Autopendium :: stuff about old cars

Tags: bus shasta volkswagen vw

Well, we were now teamed up with Team Surf City and despite the fact they were running a much bigger motor and were pretty much ready for anything, the said they'd stick with us.

The plan was to get onto Ruth-Zenia Road heading north. It eventually became Van Duzen Road and connected with Hwy 36. From there our plan was to take Hwy 36 all the way to Red Bluff and connect with Interstate 5 north to Mt. Shasta City.

Well, after a couple wrong turns and one more time getting stuck (in a school's driveway we thought was a road), we found Ruth-Zenia Road and were met with some of the nicest scenery we'd had the whole trip. Our spirits we really healing well and despite some icy conditions on the road surface, made good time as the sun set on our day of driving.

As we headed northwest and Ruth-Zenia Road became Van Duzen Road, we called out periodically for other Shasta Trippers and eventually could begin to hear another group off in the distance! Ah, the joy of having RF Gain on your CB! Well, soon they could hear us too and they were already up on Highway 36, a few miles ahead of us. They shared with us their planned route and we reassured them Hwy 3 was closed in Weaverville, so there was no point in going that way. They had actually worked out a route that stayed clear of Weaverville and dropped us into Redding instead of Red Bluff.

It took quite a while, but we caught up with them and talked routes and took a bathroom break. We were really tired at this point and my role of navigator had become letting David know which way the road was going to curve because I could see further ahead than he could. So we followed the rest of the pack up Highway 3 to where it connects with the smaller Highway 299 and that road dropped us into Redding where we all were thrilled to see the lights of civilization, get gas, and then run across the street to Burger King for the first real meal of the trip! Minimart food really will only get you so far.

This was a long stop and gave many of us a chance to stretch, check in with loved ones, and allow a few other buses to catch up with us.

We could see the entrance for Interstate 5 from where we were and soon the idea that Mt. Shasta City was only 54 miles away had us all chomping at the bit!

So we went for it! Blitz up I-5 and get there before midnight...that's the whole idea of the trip. Get up insanely early, take the most bizarre roads you can find, and get there before it turns Saturday!

Naturally, climbing hills, we got a little separated from the group again and made the wrong turn getting off once we reached Shasta. Ultimately, we had to get back onto 5 south into Dunsmuir and head north again to the correct exit. I think if we didn't make that wrong turn, we could have been in Shasta before 11pm, but as it was we pulled up in front of where we were staying at 11.10pm!

Hot damn, we made it! Oh, the feeling was unreal...to have faced such intense odds, overcome them, and actually make it to a destination I had dreamed of and only seen in pictures before.

The rest of the night was one of unpacking, relaxing, sharing stories, and ultimately moving the bus into a local parking lot so we could avoid getting towed in case they had to plow the roads overnight.

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