Today was way better, travel wise. Traffic was awesome, so much that we made incredible time and were able to spend some time exploring the area as we got closer to Redding. We stopped in at Mount Shasta for a pit stop and ended up visiting the Visitor’s Center. The fellow in there gave us a great tip on driving up to Mount Shasta, about 20 mins each way. Perfect! We did it, and it was so worth it. A picture is worth 1000 words, and as you can see by all the new pictures on my Flickr account, I have a lot to say about how beautiful it was up there.
After that, we drove on into Redding and got to our hotel – a Quality Inn, nice little place, nothing too fancy. The front desk gal let us know about a place called Sundial Bridge, a unique pedestrian bridge nearby. It was pretty unique – check out the pics on Flickr for yourself.
And, of course, there are the requisite self-portraits. It was very windy up on Mount Shasta, and I also had a fun time trying to hold the camera straight. I’m pretty happy with how the pictures turned out today, so I can’t wait until we get to Santa Rosa and wine country. That’s where the real fun begins.
By the way, wireless internet is *everywhere* – best bet for travelers is to find a Motel 8 parking lot, park and pull out the laptop. Email made fast, easy and free. I love it. Santa Rosa has wireless hotspots all over town, according to their city website, so there will be lots of opportunities for keeping in touch. It’s been great for emailing back home to our parents, letting them know that we’re safe and sound. Mom and the dogs are doing just great, enjoying the house all to themselves. I fully expect that Darwin will weigh about 5lbs extra when we get back – that’s okay, with the portion sizes down here, I probably will too. I am astounded at the amount of food they serve you in restaurants – I’m hoping that Santa Rosa and surrounding area is a little better, but so far it’s been enormous plates filled with food everywhere we’ve eaten. We got smart and stopped in at a Safeway and picked up some apples and water and juice, which has helped.
I still can’t get over wine and beer being sold in gas stations and grocery stores. It’s so strange.
