Halfway between two of our National Parks, Lassen Volcanic and Redwoods, it is now time to stop for the work week again. I have come from the south entrance of Lassen Volcanic, so it is just another 50 miles down Highway 36 to Red Bluff, California. I have found a campground on my Allstays app that looks to be in a large “green space” along the Sacramento River, yet it appears to be in a coverage area. Sycamore Grove is a National Forest Service campground just two miles outside of town along the Sacramento River.

Space 24 of the Sycamore Grove campground. Sacramento River is behind me.

Greenhouse and garden just steps from the campground.

I am in the midst of a heat wave along the Sacramento River.  Being from the south, I always envisioned northern California as having near-perfect weather. I am surprised to learn that this stretch of the state reaches high temperatures up in the triple digits in the summer! It is forecasted to be in the high 90’s this week. But the main difference between the highs in the south is that it at least cools down at night here. Fortunately, I only have to run the AC for about two hours during the hottest part of the day.

View of Lassen Peak from the Mt Shasta View Hike/Bike trail in Red Bluff

Sunset on the Mt Shasta Trail

Full moon rising in the Sycamore Grove

There are as many things that I like about this park as those that I don’t like. Since I didn’t pay the fee to book in advance through recreation.gov, I can only stay two consecutive nights without moving, unless my space is not reserved during that time. It is $25 per night for water and electric, but there is no dump station on site. And the campground has showers, but they must be plugged with quarters. My site backs up to a river, but there is some sort of noisy machinery going on, so I can’t hear the sounds of the river. And the worst part….my Verizon signal SUCKS here!

Some trees you just wanna hug…

I love the epitaph on this bench along the Mt Shasta View trail: “It is not the length of life but the depth of life. He jumped into life and never touched bottom.”

But the campground is shady and seems cool during the heat wave. The host next to me is a very friendly and helpful person. There is a flower garden and greenhouse at the park visitor’s center a few steps from the campground. And I have made good use of the lovely 4 mile hike and bike trail with a view of Lassen Peak. There is also a serene pond at the end of the nature trail with a cacophony of lilting song birds, chirping crickets, and croaking frogs. So I am on the fence of whether to stay or move an hour north to Redding, CA mid-week. I could pull out my more powerful Yagi antenna, but if I move, I will be an hour closer to the Redwood National Park come the weekend.

But the tipping point in my decision is……I want to ride the Sundial Bridge! Designed by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava, who is also designing the World Trade Center PATH train station in New York, it is “art you can walk on!”

Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA

So I decide to move north an hour during my lunch break. 😉 The Redding RV Park is right off I-5, and offers a Passport America discount. It is your basic line-up of rigs all pointing the same direction, but it is very clean, well maintained, with friendly staff and convenient location. The only negative I can say about it is a little freeway noise if you are a light sleeper.

The Sundial Bridge is a “cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge” that is a pedestrian walkway spanning the Sacramento River. The bridge was built to span the water without interfering with the salmon beds in the shallow water.

Even a broken sundial is right once per year. 😉

Santiago Calatrava is from Spain, so I recognize the use of the broken tile that is so prevalent in Barcelona, particularly all throughout Park Guell, designed by Gaudi. The base of the bridge is covered in translucent glass blocks that give off a beautiful turquoise glow at night.

Full moon backdrop for the Sundial Bridge

Redding has one of the most enviable bike paths of any city I have visited since Little Rock. The path is all paved, two lane, and runs alongside the Sacramento River for 18 miles.

Gazebo along Sacramento River Trail, Redding, CA

I would have loved to have ridden it in its entirety to the Shasta Dam, but had to turn at the suspension bridge in order to make it back before dark. It reached the upper 90’s this day, so I had to wait until almost nightfall to enjoy it, but what a gorgeous sunset ride!

Stress-ribbon suspension bridge, 418 ft long, supported by 236 steel cables connected to anchors in the bedrock, never touches the river.

River appears to be very clear in view from the bridge.

Sacramento River (salmon ladder at opposite end.)

Below river level windows for “fish viewing” though they must be in hiding…