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Little Shasta, August 2020
Little Shasta River and the Shasta Valley: A Photographic Log
10 August 2020

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 6347 square miles. (For comparison, Sonoma County is 1768 square miles with roughly half a million people.) 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.

The Shasta Valley includes some of the more fertile and populous parts of Siskiyou County. It's drained by the northward flowing Shasta River, a tributary of the Klamath River. The Shasta is joined by the Little Shasta River, which gives its name to an ill-defined chunk of the Shasta Valley known as Little Shasta.

Today I rode through and around Little Shasta, parts of which I've pedaled previously, and parts of which were new to me. I intended to get an early start and ride about 35 or 40 miles, but family obligations caused me to postpone the start of the expedition to 11:00. By then the valley was getting hotter and hotter, and the smoke from distant wildfires was getting thicker and thicker. I ended up cutting the ride a little short due to heat and smoke, but nonetheless enjoyed my tour of Little Shasta.

For more Siskiyou County, see also:

Moon ove Montague

Greenhorn Road

Great Shasta Rail Trail

Yreka

Lava Beds - Medicine Lake


East of Montague, this overgrown sign erected by the local 4H club welcomes me to Little Shasta.


Looking west across the Shasta Valley toward the Klamath Mountains.

A little smoky in that direction.


There's Mount Shasta at the southern end of the valley.

Smoky and getting smokier.


A rolling, twisting ride on gravel ahead of me for five or six miles.


One-lane bridge over the Little Shasta River, which is completely dry here.


Despite haze and smoke, Mount Shasta dominates the valley.


Still riding gravel south.


A damp green splotch in the valley.


Hillocks and humps and bumps dot the valley floor.


Shasta draws me south like a magnet.


My luncheon venue.

I sat in the gravel and dined on my traditional peanut butter and honey on cinnamon raisin bagel, washed down by a bottle of tea.

Little Shasta not renowned for quantity of eateries, so I pack my own provisions.


Just as I turned off my southbound route, I snapped a selfie in front of Mount Shasta.


Off Harry Cash Road, a ranch driveway lined with impressive trees not native to Little Shasta.


As I pedaled north, Mount Shasta filled my little clip-on rearview mirror.

By now the temperature had climbed to almost 95° F and the air was significantly thicker with smoke.


A little shrine beside the road where—I'm guessing—it looks like someone missed the sharp curve at high speed.


Little Shasta Cemetery, 1868.


Little Shasta School, 1858.


The fancy metal (copper?) decoration on the school sign.


Little Shasta cattle, 2020.


Little Shasta church, 1878.

Cemetery, school, cattle, church. That's it for "downtown" Little Shasta.


When I snapped a photo from the same spot in 2017, Mount Shasta rose majestically in the clear blue sky.

It's barely visible through the smoke today, mostly out of frame off to the left.

From here, through increasing heat and smoke I kept up a steady cadence and rolled west while sucking down copious quantities of water from the hydration pack on my back.




Summary

Date: 11 August 2020
Time: 11:00 - 2:30
Weather: 85-95° F, sunny, breezy, smoky
Route: Shasta Valley, Siskiyou County, California
Distance: 24 miles
Bike: Ogre
Riders: Solo

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.

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