I am currently in Alturas California which is a small town in North Eastern California- closer to Oregon and Nevada than any major city in California. I used to come up here for work occasionally and I do enjoy visiting. It's the kind of city that you need to remember to bring cash to buy a cup of coffee and a homemade english muffin.
This evening I went for a walk around town- it's the kind of place where within 15 minutes I walked to the edge of town and checked out some cattle. Then it was a walk through the neighborhood passing by the Catholic church built in 1883 and the little houses. The deer were wandering through the town eating on the lawns. The quail scurried through the streets fluttering around every corner. It's a darling place with some decent places to eat and a Rite Aid to rival most Targets.
The road up to Alturas was a nice meander through Northern California starting in San Francisco to wander Union Square, chill with the kid, through Sacramento (a lovely town and where I grew up so much), a visit to the UC Davis campus and then I was on my way. On the drive up I drove through Lassen National Park- a magnificent place that gets much less press than it should. But the lack of press means it is a gem with relatively empty trails and sights to stun you into silence. I managed a quick 3 mile hike down to Bumpass Hell and back... a little gem with volcanic history and bubbling mud spewing out sulphuric smells. During the hike I had over 45 minutes on the trail without seeing a soul and I realized I have become one of those people I always envied- the single woman confidently venturing out on a trail enjoying nature... it's a good life.
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