Trip Report

Twenty one Obsidians and guests had a fantastic trip they will always remember. Even those who had previously visited Yosemite agreed. The group was small, so everyone was able to get to know other riders.

June 5, we drove south on I-5 to Redding with two side trips. One was to the Mt. Shasta recreational area where there is a ski lift that offered a close up view of Mt. Shasta and the surrounding area. The second side trip was to the historic town of McCloud. We snooped around for about an hour.

In Redding, we drove out to Turtle Bay to walk the spectacular Sundial Bridge that spans the Sacramento River. (Little did we know we would return later in our trip) Then we proceeded to the LaQuinta Inn for the night.

June 6 was a long day down traveling down I-5 and taking the scenic highway 120 into Yosemite. Fortunately, a friend called me from Stamford, CT telling me about the huge mud slide blocking the direct western route into the park. (We experienced some power and phone line outages and some produce and other food supply shortages while in Yosemite, but nothing we couldn't readily deal with.) The scenery was as breath takingly fabulous as I had always imagined. We had our own tour into Yosemite Village and Curry Village where we stayed. Everyone had time to settle into their tent cabins and to get the lay of the land before dark. Most of the time was free for riders to select activities and sights. Everyone honored the "buddy" system so we could keep track of everyone.

June 7, most took a tour. The longer tour took us to the peak of Glacier Peak (Curry Village is right below it). The remainder of the day, riders selected their own activities.

June 8, I had scheduled our driver to take us down to the Mariposa Grove to view the largest sequoia. We took the tram ride to hear all its history. The dogwood trees were gorgeous all over the park. Everyone finished the day back at the village. Some ambitious hikers found a trail.

June 9, we delayed our departure an hour to avoid the departure of school age children returning home. We took back roads that did not have rest stops, parks, or even fast food restaurants. After we sighted Burger King and everyone had lunch, we went to I-5 for gas and civilization. We knew we were running "very late" so we alerted the motel and after checking in, we went directly to our last minute dinner at the Black Bear. (very accommodating, good food, and fast service).

June 10, we boarded the bus for our day at Mt. Lassen. We were informed it was closed due to late snow. Lots of pictures of the very snowy mountains were taken. We were able to watch climbers. There was a nice introduction at the Interpretative center. We headed back to Redding for Plan B - lunch, viewing of exhibits, and time to walk the Sundial Bridge and gardens. About 3 p.m., we boarded the bus and traveled I-5 south to Corning, stopping at the Olive Pit to sample and purchase olives (all kinds) before returning to Redding.

June 11, homeward bound up I-5 and 97 we arrived in Klamath Falls too early for lunch. We used the extra time to do some birding on the Stateline bird refuge where we saw egrets and white pelicans. We had lunch at Applebee's and then headed up the pass for home. We planned to stop in Oakridge for ice cream at the Dairy Queen but a highway road block stopped us. However, we were able to stop at the Dairy Queen at Pleasant Hill. On to our cars at Shopko. Great Trip!

Members: Don Baldwin, Ewart Baldwin, Louise Behnke, Pat Bitner, Kent Christoferson, Sharon Cutsford, Rachele Fiszman, Jeannette Forsman, Dora Harris, Mary Ann Holser, Rosella Jones, Verna Kocken, Dot Leland, Amy Maxwell, Barbara Payne, Don Payne (co-leader), Liz Reanier (leader), Julia Snell and Vera Wooley. Nonmembers: Fern Jacobsen and Margene Keithcart.