Redding and the Three Shastas

Looking for a weekend getaway in Northern California?? Ever visited the Shastas? If not, this popular travel destination should be on your bucket list of places to visit in California. Shasta is about four hours drive from the bay area. We visited Shasta a couple of years ago and while I was debating on which of the California destinations I should blog about in the coming months, Shasta was a top contender. So here I am with a few touristy details on Shasta. We have driven by the Shasta route twice after our first trip and it is has been refreshing and breath-taking every single time.

Our first stop on the way was at the city of Redding. Redding is famous for the Sundial bridge. An architectural marvel and definitely worth a stop. However; sun plays a vital role, so if you are visiting on a non sunny day, you may be in for some disappointment. The Sundial bridge is part of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park. Our initial plan was just to visit the bridge and drive on to Shasta, but we decided to visit the museum entrance and ended up spending a couple of hours at the park. I have been fond of butterflies ever since I was a kid and I have come to conclude that colors are the reason behind that! So anyhow, we visited the butterfly arboretum. Some great photographic opportunities here. As we were heading out, we spotted this bird feeding center in the park and we dared to get inside a cage full of hundred birds. So you get a couple of grain sticks and you can have birds land on your hands and shoulders while you feed them. I was scared at first, but was happy to have done it in the end.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The drive to Shasta is indeed very beautiful. Mount Shasta, Shasta Lake and Shasta caverns make up the three Shastas. Our first stop was at the caverns. They only have guided tours since you need to do a mini hike to get to the boat ramp and get on a catamaran that takes you through Lake Shasta. Then you get on one of their buses that take you up a hill to the entrance of the caves. It makes sense to do a guided tour on your first caving adventure, but after that they are all the same. We have done quite a bit of caving adventures after our Shasta cavern trip now and there is nothing exploring them on your own. It is much more exciting than the guided ones. The tour guides usually describe the various cone-shaped cave formations like stalagmites and stalactites. It definitely is fascinating to watch these formations if it is your first caving tour. Later on, they all seem pretty much the same!

After exploring the first Shasta, we headed to the next – Mount Shasta. A climbing permit is required to climb over 10,000 ft. Shasta’s around 14,000 ft. We visited Shasta during the first week of June and roads over the elevation of 7,000 ft were closed because of snow 😦 So, I’d say peak summer or early fall would be a good time to visit if you plan on doing hikes at higher elevations. Irrespective of the time of the year you go, you’ll get plenty of great views of Mount Shasta. We did a short hike at the Bunny Flat Trail. Shastina at 12,000+ ft is the highest cone formation of Shasta and one of the highest volcanic cones in the Cascade ranges. It would be unfair if I miss mentioning about Black Butte in this blog. Black Butte is a dome-shaped volcano that a lot of climbers prefer for an easy climb. Shasta is for the pro climbers, but climbing up the Butte only requires about half a day.

Mount Shasta

After returning from a brief hike in the Shasta cascades, we headed to Shasta number 3. The lake and the dam. Although we did not try out any water activities at the lake, this man-made lake is popular for boating and water skiing. The dam is the second largest in the country. I believe they have tours that take you inside the dam, but I am not very interested in civil engineering stuff, so we decided to take an evening stroll at the dam. It is extremely calm and serene in the evening. We went just before dinner time and there were hardly 10 people around.

A few tips if you are planning a Shasta trip:
– Check out for road closures especially if you are planning on hiking
– Definitely stop by in Redding to take a peak at the Sundial bridge
– Some of the most picturesque views are on I-5 while driving, so don’t miss those photographic opportunities.

Maui: Luau, Dining and shopping

This is my final blog on Maui and it is dedicated to its night life and inumerous food and dining options. The other two are available at Maui Part 2 and Maui Part 1.

Luau: Your trip to Hawai’i is not complete if you do not attend a luau. Maui has 5-6 different luau options and we only had a chance to experience one. The Old Lahaina Luau is considered to be the most authentic in Maui, however; we decided to attend the Royal Lahaina Luau since it has more food options for a vegetarian. Also, no fire dances at the Old Lahaina Luau!

For those of you who don’t know what a luau is, it is basically a Hawai’ian feast that with spectacular hula dance performances. Kalua pig (slow cooked in an underground oven) and poi (taro paste) are amongst the 2 delicacies available in most luaus. Taro is one more thing that Hawaii is famous for! Though, poi does not taste good. The show usually goes on for over 3 hours and the audiences are treated with great Hawaiian music and hula dancing. Most luau’s are catered to tourists and feature dances from various Polynesian islands like Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji. The Samoan fire dance is a show stopper for a lot of people and is indeed breathtaking.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Food: After it gets dark, Lahaina downtown is a great place to hang out. We preferred exploring dining options at the downtown rather than eat at the resort everyday. Here’s my pick on few of the dining options you have available while you are vacationing at Maui.

Longhis – An Italian restaurant at Lahaina downtown. Mai tai’s are their speciality.
Cilantro – A local Mexican restaurant in Lahaina that reminds you of La Salsa.
Monsoon India – The food is not that great, but this place in Kihei has the most amazing sunset view at the beach while you are enjoying dinner.
Mixed Aloha Plate – A local favorite and my favorite from the entire list. Although I could not try out the authentic Hawai’ian options, the look and feel of this Lahaina downtown restaurant describes what Maui is all about.

My blogs on Maui would be incomplete without the mention of Roselani icecream – Maui’s original ice cream with great tropical favors to offer. If you are visiting Maui, DO NOT leave the island without tasting Roselani :). Needless to say, shaved ice is a great way to cool off the heat and enjoy it on the beach. The best one out there is the 3 layered tropical delight shave ice sold at a food truck outside Big beach of Makena beach. Drinking chilled coconut juice in tropical weather at a beach is indeed the QUEEN of clichés. But don’t miss out on it just because everyone does it!

Roselani ice-cream - Maui's speciality!

One more food item that you should not miss is the locally made banana bread sold at food and fruit stands on the road to Hana. We parceled a few loaves of Banana bread and slow baked dry coconut to the US mainland. Hawai’i is famous for its coffee plantations, so make sure you don’t miss that either. We tried local Maui peaberry and a couple of other local Maui flavors. Peaberry is usually the mass favorite and considered to the Holy grail of coffees! Any coffee lover would love to cherish a cup of Maui peaberry. I absolutely do 😀

Shopping: No vacation is complete without shopping and collecting souvenirs. If you are going to Maui, stores to check out are Banana winds, Waterworks, Glass Mango. Whalers Village and Lahaina Cannery Mall should cater to most shopaholics.

That said, I am feeling that I have already wrote too much in my three blogs, but believe me, there is much more to Maui. No wonder there are people who go back frequently and are still not tired of the place. I hope all my pointers in the 3 blogs make your Maui vacation memorable!