I got a jump on Waterfall Week at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (it officially starts Saturday) and made the 3.4-mile round-trip hike to Whiskeytown Falls on Wednesday morning. The three days of hot weather had the snow melting quickly and the falls were really robust. My cellphone photo certainly doesn’t do it justice.
The park is offering a fee-free day on Sunday (April 26) and for more information, click here .
Now, like Elvis might say, “don’t be cruel.” Don’t be selling your friends on this hike by saying, “it’s only 1.7 miles one way” without adding the important tag, “although it’s a pretty steep climb.”
You’d much rather be doing this jaunt than sweating on a StairMaster anyway, but make no mistake, the trek to Whiskeytown Falls is an outdoor StairMaster. Wear good shoes and take your time. Once you get to the rushing water tumbling down the rocks it will all feel worth it.
I haven’t been to Brandy Creek Falls yet this year, but I’m anxious to see how it compares.
• In addition to hiking to falls, my next pick is the Friday night Bill Tapia concert at Bernie’s Guitar (3086 Bechelli Lane, behind Village Cycle) in Redding. The only issue with this show is you need to act quickly. It’s almost sold out and the remaining tickets ($18) are now only available at Bernie’s (223-2040).
Just a quick review: Tapia is 101-year-old Hawaiian ukuelele player who has performed with the likes of Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and Elvis Presley. He actually performed for American World War I troops when they were in Hawaii. He’ll be performing with the north state’s own Bernie Baker (guitar) and Bruce Calin (bass).
The show is presented by the Oaksong Society .
• On Saturday morning (9 a.m. start time) at Brandy Creek Marina is the 22nd annual Lemurian Classic mountain bike race. I’ve done this race about 10 times, including the old, grueling course by Shasta Dam, the incredible French Gulch course, and the current, excellent route at Whiskeytown.
This year I just haven’t ridden enough to feel at all comfortable about going out and racing. Still, it’s great to hang with friends and enjoy the after-race glow.
Between the Whiskeytown Downhill (the legendary race which included plenty of uphill) and the Lemurian Classic, you could put together an amazing list of mountain bikers who have raced in Shasta County. Here are some of the names I can think of off the top of my head: John Tomac, Gary Fisher, Ned Overend, Joe Breeze, Jacquie Phelan, Steve Larson, Greg Herbold and Bob Roll. Some of the area legends who have done the race include Kevin Clair, Mike Bohannon and Lance Lollar. It’ll be interesting to see who’s out there this weekend.
