Heading north
We prepare for the trip north and stay at home all day. We have an outside oven-roast lamb dinner next door early in the evening with Elizabeth and her mother (Swedish) before departing at about 1900 for Williams which is about 60 miles (100km) N of Sacramento. A long run. Nothing to note about the journey N on Freeway 5 which was mostly driven after dark. Arrive 0200. Motel not special and room rather musty. Too tired to bother!
Next morning we move on via Redding and into Oregon to Grants Junction then turn S to Gasquet in the Coastal Redwoods. Total journey length was 870 miles (1400km). We set off at 0930 after breakfast at Granzellas in Williams and arrive at 1700 after lunch at Elmers in Medford. Both of these establishiments can be recommended for excellent food. From Sacramento the scenery is much more interesting and becomes spectacular through the mountain with views of Mt Shasta.
Mt Shasta and Spring Hill from Freeway 5
Not a lot of birds seen from the car except good numbers of Turkey Vultures sometimes with up to a dozen or more soaring low in tight kettles. These were seen mostly before we got deep into the mountains. A scattering of Red-tailed Hawks and a few glimpses of what might have been other raptors but they were not identified while speeding along in a car with no way of stopping to look closely. Maybe a Peregrine and a certain a Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk close to Gasquet. Not much about in the late afternoon near the cabin nor at the riverside.
Our Cabin is excellent. We are the first to use it. It is larger than we really need but the space will be appreciated.
For further details see the Middlefork Ranch website at: http://www.smithriverretreat.com/index.html
Still very hot and said to be 97◦F but on dropping to the coast through some splendid redwoods the temperature drops at least 30◦F and it was misty and cold!
Into Crescent City for a fish dinner near the harbour, although not at the Chart House because it was closed on a Sunday night, and some food shopping. In the harbour we saw 2 Belted Kingfisher making a lot of noise near or on a boat in the marina, a good number of Western Gull, a Glaucose-winged Gull, a Common Murre, a Great Blue Heron, ad some other gull which I did not have time to follow up but certainly more species present. A dead Surf Scoter in the harbour. California Fur Seal and Harbour Seal visible hauled out on a pontoon in the middle of the harbour. Belted Kingfisher and Glaucose-winged Gull were good to see.
Next morning we move on via Redding and into Oregon to Grants Junction then turn S to Gasquet in the Coastal Redwoods. Total journey length was 870 miles (1400km). We set off at 0930 after breakfast at Granzellas in Williams and arrive at 1700 after lunch at Elmers in Medford. Both of these establishiments can be recommended for excellent food. From Sacramento the scenery is much more interesting and becomes spectacular through the mountain with views of Mt Shasta.
Mt Shasta and Spring Hill from Freeway 5Not a lot of birds seen from the car except good numbers of Turkey Vultures sometimes with up to a dozen or more soaring low in tight kettles. These were seen mostly before we got deep into the mountains. A scattering of Red-tailed Hawks and a few glimpses of what might have been other raptors but they were not identified while speeding along in a car with no way of stopping to look closely. Maybe a Peregrine and a certain a Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk close to Gasquet. Not much about in the late afternoon near the cabin nor at the riverside.
Our Cabin is excellent. We are the first to use it. It is larger than we really need but the space will be appreciated.For further details see the Middlefork Ranch website at: http://www.smithriverretreat.com/index.html
Still very hot and said to be 97◦F but on dropping to the coast through some splendid redwoods the temperature drops at least 30◦F and it was misty and cold!
Into Crescent City for a fish dinner near the harbour, although not at the Chart House because it was closed on a Sunday night, and some food shopping. In the harbour we saw 2 Belted Kingfisher making a lot of noise near or on a boat in the marina, a good number of Western Gull, a Glaucose-winged Gull, a Common Murre, a Great Blue Heron, ad some other gull which I did not have time to follow up but certainly more species present. A dead Surf Scoter in the harbour. California Fur Seal and Harbour Seal visible hauled out on a pontoon in the middle of the harbour. Belted Kingfisher and Glaucose-winged Gull were good to see.
posted by Ardenna at 5:00 AM
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