Mount Shasta, California

Disclaimer: I no longer live in Mt. Shasta, but I want to move back someday...

Past the picturesque ocean views and the rolling mountains, flat plains and grasslands cover much of the middle part of California where I-5 stretches up the center of the state. It's rather boring to a passer-by, filled with farmland and emptiness as far as you can see. However, just past Redding in the northern part of the state, you find yourself suddenly thrust into a breathtaking expanse of green, tree-covered mountain wilderness. It's up this road that you'll find the 4000-resident town of Mt. Shasta City.

At first glance, Mt. Shasta looks like a truck stop town. However, on further inspection, you'll find it's much, much more. Mt. Shasta is the quintessential small town. Quaint family shops line its streets, along with restaurants every couple of buildings--restaurants that will have your mouth watering upon one simple sniff.

The population is small enough that you'll start to be recognized within a month. Your neighbor tips his hat to you as you pass in the grocery store, and the cashier asks you how things are going with your new job. Out on your morning walk, locals wave at you ask they drive past, out for their morning shopping.

Perhaps the most striking thing about Mount Shasta, however, is the skyline. On a cloudy day, the surroundings suggest an air of mystery not unlike a Tolkien novel. Snow-capped peaks sit at almost even intervals around the valley, and occasionally their views are obscured by low-hanging clouds. On a clear day, Mount Shasta -- the town's namesake -- is no less than stunning. It stands guard over its people with a friendly aura, almost like a parent watching over its children.

Certain myths about in the town of Mount Shasta, perhaps fed by the large population of new-age thinkers. Rumor has it that a race of superhumans live beneath the slopes of the mountain, left over from ages past and perhaps tracing their ancestry back to the lost continent of Mu. Reports of UFOs and other strange phenomena are not unheard of. Regardless of what you believe, the mysticism of the place is fun to talk about.

For the family spending time in Mount Shasta, recreational opportunities abound. Golfers can take in a game at Mount Shasta resort, beneath the slopes of the mountain, or drive to nearby Lake Shastina for a course designed by a famous golfer. Hikers can drink in the gloriously peaceful evergreens of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, where endless miles of trails await exploration. Boaters can zip over to Castle Lake or Lake Siskiyou, each less than ten minutes' drive from the town, and spend a quiet afternoon with the waters.

If you want to be in the company of friends, or alone with nature, Mount Shasta is the place to be. It may not be a big city, and it may be over an hour's drive to the closest shopping mall, but living there is true living. It's a place that I'll always remember and long to move back to, and it will forever be my home in my soul.

Krissi D

Submitted: Saturday 14th February 2004, 2:43 PM

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