced my parents that Chris would like to see and explore the small town of Shasta. I know there's not much to see, but it was a nice afternoon filled with walking through the State Park, old stores, J's Market and even over to the school where they were making a dedication for some bell tower. On our way back to have some lunch, we bought some strawberries as a gift for my family. I hope them enjoyed what was left, they were really good! Before we left, I took Chris down to the Rock Creek so we could enjoy the afternoon sun, eat a little and enjoy each other's company before we had to make our way back to Sacramento.