Sightseeing on Our Way to Nevada

After leaving the Redwoods, we headed inland to Redding, CA where we visited Lassen Volcanic NP---a mini version of Yellowstone. Mt Lassen is a dormant volcano which erupted in the 1920's. It had snowed a couple of days before so we got to see it topped with white--Mt Shasta off in the distance was white, too. The park had examples of all 4 types of volcanoes and also had steam vents and mud pots which were still active. Very interesting visit. Here in the valley it was 85 and sunny--what a welcome relief after the rain and fog in Oregon.

Today we started our drive to Nevada. We went through Corning CA which is the heart of olive country. Miles and miles of olive trees on each side of the road. We stopped at the Olive Pit to shop for some olives and bought several kinds. We got to sample more kinds than I have ever seen. Then back on the road and we traveled through rice country where there were rice fields on each side of the road. They were harvesting some fields and others were still flooded and looked as if they had just been planted.

We decided to go to Carson City NV instead of Lake Tahoe because the RV parks seemed better. We did want to travel to Lake Tahoe so we drove south of the lake to enter Nevada. We got on state road 49 to connect to the road that we needed. It was an unbelievable road--20 miles that took 1 hr to drive----8 percent grade and a snake road---we were going up (or down) at the same time as we were making tight turns. Since we were on the edge of a straight-down cliff at the same time, you can imagine how tense we were at the end. That was definitely not a road for RVs. What an experience!!! The road went down the mountain and then climbed back out. At the bottom was Sutter's Mill where gold was discovered in CA---there was a large historical park there.

The wind was blowing about 30 MPH today. At Lake Tahoe, we noticed everybody in coats. When we got out, it was SOOO Cold!! We watched the weather---we are under a snow advisory starting in the morning and it will be freezing the next 3 nights. We had planned to drive the scenic road around Lake Tahoe tomorrow but our plans may change. I don't want to get caught out in snowy weather. There are plenty of casinos here to keep us entertained. Hopefully we will still be home by the 21st.