Little Shasta
Siskiyou County (that’s “sis – kew”) is larger than the state of Connecticut but with a population of only about 45,000 spread across its 6,347 square miles. The county stretches from the Oregon border in the north to majestic Mount Shasta (14,179 feet in elevation) and points south, from Lava Beds National Monument in the east to tiny communities like Happy Camp and Forks of Salmon in the mountains to the west. Overwhelmingly rural, many rugged parts of the county remain wild and far from habitation. Siskiyou, along with other counties in northern California and southern Oregon, prefers to think of itself as part of the 51st state, Jefferson.
8 response to "Little Shasta"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I have to believe that any ride in which a 14,000′ volcano is always within view must make for a pretty fine day. I know one thing though: I would have figured out a way to Happy Camp. That’s one of the coolest town names I’ve ever heard of. Even if it turned out to be ugly, dirty, smelly, and unfriendly, I think I’d still be happy in a place called Happy Camp.
Yep, Mt Shasta is better when more snow on top and no smoke in the air, but always dominant and impressive. If you like Happy Camp, you might also want to visit Etna, Fort Jones, Horse Creek, Fort Goff, and Clear Creek in the mountains of western Siskiyou County.
Nice! Good thing you brought your bike with you!
My ace support crew cleverly deduced that if I had a bike with me she would get more turns holding the baby. 😉
” family obligations caused me to postpone the start of the expedition”
Im guessing diaper duty? You are a great Grandpa! 😉
Very nice ride and beautiful views. Is that Mt Shastina the smaller darker cone to the right of Shasta?
A parasitic cone in geologic terms, kind of a cool feature.
Yes, good call on Mt Shastina. The entire county is a wonderland, at least in terms of geomorphology. Lots of interesting landforms. See also my ride from Lava Beds to Medicine Lake for info on the massive shield volcano at the far eastern edge of the county.
Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Shastina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shastina
Very nice ride in some not-so-nice conditions!
The heat alone would have been manageable, but the combination of heat and smoke made conditions pretty crappy. When fires ignite in remote parts of Siskiyou, CalFire often lets them burn themselves out because they usually don’t threaten any homes or other structures. That can make for some seriously smoke-filled air. Fortunately, the air up there is usually clear and sweet and clean.