Day 15 - Amazing Surprises!

Captain's Log -Day 15 - Ohhh, the Splendor!

Did you ever have a day when you thought your plans were solid but the Lord had something else in mind? That was the kind of day we had today!

We walked out of our hotel room and looked up in the sky to more dark clouds rolling overhead. Now, mind you, when we went to breakfast the sky had nothing but light, puffy clouds around. Not more rain today! The online forecast and radar showed nothing but clear sky. "Oh well, we have seen rain before," we thought. We could certainly handle a little more.

So the plan was to enjoy clear weather, head up to Mt. Shasta and then zip over to the shore to see the coastal redwoods. As we looked over the map for the day, that is when the Lord started to work His wonders. We programed the GPS for the day and found that it suggested Rt 36 to Rt 89 north to Shasta. But 89 would take us on a little longer loop and would also lead us through Lassen Volcanic National Park. Hmmm.... on the map it is a pretty twisty line so it should make for a good motorcycle road, and after all, it will only be a little longer. Oh were we in for a treat!

As we started out on our way, Rt 36 turned into a real piece of beauty! We were sweeping left and right, climbing and descending through tall pine forests when I came across this photo opportunity and simply had to stop. Well, when I did, there were some cows in the pasture to my left, so I thought I would talk to them to let them know that Pennsylvanians are friendly, and...

you know, they just turned their backs on me. The mothers gathered their children and shielded them from me and to my surprise, they began to lead them away! We simply could not believe our eyes. Then they had the gall to call out to us as if deeply distressed! Foreigners. Dawn wants to know, "Where are the California 'Happy Cows' that we see on the commercials?" I can only tell you that we did not see those cows today!

So we sadly moved on, without making any new cow friends. But what the Lord had prepared for the day, quickly helped us forget about the rude cows! As we turned onto California Route 89 north and twisted through the forested landscape, we found ourselves climbing steadily in elevation. Then, as I turned a corner, there looming in front of me was a snow covered mountain! Could this be Mt. Shasta? No way! We haven't traveled nearly far enough for that!

We learned that it was Lassen Point, the 10,000 ft peak of the tallest volcanic mountain in Lassen Volcanic National Park! Wow, it was fantastic!

What a ride! "Look Ma, no guard rails!"

It didn't take long for us to start seeing snow. In fact the first small drift that we saw at our level, I told Dawn to take a picture of it. Wow - riding next to a little snow bank! Were we in for a surprise! Before long we were twisting along the road with snow banks on both sides that were at least 6' deep. The snow was everywhere! But the true beauty of the park was in the splendor of the different kinds of volcanic formations. There were even steaming holes and boiling mud pots. Of course, we took videos and tons of stills of those too, but we simply cannot post all of the stuff, there is not enough space on this website to hold them all! [We have taken almost 1000 pictures and videos so far! Not counting the ones we have already deleted! Crazy, I know! Like, how can we have already traveled so many miles when we have to keep stopping to take pictures?]

We finally made it out of Lassen Volcanic N.P. and continued north on Rt. 89 with the intent of seeing Mt. Shasta. The road continued to twist and turn for a while. Then, it began to run straighter and became wider. The speed limit increased to 65mph and we were really on the move. Then it happened once again, only this time far more stunning! I turned a corner in the road and there it was - looming far above everything else around! Mt. Shasta! Here, I had the camera zoomed in so I could capture the beauty of the scene, and truly, it was this clear and vivid as we ran down the road, but...

this is where we were on the road. Now, you can enlarge this photo and zoom in on the mountain to see pretty much the same thing which is why seeing a photo of something this majestic never conveys the same experience as being there in person.

Of course, we took scads of pictures today and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it even though it wasn't quite what we had planned. In the end though, it was what the Lord wanted to bless us with - two fantastic sights and experiences carved by His own hand. Two parts of His magnificent creation that point directly to His glory and majesty! What a day in our Great Adventure. Puffy clouds and not a drop of rain all day. We can't hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings!

By the way, Dads - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! [again!]