Just southeast of Redding is Hawes Farm. They have the farm setup for country style amusements, and Fall is their busy season. Took the grandkids along for an agrarian afternoon, and captured a few images.
In the evening it’s quite different, with a Corn Maze and various Haunted House and Zombie themed attractions. But in the afternoon with little kids, it is just entirely pleasing and inexpensive fun. They have a website with more activities, and you can click on the image below to see more.
Looks like it will be a great year on the lake in 2016! Click to enlarge.
Years of drought made for some lean tourist seasons for our resorts.
Not this year.
Another resort/marina out that way is Silverthorn. They posted this amusing pitch on their website:
“The US Department of State is issuing Worldwide Caution with respect to the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world. Why take the chance of traveling abroad this summer when you can opt for a safe and luxurious vacation on Shasta Lake and stay close to home. Call us at 800-332-3044 to discuss your needs, or book online now at silverthornresort.com“
Indeed, why take a chance? Throw your “Worldwide Caution” to the wind.
We’ve had some good rainfall this season. Here it is early February, and the sun is shining and the air is in the upper 70s. Definitely time to go see the refreshed waterfalls that surround us in the beautiful northstate. Lucky for you, Active Norcal has assembled a waterfall guide they call comprehensive. Alternatively you could look at having a vacation to a foreign country and go sightseeing and see some fabulous waterfalls, like the svartifoss waterfall in Iceland for example. All of them should be running strongly about now. Why not go out and see for yourself? Here’s a shot I once took of Burney Falls. Appreciating nature’s astonishing beauty. That’s ReallyRedding.
There are two popular spots in the mountains surrounding Redding for casual snowplay, Eskimo Hill and Snowman Summit. Eskimo Hill is near Lassen Peak on Hwy 44, and Snowman is on the way to McCloud on Hwy 89. Recently, I took some images of our family outing to Snowman Summit, below.
Snowman Summit is about an hour’s drive from Redding. It has the added advantage of having a Snowman Summit webcam, courtesy of CalTrans, so you can see snow conditions in real time.
This brief meditation is brought to you by Patrick’s Point State Park, which is just about a 3 hour drive west of Really Redding. A very beautiful drive, one might add. One of my favorite spots in Northern California, and a real treasure to have available just a few hours away.
Eureka is a few hours drive west from Redding, but it might as well be another country in terms of climate and culture. So it’s always such a welcome break to get away to the Northcoast once in a while. We booked a night at the Carter House Inns the other day, and I’m posting some images. Below, the main building that houses the Hotel Carter and the Restaurant 301.
<Above, the main lobby of the hotel, with some appetizers.
Seen above are other buildings that are part of the property. They were doing some painting that day, hence the dropcloths on the left. I imagine these harborfront Victorians take a lot of maintenance. The building on the right was designed by the same architects who designed the landmark Carson Mansion, which is just a short walk north.
Above, the common area of the Carter House Inn, which is the elaborate Victorian on the corner. So much redwood millwork! Below, the Bell Cottage, where we stayed for this trip.
Above, the common area of the Bell. There is also a full kitchen.
Below, our room and bath. 12 foot high ceilings and handcrafted woodwork details set the tone. Tasteful art and decor, along with modern TV and wi-fi.
Breakfast at the Restaurant 301 is included, as below.
The lovely Karry contemplates breakfast inside the very pleasurable 301.
The story of the Carter House is very interesting. You can book your visit online as we did, and the service was flawless. It’s pleasing to know that this elegant and artistic getaway is so nearby to Really Redding.
Seen here, the iconic Carson Mansion in Eureka California. The Carter House is a block south of this.
We enjoy a world class pool and aquatic facility located in Caldwell Park near the Sacramento River in Redding.
Northstate kids really need to know how to swim, and can get lessons here. There’s also a bunch of activities and fun events, which you can learn about at the Redding Aquatic Center website.
Cousins with grandma. Sure, just try to get everyone to smile AND look at the camera.
Here’s a website devoted to all things outdoors here in the Redding and Shasta region. They have some things to do, some images and some videos of events and features. Well worth a look. Click on the image to go the website.
Baseball season in Redding has begun again. If you are a fan of this sport, you will already know that. Our family loves playing and watching baseball so we’re all very excited about the new season. I’ve always been a baseball fan, even from a young age. I remember my parents bought me a pair of team baseball pants and a baseball so that I could join the local team. I had such great fun, however now that I’m older, I definitely prefer watching baseball to playing it! What better way to begin the season than to watch college basketball players show their town what they can do. If you like playing baseball yourself, that can make for even more fun than watching! If you’re looking to improve your baseball skills, take a look at these Homerun techniques! Soon everyone will be watching you in a stadium get an impressive homerun. If you have been following this sport for a while now, you may be someone who would be interested in checking out companies such as FanDuel, to start playing Baseball virtually. With the rise of technology, this was going to happen sooner or later. Whether you choose to take on players across the country or your friends, you can become part of a team. Plus, you can even win points, just like the real game!
On the pitch, Tiger Field has served Redding now for 91 years, and currently hosts our Colt 45s. We attended last night’s game and had a blast! From the Redding Colt 45s website:
“Every summer college baseball players from across the country come to Redding for two months of intense competition in a minor league-like atmosphere.”
I’ve never photographed a baseball game, so that was really fun. Tiger Field is very clean, and the food was great. The lovely Karry had a prime rib sandwich prepared by none other than our friend Cal De Mercurio. Not surprisingly, we saw lots of friends here. Here are some images.
On this perfect weather night, the home team won by a comfortable margin over their opponent Santa Rosa Rosebuds. I saw a lot of good sportsmanship and spirited baseball. It’s cliche to say we were all winners last night, but so true.
Pro tip: Don’t park too near the gate, unless you don’t mind your car catching the occasional foul ball.
