We left Crescent City and Del Norte county intending to head into Sisiskiyou county to camp and tour. We drove up 199 through the redwoods and into Oregon. We stopped at a botanical area walk along 199 and it was spectacular. It's a dry area so the permanent flora (trees, bushes) are small and sparse. The wildflowers are not. Everywhere we looked along the decomposed granite path there were more and more flowers. My favorite was a electric blue flower.
Commando gives this area 4 paws up!
We drove down I-5 with a brief detour along the scenic Rogue River road and even 99. The scenic road was nice but 99 wasn't worth it. Soon after crossing into California we saw Mt. Shasta far ahead. It it a majestic mountain. We turned northeast on 97. We stopped at several wetlands areas in the Klamath National Forest to look at migrating birds.
We stopped for directions at the Goosenest ranger station in McDoel, CA and were directed to Juanita Lake campground. Outstanding! The lake has a camp host named Frank who was charming. He moved to the McDoel area in 1958 and plans to be buried here in "God's Country." The campsite was immaculate and is built for limited mobility folks and wheelchairs. There is a 1.5 mile paved trail around the lake. Great idea!
It rained overnight and snowed on some nearby hilltops. The snow left a dusting of powder on the pines just like someone has sprinkled powdered sugar over the them. The snow melted away as the sun rose. Frank said there is a nesting pair of bald eagles, although we didn't see them. We hiked around the lake and dropped into a magical meadow just up from the lake. Juanita lake must have looked like this before it was dammed. The campsite was almost deserted with only 1 other camper. Frank had a cute little dog named Luke and he and Commando spent a lot of time frisking around together.
Commando gives this camp, with no pesky leash and a fun dog companion an enthusiastic 4 paws up!
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