2016-04-23 Saturday Carson City to Tule Lake

I learned yesterday that the flu that was being passed around in my nephew’s house has abated. I was purposefully progressing at a snail’s pace to give it time to run its course and clear out. Now I’m still four or five days from arrival in Medford. There are places I still want to visit. Some of these locations I remember from a family vacation we took in 1959. That trip was some journey. We caravanned with our neighbors up through the Sierras and the southern Cascades, then we crossed over to the coast along the Trinity River. Two weeks later, we returned home via Coast Highway 1. It’s the northeastern quadrant of California that I’m interested in for the next couple of days. The lake country that borders California and Oregon is also on my radar.

I left my Walmart ‘campsite’ early, found breakfast and began my march north. Carson City and Reno had little to offer me on this day, so I made a hasty retreat using the fastest route available. I set my navigation system to lead me to Susanville California. Highway 395 had been my pathway on this journey. North of Reno most of the country was giant sage, but further north the sage mixed with pine and juniper. Ranchers have converted most of the valley habitat to ranches. By the time I reached Susanville, I felt the need to depart from Highway 395. The terrain seemed unchanging. Its course was leading me away from the country I wanted to see. I chose to travel California Highway 139 to the Oregon border. This road would take me close to Eagle Lake, an ancient natural lake I remembered camping at as a kid. Just outside Susanville the road began a steep climb that offered splendid views of Susanville in the valley below. Turning north, the road led through Ponderosa and juniper forests interspersed with mile-high marshy ponds.

I had my heart set on seeing Tule Lake near the California-Oregon border. I People drained this marshy wetland in the early 1900s so the land could be ‘settled’. A mA marsh now exists in a small corner of what was once the lake, as people reclaimed the land. It is called “Discovery Marsh” and it seems to have taken much effort to rebuild the wetland. South of Discovery Marsh remains a remnant of the once massive Tule Lake. But I would not explore there this day.

Today’s drive was long and tiring, but roadside Swainson’s Hawks rewarded me early, and Discovery Marsh rewarded me late. Images from this day can be viewed below: