Where’s the Mountain?
I left the Motel 6 and drove
around the town of Medford accomplishing many chores on my list of ‘things to
do’ and finally headed south down I-5 listening to music and singing off key as
I drove up and down and up again the Siskiyou Mountains until to my surprise
and dismay I finally saw Mount Shasta.
Well, almost, as it was buried in heavy smoke from the fires.
I turned
on the AM part of the radio and found the mentioned signpost radio station and
heard that recommended air quality was below six thousand feet and they were
advising campers to not go to Mount Shasta or to use oxygen when climbing to
the summit.
I asked my
subconscious if I should still go and I received no answer as I continued to
drive by the buried mountain and my mind soon raced as to where could I go
camping now.
I passed
Lake Shasta where there is a ton of camping, also due to the heavy smoke, and
continued southward to Redding where I finally pulled off and filled up my gas tank
and looked at the map. From where I was,
a place called Whiskeytown Lake was only
twenty miles out and it had campgrounds surrounding it, so I headed west on
Highway 299 towards the lake.
The lake
was large and the first campground I pulled into only had walk in tent camping
on one side of the road and a parking lot for RV’s on the other side of the
road. I pulled out of there and continued around the lake.
The next
two campgrounds were full and the third campground was again a ‘pack it in’
type site so I drove back onto Highway 299 and continued heading west. I ended up stuck in construction traffic and
before I knew it Matilda started acted up in the intense heat and the stop and
go traffic until at one point I thought she would just die on the side of the
road but, finally we arrived at the top of the long hill (3000 feet) and
traffic broke up and Matilda cooled her engine as we descended down to the
Trinity River recreation area.
I saw a
sign for camping at a place called ‘Old Steel Bridge’ as I pulled off the
highway and onto the residential street that rounded back and forth through
homes on a one lane road that I followed for about three miles before I finally
came across the campground nestled alongside the river.
As I
pulled in, there was one other vehicle parked in a spot and the man waved at me
as I drove past, while I was looking at all of the empty sites trying to find
the flattest, most secluded one there. I
tried two sites out for flatness when Matilda said enough in campsite 9 refusing
to restart until she had cooled down from her exhaustively hot trip up and down
the mountains of highway 299.
No sooner
had I pulled in when the man came over and introduced himself to me as John and
then upon looking at my crystal around my neck he said I would love what he had
as he left for his truck, returning to show me a double ended clear crystal
with three flakes of gold inside of it.
Over the
next twenty-four hours the sixty-two year old John spent many hours talking to
me about every subject matter that involved his being a ‘cutter’ which is
someone who fells trees as he showed me different types of woods and ways to
cut them for the highest quality price. As he drank he also talked about dark
things of his past that continued to haunt him in his old age.
He admitted
he was a beer-a-holic and that it took many beers to stop the shaking daily. We
ended up making two short journeys where I was driving John in his truck to the
store to buy more beer and for him to show me some of the better camping in the
area that was free.
He took me
to another section of the Trinity River where the state had started to dig up
part of the river bank because they have found gold there. As he drank he told me his efforts in
stopping the state and what he had done and showed me his work as I stared down
at a fell Ponderosa pine across the main dirt road to the river.
We went
back to the campground and somewhere in the late evening John drank too much
and became belligerent towards me and I went off to my van, locking all of my
doors and loading up my gun that slept with me on that odd night.
It was a
good reminder to not be so friendly to ‘all’ people as I do not know the
mindset of those who wander outside of my world. John was a good example of how to keep to
myself and to limit the amount of contact one has with strangers. Although nothing bad happened other than
nasty words spoken, it could have gone so many other ways, badly, that he was a
lesson I needed to learn quickly if I am going to be traveling and interacting
with strangers.
Needless
to say the next morning I wanted to leave early but I had a couple of chores
first. My left rear tire had gone
slightly flat over the last couple of days so I spent twenty minutes filling
the tire from an air compressor one of my friends insisted I take with me…(thank
you Matt!) and then I loaded up my things and I left John and the ‘old steel
bridge’ campsite behind as I headed west.
I drove
the one hundred miles into the city of Eureka and found the Les Schwab I knew
would be there and pulled in for them to repair my leaky tire. I called my Mom and then I called my friend
in Forestville informing him I was in need of a hug and good company.
A nail was
the culprit in my low tire and like the wonderful business that they are, Les
Schwab fixed it for free. I had them
change one wiper blade and paid them before I drove off with a smile on face of
how glad I was I drove around on their tires and the awesome service that comes
with each purchase.
Along my
southbound journey on Highway 101 I did stop at a place that John had
recommended I shop at and that was Chapman’s Rock and Mineral Shop and
Museum. The place was fantastic as the
museum held huge crystal clusters and an amazing collection of unique and rare
gems from around the world. I spent over
an hour just perusing the museum before I even went into the main part of the
store where I ended up purchasing a moldavite stone ring that fit upon my left
middle finger and vibrated with high energy.
It is in the shape of Bigfoot’s foot and seeing as I had just left the ‘land
of Bigfoot’ (the forest along highway 299) I decided it was worth the forty I
paid for it and onward to Forestville I drove.
For the
first time since I have been coming to my friend’s house in Forestville, I did
not get lost as I traveled up the steep hillside to what I affectionately call ‘Ewok
Village’ and pulled into the small space set for me, the hug given when I
arrived inside twice as big as the parking spot.
I have
been here for the last three days resting and recouping from the all the odd
moments that had brought me to my friend who is my mentor in the metaphysical
world. We have been talking spiritually
ever since my arrival and all of it has been very grounding and encouraging for
me to continue on my journey.
Last night
he gifted me with a labradorite stone skull and wand and I was ever so touched
as both are very beautiful, powerful and expensive. I will treasure them as they are very good
for people who are moving from one level to the next level of consciousness and
spiritual growth, both of which is part of my goal in this journey I am taking.
In the
morning I will be heading east once again as I have decided that since I have
missed Mount Shasta I will be going to Yosemite National Park and hang out
there for a while. I have never been
there and by the map indicator; I will have many hot springs and beautiful
camping available to me with the added bonus that Labor Day will be over and
most people will back at work or school, freeing up many of those campsites I
am hoping to visit.
Lessons
learned on this leg of my journey are lessons to be ingrained into my daily
routine…I need not be so trusting or as friendly until I truly know a soul and
that to rely on my intuition as to my final destination and the path upon which
I take to get there.
I thank my
friend who has harbored me in his home and sanctuary for the last few days and
I take his advice under my wing as I fly off towards my next adventure while ‘Traveling
Thru The Tonda Zone!’
~Peace~
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