May 2023

 Well, I have to apologize to those who read my blog for the fact that I've been remiss in not making entries to the blog lately. You see, I've been so busy trying to do as much as I could to help at the various shelters that I volunteered at before I prepare for my departure from Siskiyou County and return to Sacramento. 

Despite my amount of time that I would spend at the Siskiyou County Animal shelter and at Rescue Ranch, I still made time to get out for little adventures around the county. I truly enjoy living in Siskiyou County, so I wanted to enjoy as much as I could of it before I headed south to Sacramento as well. So, I've taken pictures and video and no I am getting caught up on some of my long over due Blog posts. 

In the Month of May of 23, on two separate weekends, I made two trips with Remi. The first trip, on the 20th of May was to go up to Goosenest which is a mountain east of Yreka about an hour away. A very good friend of mine, Stephanie Hoffman told me how she enjoyed going to Goosenest when she use to live up here and was the Shelter Coordinator for Siskiyou County Animal Control. If you have checked out some of my earlier blog posts, you may have noticed that I went up there to go snowshoeing on a previous occasion. Well, on this glorious 20th day of May, Remi and I went for a ride. 

Of course, Mt Shasta is a major landmark in Siskiyou County, and one of my favorites to look at, so, of course, along the way to Goosenest, I had to stop and check it out. 

As we continue on our trip towards Goosenest, you can see the mountain in the distance, to the right of the center line of the highway in the following picture. Goosenest appears to be a former volcano at which its dome top had collapsed, leaving a mountain top, that frequently had snow on it and it appeared as a "Goose Nest". 

Of course, aside from the motorhome, the only other vehicle I have is the Jeep Wrangler 4XE. I love everyplace that I can go in the 4XE and so I love getting out in it. So, consequently, I love taking pictures that have the 4XE in it. 

Also, as you can see, where ever I go, I try to make sure that Remi is going along for the ride. 

I love having Remi travel with me, and she loves every opportunity she can get to come along. 

Unfortunately, because I got a little lost and turned around, and then subsequently was running out of time, I didn't make it to the top of Goosenest, but that's ok, I'm just glad to get out and see some of the beautiful sights of Siskiyou County. As Remi and I were headed down from our high point on Goosenest, we came across an overlook that allowed us to look down on the valley floor below and take in an area called Grass lake, which is a marshy area usually in the springtime from water run-off, but this year was exceptionally well flooded because we had such a wet winter. 

Next, on Sunday the 28th of May, Remi and I once again loaded up and headed to Castle Lake, which is not far from Castle Crags. Once again, I had been up to Castle Lake in the wintertime when I went snowshoeing. But, again, because of the amount of snow in the wintertime, I didn't make it all the way up to the spot where others had suggested that I visit. 

 

Even going up in May, there was plenty of snow remaining from our sizeable amount of winter storms. 

Even in late May, Castle Lake still had a frozen surface with plenty of snow on it. I also took the drone with us and popped it up to take a picture of the frozen Castle Lake surface. 

After we finished checking out Castle Lake, it was time to head home. As we headed down the mountain, I was struck by the view up here. The beauty of Siskiyou County never ceases to amaze me. There was scattered clouds on this day, but even that, made the whole experience, that much more dramatic as we take in Mt. Shasta, Black Butte and the valley below. 

I sure am enjoying checking out Siskiyou County. If you ever get the chance, be sure to stop and check out this county, and all the beauty is has to offer. Here is a video of visiting both locations mentioned in this blog entry. 

Safe travels 

Remi and Eric