We Leave Redding

4/27/2012 Time to get busy writing. Our trip officially began today as we pulled out from our friends and almost relatives house, Frank and Robbin Borden, in Redding. We are heading north to Alaska. Our first side trip was outside of Weed on highway 97. We stopped at the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden. Ten huge and unique welded sculptures capture many feelings about soldiers and war. You can tell that a lot of emotion went into these sculptures.

Photo of The Nurses sculpture.

 As we passed through Klamath Falls I reminisced about my family's move from Florida. Dad was looking at a trade school in Klamath Falls, but when we arrived he did not like how it looked, so we headed down to the bay area. What if we had stayed in Klamath Falls? Children are at the mercy of where their parents take them. I certainly would not have gone to Berkeley.
 We wound up in a tiny apartment in Richmond. I slept in the living room on the couch. We went out to pick fruit and mom canned in the tiny pullman kitchen. I was almost 12 and was let to ride public transportation to the library and wander around the neighborhood. We were in the East Bay about 2 months before moving to Daly City across the bay.

 Our next stop was at the Collier State Park Logging Museum. William appreciated the logging equipment more than I did. Although the wood fired locomotive nicknamed the old GOP (get out and push) for its habit of running off the tracks, was funny.

We are nested in at the state campground just across the highway at the confluence of Spring Creek and the Williamson River. It is quite cold and spit a few bits of snow. I think the Hungarian goose down comforter we brought along in case of cold weather will be just right.

 William has prepared the typical Baker bonfire for later.