Mountain and Waterfalls

June 25
We started out our day moving our RVs from one park to another so we could have good enough electricity to run our air conditioning.  The temperature prediction for here? 100!!!!

Once we were settled we drove to nearby Dunsmuir to hike in to the Hedge Creek Falls.  That sounded like a cool spot to be in this hot weather!  And it was a nice cool spot, especially when I hiked into the cave behind the falls where water spray occasionally hit me.

Frank and Bette decided not to walk all the way there as there was some steep inclines but they did take a shot of us on a switchback path below them.

And here is one I took of Ken on the path 

Here is Ken standing close to the falls - but not under them.

Back up on top, I found these beautiful flowers

And another smaller "waterfall" - all we hear is how little California has; I wonder how they get away with this constantly running water.  Did taste good though after the hike.

We the took the Everitt Memorial Highway, a winding road up, to Bunny Flat at 6,950 feet the staging spot for those hiking part way up the mountain or all the way to the top - 14,179 feet.  About 5,500 climbers attempt the climb every year.  It takes three days to complete the round trip.  Several guys were busy preparing themselves for the climb when we were there.  They expect to return on Saturday.

This is a map of the various routes up to the top

This is a close up shot of that area

A couple we chatted with claimed they could see a couple of people making the climb so I zeroed in with my camera.  I'm not so sure whether this is two people or just skinny rocks.

But we did see several people coming back down after making the climb.  This is one of them

We preferred to just enjoy the view!!!

Here is a picture to prove we were half way up the mountain

Even at 7000 feet it was warm so we decided to stop at a little restaurant in Weed near our campground for lunch and then return to our air conditioned coaches to relax for the afternoon. 

After supper we returned to Dunsmuir to check out their botanical gardens.  They are part of a children's park on the edge of a woods with the beginning flow of the Sacramento River running along the base.  The actual headwaters are a short distance away.  

The children's playground has this garden behind it with some cute children's statues in it.

And these steps next to it lead to the rest of the garden area which features displays of woodland plants.

There was a huge variety of blooming hosta as well as many types of ferns and this intriguing garden imitating the look of a mountainous area with different plants taking hold in the crevices.

Tomorrow is another day on the road, this time we are headed further south to Loomis, California.