Road Trip 2013: Boise, ID to Mt.Shasta, CA

Thursday, 9/5: 512 miles and camped at Karen and Bob's rented cabin in Mt. Shasta, California.

Boise, Idaho to Mt. Shasta, California

Camped at the cabin in Mt. Shasta, California

Today is the last day of my four day, 2,200 mile dash from Wisconsin to California.  I have just over 500 miles to go, but a ten hour drive because most of it is on rural, two lane roads.  My route is basically, west on 20, south on 395, west on 140, and finally south on 97.

The first section of rural highway was a 125 mile stretch on US 20.  Road signs referred to US 20 as The Central Oregon Highway.  It was fun to drive, with very little traffic, a 65 mile per hour speed limit, and stunning views.  There was only only one gas station over the 125 miles I traveled, and that one didn't sell diesel.  Good thing I planned ahead.

I guess the shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line.

View on US 20

View on US 20

View on US 20

Then I turned south on Rt. 395.  Much of the scenery was flat and covered with sage brush.

Volcanic cone remnant in the distance.

I passed by a huge shallow alkali appearing lake called Lake Abert.

Lake Abert

When I turned east on Rt. 140, the landscape changed again to mountainous pine forests.

While taking a break in a National Forest, Zoey spotted a squirrel.

The last stretch of the trip was south on Rt. 97.  All of a sudden, Mt. Shasta comes into view.  From the east, much of it is snow covered.  However, it was shrouded in clouds most of the time.

When I arrived at the cabin, Karen and Bob were just unpacking.  Amazing that we live 3,000 miles apart, and we meet at the same place with in five minutes.  Catching up, a fine bottle of wine, and an excellent dinner followed.  Cory shows up Saturday morning.  I'm really looking forward to not having to drive for a few days.  Time to relax and enjoy some catching conversation..................