So I know I just did a trip to Sedona just a month ago, but this birthday trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount Shasta (staying in Redding) kind of had to happen for two reasons:

Reason #1: Back in April, I was supposed to go to Missoula, MT and attend a Wildfire Journalism Workshop (I later attended it online). I had booked the flight from LAX on Alaska Airlines, but due to COVID-19, I had to get credit on the flight and not a refund because I had a Saver seat. So I had to use it up before the end of the year. So technically, I got my $137 for “free” from LAX to SFO. I couldn’t fly into Sacramento or directly into Redding because the prices were freakin outrageous and I would’ve had to pay more out of pocket even with the credit. It was only a 3 hour drive from SFO to Redding, so I thought, hey, why not?

Reason #2: I got accepted into an online Master of Arts in Communication program at Arizona State University and it is going to take me 1 3/4 years to complete. I decided to go back to school because even as I sit here and type this, COVID-19 cases are going up in some states. Also, god knows when I am going to be able to travel internationally again with all of that chaos going on. Going into a Masters program is probably the most logical thing I can do right now, plus with a lot of the Top Tier and Big 10 schools waiving the GRE and dropping program prices, I decided to take advantage. Plus, ASU was always my dream school, so I’m super excited to be attending this fall!

You guys can MAYBE expect me to take 1 to 2 trips here and there over the next couple of years, but I need to budget and pay tuition so I won’t be in debt by the time I graduate.

Alright, onward to Redding to celebrate my 40th!

Day 1 – Friday, July 3

My flight out of LAX – aka the Ghost Town – was at 9am and I landed into San Francisco around 1030am. After I got the rental car (I got upgraded to an SUV), I made my way towards Redding. Because there was an accident on one of the freeways, I was delayed an hour getting into the city, but I kept goin!

Something my Hyundai Tucson SUV kept beeping at me was to “Consider taking a break.” Like I had time with all of the territory I had to cover! I left SFO with 19 miles on it and came back with 1,077.

My first stop was the famous Sundial Bridge, a pedestrian bridge and art installation that crosses the Sacramento River. It was huge! According to the Turtle Bay Exploration Park website, “the cable-stayed structure has an inclined, 217 foot pylon constructed of 580 tons of steel. The deck is made up of 200 tons of glass and granite and is supported by more than 4,300 feet of cable. The structure is stabilized by a steel truss, and rests on a foundation of more than 115 tons of steel and 1,900 cubic yards of concrete.” You can check out the video on my Instagram page!

Next I made my way to the Diestelhorst Bridge, a steel pedestrian bridge that was completed in 1915. I didn’t have a chance to walk over it, but it was pretty neat!

At this point after being on the road for 4 hours, I needed a beer and food…badly. I made my way downtown to Final Draft Brewing Company and had a beer sampler with a Kolsch, Kombucha, Watermelon Wheat Beer and Pilsner ($12) and the Unbeetable Peach Salad ($14.99) with fresh roasted beets, grilled peaches, candied pecans, lettuce and a tangy, white Balsamic Vinaigrette. I can honestly tell you this was the best salad I have had on my travels since Vancouver.

Afterwards, I went to my Airbnb just down the road to freshen up and unpack. It was also 96 degrees and very hot, so I went back downtown and stopped at an ice cream shop called Taste and See Creamery. I found online that they had unique flavors to try. I got the Lemon Specuioos Cookie and Bourbon Brown Butter Pecan in a waffle cone ($6.90). It really hit the spot and I enjoyed taking a picture with the LOVE sign outside!

Afterwards I went back to my Airbnb and went to sleep. I had a long 2 days of sightseeing ahead of me.

Day 2 – Saturday, July 4 

Happy 244th Birthday America!

I started my day heading to a breakfast spot called From the Hearth Cafe, where I ordered a medium Dirty Chai ($5.60) and the Eggs Benedict with Roasted Potatoes ($10.79). Ok guys I have to be honest with you: the coffee was fantastic but the meal…not so much. It was pretty bland and not enough flavor to it. The cafe is known for their sourdough bread and that was good, but again, it was too plain.

Next I made my way north to Shasta Lake with 360 miles of shoreline and visited the Shasta Dam to take in some scenic shots. The website says the dam was built between 1938 and 1945 and is 602 ft high! It wasn’t pouring out a ton of water due to it being summertime, but I did manage to catch some water trickling out. You can check out the video on my Instagram page!

