Redding is near the start of the Cascade Range, whose course we had been following since Canada. The first major mountain in Mt Lassen and we headed out there for a very long walk into the most beautiful countryside you could imagine. Lovely lakes mirror the majestic peaks and at this time of the year with Autumn already here in the mountains it was an ideal temperature.
Mt Lassen at 10,500 ft odd is not high but again like most of the Cascade peaks is quite active having erupted only a hundred years ago.
A long hike took us to Bumpass Hell, an active thermal area with the usual bubbling hot springs, mud pools and sulphur smell. The distance from the car park meant that few visitors attempted the walk so we had the place to ourselves.
Then we headed further South into the foothills of the Sierras. Gold Country. We camped in Coloma an old gold town on the banks of the American River. A lovely wooded spot with virtually no-one there as the season was over.
Nearby Placerville had a lovely Gold Mine and was a quaint town to park in to watch the America's Cup Racing on our iPad.
We also visited Grass Valley to see what is probably the best preserved gold mine in the area - Empire Gold Mine, now a state park. It has lovely grassed grounds with handsome Ponderosa Pine growing there.
We had planned on visiting more towns in the area but unfortunately I became badly sick and needed a town with medical facilities so we headed for Lodi in the heart of the Central Valley where I made a slow recovery back to health. We are now in San Diego, a few metres away from San Diego Bay awaiting the arrival of my sister Sally and her husband Richard who will be taking over our fifth wheel and truck and starting their own adventure around North America,
We meanwhile will board the Celebrity Solstice next week and set sail for Hawaii, Tahiti and the Bay of Islands, NZ (our home) where we will disembark.
It has been a grand adventure touring North America. A land of many contrasts, magnificent scenery and very friendly people. We will miss you.
Nest year we return to Europe to board our new barge being built shortly, and looking like this...
