PEAKS AND PEEKS

Because of the extra long winter/spring, there is more snow on the California mountains than usual at this time of year.

Mt. Shasta was glorious from the road on this blue-sky day:

We took a short hike above the Castle Crags State Park in the

Siskiyous:

The rewards:  a view of Castle Crags along the way:

And from the top:

Turn around at the top, and - Ta-Dah! - Mt. Shasta:

Looking absolutely straight up into the blue, blue sky, here is a

spring-green canopy bringing to life gnarly, ages-old trunks:

Back at the bottom, my favorite flower, lilacs, straddling an old split-rail fence:

(I straddled it too, to get a sniff, and well... I admit, a sprig for the car)

Deep in the dark parts of the trail - fresh-faced dogwood illuminate the shadows: