Signs in California can really spoil your day

We left our Boondockers Welcome site in Reno, Nevada, around 9:30 a.m. and bid adieu to Scott, our host. Very soon we crossed the border into our sixth state of this journey--California. We took a picture of the sign welcoming us to this state. But we have to say that we saw a few other signs that weren't as welcoming.

One of the signs read, "Gusty winds next 56 miles." Another said, "Wind Warning Area--Reduce Speed when Flashing." We were relieved this morning that the lights weren't flashing, because pulling a trailer in gusty winds would be no picnic.

Speaking of food and picnics, we had forgotten about California's inspection stations until we saw that sign. The inspection station sign reminded us that "all vehicles stop ahead". Because they grow so much fruit, this state doesn't want visitors bringing in fruit infested with pests that could harm their harvest. Denisa was counting the apples and nectarines and fresh peas in the refrigerator, wondering if we should pull over and eat them all before we had to give them up at the inspection station. But the inspector didn't ask any questions, and motioned us through with a pleasant, "Have a good day!"

Another unique California sign was "All vehicles when towing--max 55 mph." We didn't remember being in a state that mandated a slower towing speed. 

We had to laugh at another set of signs warning drivers to "turn on headlights next __ miles." They had a sign EVERY mile! We saw one of those signs counting down the number of miles remaining for over twenty miles. Really?!?

But the most painful California signs were found at gas stations. We really didn't like seeing gas prices that started with a $5! A sign like that can really spoil your day! It's a sad day when you get excited and fill up early because it's such a bargain when you find gas for ONLY $4.69 per gallon.

Another sign of California was the fire-scarred hills. While we were lucky to be traveling in a summer that we hadn't seen any smoke, wildfires are a fact of life in this area. Some trees have been planted among the burnt stumps that rise up to the top of the mountain.

After so many miles of traveling across the deserts of Nevada, we were delighted when California suddenly turned into a tunnel of evergreens. It was sprinkling, and we were enjoying temperatures in the 50's around noon in the month of July. We rolled down the windows to take in the fresh air. We tried to name this smell as if it could be packaged into a candle scent. How about "Forest Fresh" or "Pine Showers"?

When we saw a brown pull-out sign, we stopped in at the Hat Creek Overlook to get views of the surrounding area. Mark was pointing to the snow-covered Lassen Peak in the distance.

A closer look showed its commanding presence in this area, and all the snow on this peak at the end of July. We would visit Lassen Volcanic National Park soon, so we would be seeing that mountain up close.

We got checked in and set up the trailer at Hat Creek Hereford Ranch Campground--our home for the next four nights. It was the weekend, and the place was filled with noisy groups enjoying the pond and each other.  That's what we get for booking a full-hook-up private campground on a summer weekend. We had been camping at primitive sites with no hookups for 10 of the last 11 nights. Our solar had worked great, and without electrical hookups there had been no loud music playing and few large groups. 

This campground was so crowded that we decided to escape the mayhem and take a little drive around our neighborhood. We stopped in at the Forest Service visitor center in Old Station, California, for advice. One of their recommendations was to go to Burney Falls State Park late in the day to avoid the crowds. So at 6:00 p.m. we drove the 18 miles to the state park entrance--only to find they weren't letting people enter. Someone had fallen at the falls, and they were keeping the entrance road open for the emergency vehicles that had just arrived. Fine, we can walk instead of driving in. So we found a nice wide parking area a half-mile away and well off the road. You can see that we were not a hazard to the traffic. It was also well past another of California's signs that said "no parking."

When we hiked into the state park, we were trying to get information about what had happened. We asked another visitor if she knew what was going on. She explained that a woman had fallen and hit her head on the rocks at the base of the waterfall. The ambulance had arrived to take her to the hospital. Then she asked us, "You're not from California are you?" We assumed it was our accent that had given us away. Then she explained, "No, it's because someone from California would never approach a stranger and ask questions." Interesting!

Because they were moving the woman up the closest ramp area of the falls, we hiked the long way around to get our first glimpse of Burney Falls.

The long way around was peaceful, with a bridge over the river that feeds the waterfall.

We were taking our time walking through this forest trail, knowing that the main viewing area would still be closed if they hadn't moved the fall victim yet.

This was a down-hill hike as we followed the river down-stream and over a bridge.

It was very wet in the canyon, where the rocks were all wearing green velvet moss.

By the time we finished the 1.2-mile trail, the area was cleared of emergency personnel. We got a picture together because there were still plenty of people here this evening.

One of the guys we talked to had taken the spur trail off the Continental Divide Trail just to see the falls.

Burney Falls was just a common California state park until someone posted a video that went viral. Now people from all over the world were flocking to Burney Falls State Park. You can see that even in the evening, it was impossible to take a picture without lots of people in it.

But if you hike down those steep rocks and take the right angle, you can make it look like you were there all by yourself. We were walking very carefully on those rocks, knowing that you can fall and hit your head.

It was lovely, but we're not sure it was worth the parking ticket we found on our front windshield when we got back to our pickup. It said that we were parked in a no-parking area and we would need to submit $71 to the California state court. That kind of news can really spoil your day!

Since we were already out exploring, we continued with another spot on the tourist map. As we crossed the highway bridge, we looked out our passenger window to see another bridge that Hollywood had made famous.

We haven't seen it (yet), but this old bridge was featured in the movie, "Stand By Me."

The barricades kept us from walking on the bridge, but it looked pretty sturdy from the top . . .

and the side. We guess we need to put this movie on our "to do" list once we get home.

Still feeling a bit glum after getting that parking ticket, we made the 20 mile drive back towards home and made a stop in the tiny town of Burney, California.  We found some bargain gas for only $3.99 per gallon and filled up our tank. The little grocery store was having a special on nectarines for only 35 cents per pound and $1 per pound for cosmic crisp apples. Maybe California isn't so bad after all?!? But our crowded campground was still hopping this evening when we tried to go to bed. Our next door neighbors were up playing games and laughing until well past 11:00 p.m. We would be glad when this California weekend was over!

P.S. Mark appealed the parking ticket. His appeal mentioned that we were well off the highway in an area outlined with logs that certainly looked like a parking area with the five other vehicles. He had the picture we took to prove that. He told them that we tried to park inside the state park, but weren't allowed in because of the emergency vehicles. He also mentioned that we were old and not familiar with this area, and asked for forgiveness. Several weeks later we found out that forgiveness had been granted and it had been dismissed as "a one-time courtesy." Maybe California wasn't so bad after all.