My next big adventure of the day was to the Lake Shasta Caverns ($30), a limestone cave formation that was discovered in 1878 by J.A. Richardson. I haven’t been into a cavern since I was a kid visiting Florida.

So I board the boat to go across to the island and that’s when I learned there are 650 steps I needed to climb throughout the cavern.

WHAT?!

I toughed it out and it was so pretty and cool (temperature wise and emotionally), but I was sweating like a pig from all of that climbing, OMG! I definitely got my hike it for the day! I highly recommend seeing it though. The tour guides did mention there were some bats in the cave, but I saw none.

BTW guys, I took the photos inside the cave with a Vivid filter on them, definitely worth doing! You can also check out the video on my Instagram page!

After my exercise, I headed further north towards Mount Shasta, a potentially active volcano that is 14,719 ft high. It is a majestic sight to behold.

But first, a quick stop for a brief 5 minute hike to the Hedge Creek Falls in Dunsmuir, not too far from Mount Shasta. You can check out the video on my Instagram page!

So I get to the City of Mount Shasta and drive around, trying to figure out how to get a better shot of the volcano up close. I took a scenic byway called the Everett Memorial Highway but ended up stopping at a vista point that overlooked McCloud Valley and Lake Siskiyou.

So I head back on Highway 89 trying to figure out if I’ll ever get a good shot of the volcano. Finally, I found a road called Ski Park Highway and that’s when I was able to get these majestic shots.

Something that I stopped at along the 89 were McCloud Falls and Burney Falls, but unfortunately, the traffic was so terrible and there was also lack of parking. If you have a chance to go, let me know how it is!

On my way back towards Redding (I was once again heading towards another brewery. At this point, I hadn’t eaten since the morning and had gone all day), I saw some wind turbines.

By 5pm I was at Fall River Brewing Company just down the 5 Freeway from where I was staying. I got myself a Lager ($6). It was so hot out that this crisp and refreshing drink really cooled me down!

My last stop of the day was at a Thai restaurant not too far from my Airbnb called Jaynas Thai Cuisine, where I ordered a Thai Iced Tea and Chicken Pad Thai ($20.42). I got the spice level at a 4 and that was great! But there still wasn’t enough flavor! I think there needed to be a slight sweet sauce in it and it would’ve had the perfect balance.

Afterwards, I went back to my Airbnb to take another shower and head back downtown to view the fireworks in a parking lot. Most of the firework displays in the state had been cancelled due to COVID-19, but luckily, Redding decided to go forward with their celebration. You couldn’t gather at one big spot, so a lot of tourists and locals scattered throughout the city to view them. I hadn’t seen fireworks in 4 years due to me traveling to Europe, so it was nice to see the sky lit up! You can check out the display on my Instagram page!

I headed back to my Airbnb and went to bed at 11pm. I had to conquer Lassen Volcanic National Park the next day.

Day 3 – Sunday, July 5

This was my last full day on the trip and I wanted to make the most of it. I started off the morning by going back to From the Hearth Cafe. Don’t worry, I didn’t have another bland breakfast, but I did have a yummy butter croissant and Dirty Chai to go!

I got to Lassen at about 830am and the ranger even told me I came at the best time before the line got too long! The park was established in 1916 with peaks, a cinder cone and thermal areas. Below are the best photos I had on the trip. Not all, but most!

I entered through the south end near Manzanita Lake and did a brisk hike around it. There were a lot of people camping there as well. The air was so cool and crisp, I really enjoyed my walk! You can also check out the video on my Instagram page!

I had to keep driving towards the north entrance, so my next stop was at Hat Creek overlooking Raker Peak. You can also check out the video on my Instagram page!

Next I stopped off and took a photo of a stream at Reading Peak.

Up and over the windy road and down the hill I stopped at Lake Helen with Lassen Peak in the background. At this point, it was 59 degrees and felt great!

The last best shot I got from the top was of Bumpass Hell. I wanted to hike this so bad, but I was running out of time and still wanted to go tour some other spots.

Last stop near the north entrance were the Sulphur Works with mud pots, boiling pots and a steaming ground. I haven’t smelled sulphur or seen it since my trip to Iceland back in 2018, so it was nice to re-familiarize myself with it and see the hydrothermal area. You can also check out my Instagram page and watch the steam rise and ground boil!

Next I drove all the way back to the south entrance (the line to get into Lassen was long by then), left the park and then headed east to Subway Cave, a 20,000 year old cave that is self-guided, 1/3 miles long and has a temperature of about 46 degrees. It is also pitch black and you can hear your voice bounce off of the cave walls. I didn’t walk the whole thing but it was a nice and cooling experience!

Next I headed south and stopped by a small town just outside of Chico called Paradise. Paradise made national news when the Camp Fire went through the town in 2018, killing 85 residents and destroying a majority of homes and businesses.

It is considered the deadliest fire in the history of California and I spent some time covering it remotely for different publications. It’s a town that is healing, resilient and rebuilding and I finally got to see where it’s at 2 years later. Lots of bulldozers. Neighbors who have homes still standing yet had a neighbor lose their home. Burned cars and businesees. Healing sign messages from the local church.

Not too far from it is a gorgeous vista point of the Butte Creek Canyon and locks on the fence. The district also burned during the fire. The people are kind and strong, their spirits high. As we say with any town that goes through a wildfire: WE WILL REBUILD!

So one of the reasons I wanted to head towards that direction was because I wanted to go to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Taproom in Chico. Unbeknownst to me, it was closed during the long holiday weekend. Same with the The Chico Taproom when I tried going there on the north end of town.

Finally, I decided to just head back west and go to a town called Corning, the Olive Capital of the World. Approaching town off Highway 99, I took a photo of the 15 ft Giant Green Olive nestled amongst the olive trees. Martini anymore? I also stopped by the Olive Pit and bought an assortment of jarred olives (about $6 each).

I asked the cashier if they had any open breweries in town and alas, they didn’t! So I made my way back up towards Redding and 1 hour later, I was at the one brewery that I hadn’t been to yet: Woody’s Brewing Company, where I had myself a Pilsner ($5.80) and a a famous Woody’s Tots with Monterey Jack, salsa and cilantro crema ($8.99. They accidentally forgot to take off the avocado. I am allergic and was able to get all of it off).

The last stop for the evening was at View 202 overlooking the Sacramento River.

I wasn’t too hungry still due to it being so hot out, so I got myself a Sparkling Raspberry Caipirinha ($12) with Leblon Rum infused with raspberries, lime juice, simple syrup and club soda. It was really refreshing and hit the spot, not too sweet either! I also ordered a basic shrimp cocktail ($12).

Back at my Airbnb, I took and shower and chatted with my Airbnb lady for the evening. Her house I’m staying at survived the Carr Fire in 2018. It was not supposed to be standing. And the story you read in the news about the grandmother and her grandson that died in the burning house with her grandson calling the grandpa asking, “Grandpa, where are you?” She knew them. The house is about 2 miles away from where she lives.

God bless everyone.

Day 4 – Monday, July 6 (Happy 40th birthday to me!)

So I want to tell you guys about how I feel turning 40. Months ago, I was dreading it. I felt fine when I turned 30, but for some reason, 40 made me feel like I was halfway through my life. I’ve spoken to a couple of my girlfriends about turning 40, it’s like this constant feeling of you’re missing something. One of my girlfriends wanted a partner. Another didn’t feel established. For me, I felt confident, secure, established, I’ve had a great career, friends, family and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything, but that time had gone by so fast and that I felt like I had to do something major and make a change. I STILL feel this way!

So if the greatest accomplishment when I turned 30 was moving to California, the greatest accomplishment in my 40s is getting my Masters and getting in with a very big, established company in the state. I’m assuming by the time I’m 50 I’ll get a house, either here or in Oregon, depending on if I find a partner or not. I don’t necessarily feel “lonely.” I am just one of those people that chooses to live with no regrets and accomplish all of my goals. I woke up on my birthday and all of a sudden all of the fears went away and I didn’t feel any different than I did any other day. I felt great! 🙂

So on this day, I had to take another 3 hour drive back to catch my 430pm flight out of SFO and go home to begin the next decade of my life. Oh, but not before I had my “last meal,” which was at Cafe 382 in South San Francisco: a Blackstone Eggs Benedict with bacon and grilled tomato, has browns, a side of Oatmeal Pancakes with ligonberries and a Mimosa ($30.12). 🙂 

Cheers!