day 24 -- redding to vancouver, WA

I left a bit of a ride to reach portland, but optimism springs, so I stuck to the long way 'round, with an emphasis on volcanoes. I-5 wound closest to mt shasta, so I followed it north to start, exiting at the amusingly named weed, california. I'm sure the annual 'weed festival' is popular, though the town motto doesn't take advantage -- 'weed like to welcome you.' understated town with a breakfast spot popular with bikers. back down the other side of the mountains and into farmland with an oregon look. US97 led northeast toward bend, oregon and beyond, but the lava beds national monument wasn't far away, so I slipped due east just south of the border past a marshy wildlife preserve and then south past the artificial tule lake. on google maps you can find this district by looking for the bright green splotch in the midst of the browns and dark greens of the rain shadow desert. the water now in tule lake likely used to flow into the marsh but now irrigates surrounding farmland; however, the farmers of the tule lake district have posted a large sign helpfully informing us that they divert some of 'their' groundwater to support the wildlife preserve. lava beds turned out not quite as interesting as I imagined -- this isn't exactly kilauea. some broken jagged rocks covered in the same brown grass that grows everywhere else. farther south there are lava caves, but more than a driveby exploration wasn't possible, so I skirted the north end of the park and read about the history of a late army vs modoc war featuring whimsically named indians like 'captain jack.'

SR39 in california and oregon stuck to another irrigation corridor, around the picturesque town of klamath falls, and back to US97. I was on the 'volcanic legacy' trail, and crater lake was the next stop. a long quiet climb through fir passages...and suddenly to the right the annie creek gorge opened up. roadside signs explained 'fossil fumeroles.' crater lake was as spectacular as advertised -- blue blue water, stacked geometrics in ancient lava, craggy edges. but the windswept slopes were just as dramatic -- red and yellow close-cropped grass in meadows stretching down to more forested tracts and then to the rounded humps of surrounding volcanoes, all of which I couldn't quite capture with the camera.

and finally into the cascades. I peeled off US97 and started climbing through resort towns less and less polished with elevation. antiques and 'grilles' at the bottom...general stores and outfitters further up. trees arching over the road, brief glances of snowcaps that wheeled into view and then disappeared behind the next closer slope. on the whole much more orderly than the chaos of the shastas, with long switchbacks and obvious passes. when I reached detroit in the heart of the range, I turned northward on SR224, which circled north toward portland down several tributaries of the clackamas. this was a highlight of an already spectacular ride, with the water and trees and cliffs so much closer on this much smaller road. scattered campers and fishermen but quieter than the primary road through this patchwork of national forests. the cool noble quiet of the cascades is hard to beat. the sloppy familiar tumble of the deciduous forest will always strike home for me, but the neat clean verticals of this landscape (matchstick trees, cliffs) are stunning. dusk dropped over the forest as I reached estacada (which meant that changing to the non-tinted faceshield didn't help much since it was covered in bugs in short order), and I followed I205 over the columbia to reach the next stop...vancouver, WA.