On the Wings of a Dolphin: Castle Crags State Park/ Shasta National Park

(Posted by Andy)

Have you ever tried parking a 21', 1 ton mobile behemoth in the streets of a metropolis with carsick pup and coffee stain in lap? To say the least, San Francisco was indeed a stressful experience. But with food in our stomaches from MY FAVORITE RESTURANT on this planet (House of Nan King), we instantly knew the hassle was well worth it. But we were quick to hit the road and get the heck out!

After a day and a half of driving, we arrived in Shasta National Park. Eager for a good hike and some quality time with the much needed Nature, we came to Castle Crags State Park. In the pictures below, the Crags are the entire summation of all the rock in the pictures. Specifically, we set out for Castle Dome, and this formation speaks for itself. The hike wasn't very long, only 2.7 miles, but with a total of 2,200' of elevation gain, it was no small task. Temperature was suprisingly hot contrary to our expectations at between 85-100 during the day, with complementary cool evenings at a cool 60. Hiking was a fairly quick endeavour and very rewarding at the end. Refer to pics below! Samara was a natural (as usual) the whole trip, and Oliver hiked right along with us for about 4 miles all together! We only stayed out for 1 night due to lack of water, but it was a good little trip.

I am posting from the small college town of Ashland, OR, a key destination for Mr. Oliver and his lil gonads. Monday morning he bravely goes under the knife to become forever a squatting pee-er. Cone pics to come! All that is left now is to enjoy this quaint town via bicycle, throw the ball for Samara, and look forward to seeing one of our favorite persons in this universe, Erick Johnson, in McMinville, OR in a couple of days. Good luck to our little one on Monday, and we'll post again in about a week!

-Fresh berries at the base of the Crags-