Volume I : Chapter IV
The I-5 is the bane of my existence. It's the most utilitarian interstate in the country, as far as I'm concerned and very little is offered unless you want to take some time to get away from it. We would have preferred to take the 1 or the 101 on the way down but we were on a time crunch to meet friends in San Diego. My favourite spots on the 5 are however in Northern California. California is beautiful though, and as hard as it tries even the 5 cant keep you from seeing it.
Our friend Penni always said that if she ever published a book of her memoirs it would be titled "The Places I've Peed". If I were to contribute a chapter to this book I'd choose the incredibly creepy restroom at exit 712. For the sake of surprise, I won't say too much, but if you're ever nearby be sure to stop. Trust me.
Mount Shasta is sleepy and sweet at first glance, I passed by many times before I learned about the Lumerians. Some believe Mount Shasta is the entry point to a sunken continent, Lumeria. Burrowed under the mountain was an entire ancient society, who from time to time breach the surface dressed in white robes. There have been sightings, whispers of secret doorways into the mountain and all sorts of folklore centring around this place. It's eerie, a bit funny but makes up for an interesting community that's settled near the mountain.
She's imposing, the mountain. The first peaks you'll see after coming down in from the North and you pass her by the side, never too close. We didn't attempt to seek out a Lumerian (I wouldn't even know where to start, but I supposed I'd look for a door) but we did find Lake Siskiyou. We were going quite a while at this point without showers and it was warm enough to swim off the filth. Jill had mentioned a bridge she knew of, if we could find it through the trails.
We found it.
Words by: Kyla Trethewey
Start reading from our first day on the road or see all of our travel posts.