(Somewhere on I-5 near McCloud.)

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Yes! Why would my iPhone lie?”

“I don’t know!  It’s just bizarre that the directions I looked up this morning said to turn left and head over the Interstate, and here you are telling me to turn right!”

“Well, it says to keep turning right, so maybe you should just stay on the course and turn RIGHT!”

Three right turns later, my little sister and I were heading left, in a westwardly direction that took us over the Interstate.  We were heading to Heart Lake, a fairly popular lake located up in rural Siskiyou County that boasts phenomenal views of Mt. Shasta.  She was giving directions by way of her iPhone, and though the phone eventually got us to our destination, it did one of those exciting things where it ignores basic navigation principles and instead plots the least efficient route possible.

My life has been stabilizing somewhat since my last blog entry.  Though money’s still tight, I’ve been hustling like nobody’s business and slowly threading together enough work to stave off imminent bankruptcy.  It’s not like I’m some unwanted commodity here in the North State.  I work a bunch, volunteer a bunch, and most days I still feel like I’m running the place.  It’s just as I try to keep working towards my dream career (some balance of law, teaching, and helping build my community), those elements that want me to sit still start pushing back, in an effort to keep me from dreaming such lofty dreams.  Such is the nature of life, but with a new school year starting in about a month and my future classrooms of students out there waiting to be taught, I’m still excited for things to come.  I relish the challenge of it all.  Anyways, in an effort to keep positive and living life, I decided to go hiking for the day and my sister tagged along.

Heart Lake is a short day hike away from Castle Lake, a very popular summer watering hole located in the Trinity Mountains.  The good thing about the place is that it’s entirely free!  No entry fees.  The bad thing about the place is that it’s entirely free!  Lots of hippies.  Whatever the case, it’s an absolutely gorgeous location with stunning views of wildflowers, green mountains, clean waters, and Mt. Shasta hovering over it all.  If you can tolerate the summer temperatures, it’s a pretty great place to escape for the day.  My sister and I definitely enjoyed the hike (and the several detours on the hike…the trail forks about a billion times and it’s pretty easy to get lost).  Anyways, I won’t talk much in this blog.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking (perhaps you’ll notice the point where my sister for whatever reason started photobombing my awesome photos).

Tons of wildflowers.

Epic, dramatic scenery.

THE Heart Lake, filled with dogs and hippies.

From here the trail just…hey, hey you!  Get out of the photo!

What the bleep are you doing?  You’re ruining my pictures!

Get out of the photo!

Finally, a not-so-photobombed view from the top!  Wait, are those paddleboarders way down there?  Get out of the photo!

Oh well.  Even with the photobombs, it was still a pretty great day.  When we made it back to Redding, we went to Chipotle and had some Quesaritos to gain back some calories (What is a Quesarito you ask?  It’s a quesadilla, used as a burrito tortilla for a normal burrito, and it’s delicious.  Go to Chipotle and order one!).  Now I’m back in Red Bluff, enjoying a beer and getting ready for another week of Summer 2017.  I can’t complain.

Cheers,

Rob