"I don't travel much"

We awoke excited because by nightfall, we'd be in San Francisco.  Wanting to take a scenic byway through the Mt. Shasta area, but being unable to find a suitable one on line, we stopped at the Klamath Falls Visitor's Center.

G- Hi!  We're heading to San Francisco, and we'd like to take a scenic byway in the Mount Shasta area, along the way, but it has to be a short one, because we don't have a lot of extra time.  Can you recommend one that wouldn't be longer than about an hour?

Dumb blonde girl - I don't know of any.  I've never been to Mt. Shasta except once as a child we rented a houseboat for a week. 

G- Well, it doesn't have to be at Mt. Shasta, if you're more familiar with this area, is there a nice scenic byway around here?

Dumb blonde girl - I don't know.  I don't really travel very much.  I can give you a map.  Maybe it can help you.  (walks off to find map)

G- (looks at Phyl and rolls eyes) I think we're being punked!

P- Really!  Are you kidding me?  Who works at the VISITOR'S CENTER and knows nothing about the area and cannot help VISITORS?  It's not like we're asking a difficult question!  Even if they gave you no training, wouldn't you make it a point to learn the area so that you could actually help VISITORS if your job is working at the VISITOR'S CENTER?!!!!!  Durrrrrrrr.........

G- One would think so.  Maybe she's 'special' and they hire 'special' people at this visitor's center.

P- She's not 'special'.  She's just stupid!  I'm going to the car.  Get the map and let's go.

The map actually did provide more information than dumb blonde girl, but there wasn't any byway that could be worked into our schedule, and we were excited to get back to our hearts in San Francisco.  Fortunately, in that area, the scenery along Highway 97, then Interstate 5, is gorgeous!!!  The most fantastic thing is that Mt. Shasta is spectacular and can be seen for miles.  With only one mountain, we were far less confused than we were in the high desert, just south of Dufor, OR, the day before.

We didn't have far to go before we crossed into California and had to stop at the check point.

P- Hello!

Ca. Border Agent - Good morning.  Do you have any fruits or vegetables?

P- Nope.  Just us. (this joke seemed to be lost on him)

Ca. Border Agent - Ok, thank you.  Have a nice day.

G- Now how does that protect anything?  We could have 6 dead bodies in the back under all of our crap. Or we could be carrying pounds of cocaine. Or we could have every fruit and vegetable known to man.

P- He didn't ask about bodies or coke, so apparently that's not a problem.  And since we'll be passing through Weed, CA soon, there's no need for us to be transporting drugs. I guess we didn't look particularly suspicious.

G- Oh, you definitely look suspicious.  In fact, you're funny looking. Even though the town of Weed is really named after the founder of the town, I'm like a silly child because the name still cracks me up.

The mountainous area of Mt. Shasta, and the gorgeous, but unbelievably low, Lake Shasta soon gave way to the flat, agricultural area and we passed groves of olive trees, sunflowers, fruit & nut trees, and soybeans. This area was pretty warm and we had the air conditioner on until we crossed the Richmond Bridge and hit the bay area.

G- Ah!  Roll the windows down and feel the cool of San Francisco!

P- I love this city!

G- Me too!  Look at the fog surrounding the Golden Gate Bridge.  I love this view from this side.

We relished in the cool breeze and savored the views of our beloved adopted city.  As we crossed the Bay Bridge, the fog was wrapped around the sides of the city as though in an embrace, and the center of the city glowed in the sunshine.  We headed for John's & Rory's tree house.  They were out of town for a few days and, and knowing how much we love the view, were gracious enough to leave us a key.  We cooked dinner, something we missed while on the road, and we enjoyed wine on the balcony.  Soon Shannon joined us and we spent several hours catching up. We were looking forward to seeing our friends again and staying in one place for a week.