JANUARY 2026
SHASTA DAM TOUR
We had to be spontaneous to catch the tour of Shasta Dam on a mild, clear January Saturday. An hour and a half drive took us up the Sacramento Valley. Spectacular views of Mount Shasta from Corning to the visitor center prepared us for even greater sights.
At the visitor center we could see the dam, the lake, and another incredible view of Mount Shasta. We watched a movie on a screen with a view of the dam behind it:
About half way through the movie we realized that we were born just before the final cement was poured in December 1944 and its completion in 1945.
Despite feeling a little older after this news, we walked about a mile to the second tower on the road across the dam to meet our guide. We had a few moments to meet some tourists from Germany who took our picture after we took theirs.
Soon after, we were on an elevator that took us to the bottom of the dam where we could see the massive generators then look up outside at the spillway and back up the hill to the visitor center.
On the way back to the visitor center, we took once last look down the spillway, admired a collage of the dam's history in the visitor center, then headed for a late lunch at Panera in Redding.
TEXAS SNOW
While we were enjoying sunny and mild California, the Sidlers were shivering in Melissa:
