We are now a week into our latest adventure, so you know what that means…laundry day! Cascade Express Laundry in Redding, California was our destination today to take care of this pesky chore. Once that was completed, we headed over to the Sacramento River to visit the world-famous Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay. It’s the perfect time of the year to visit it since the sundial is most accurate on June 21st for Summer Solstice. A nice stroll across the bridge and nearby exploration park is just what we needed after the laundry was done. The 103 degrees F was accompanied by low humidity so it was bearable at strolling speeds. It’s that dry heat thing!

Pinewoods Cove Resort

Trinity Lake in northern California is a man-made reservoir and the third largest lake in California. It sits as a good halfway point between Lassen Volcanic National Park and the west coast, so we pointed Usain in its direction. The lake boasts many forestry campgrounds and RV resorts so Lisa randomly picked one that claimed to have a good view of the lake with a hiking trail near the water. Most importantly, she chose electrical hookups over the cheaper forestry campgrounds as it is suddenly very hot (but expected as a fellow laundromat patron assured us).

On our way to the resort we traversed the historic Old Lewiston Bridge that passes over the Trinity River. Built in 1903, it’s a one-lane metal bridge. We checked our maps app before heading this way to ensure that Usain could pass safely through it.

The Pinewoods Cove Resort has lots of RV sites, several cabins for rent, a dock on the lake and a pool with a covered BBQ patio. We are guessing that back in its heyday it was a very popular resort for families, but time has passed and it has become a bit run down and could use some improvements and upgrades to the facilities. There were very few other campers here. Fortunately, the sites have electricity, as it is very hot and AC was needed during the 90+ degree days we were here. Shady, quiet, and secluded are the best words to describe the resort.

Trinity Lake Trail

The resort offered access to the Trinity Lake Trail that goes along this edge of the lake. It was a steep walk down to it, but it was an easy walk once down on the trail and we enjoyed a nice long hike. We started off on the hike midmorning as we knew it would be a very hot afternoon.

Pine Trees of Trinity Lake

Lisa, ever the biologist, continues to take lots of stops on our hikes to take pictures of plants and animals. During this hike she captured the bark differences between the various types of pine trees that grow here. From left to right: Sugar Pine, Ponderosa Pine, another Sugar Pine, and a Jeffrey Pine. At least, that’s what Lisa thinks… She is confident on the middle two; she should have done sniff tests to be sure as the Jeffrey pine smells sweet like vanilla, but then so can the Ponderosa. Identification is a fun game!