July 30, 2016

Question Of The Month

July's question passed me by, maybe even June's. Life is still slamming me from all directions but when I opened the email from Michael @ A Life Examined and read his question of the month, I slammed on the life-brakes and decided to take a break.

This question is so good because it does not have the tiniest bit of political, religious, racial or life & death impact. I really, really, really need that.

"What's your favorite beach?" That's it! Incredibly exhilarating in it's mundane-ness! Love, love, love it. What's best, there are two beaches that are totally awesome. My heart sings when I think of them.

First beach, is at Whiskeytown Lake in Shasta County. It is a fresh-water lake, surrounded by pines, mountains and wildlife. We've seen bears, deer, fish, osprey and eagles while floating on the crystal clear water. One can easily see the bottom of the lake at least 20 feel down.


Our whole family spends whole days on the beach. My kids were basically raised on the beach. When they were young, we would pack up breakfast, lunch and dinner, and hit the beach around 9 a.m and swim, go rock hopping up the creek, and, occasionally hike. My husband would come up after work, we would bbq hot dogs, hamburgers or chicken drumsticks and stay until it got dark.

The water is always perfect because summer days in Redding tend to hang around the three digit temperatures.

Now that our kids are grown up, we continue the joy by taking the grand-kids out and our great granddaughter loves it too. We toss the kids or they dive off of our shoulders. They still love to jump rocks in the creek or hike up to the falls.


My second favorite beach (again, fresh-water....I am a mountain girl....what can I say?) is in a remote area on an arm of Shasta Lake. It is called Chirpchatter Campground. There are only 3 campsites, though, you'll have to look hard to find them.

It's a must to bring rakes with you and gloves, so you can remove all the blackberry vines that have intruded into the camp sites. A snake kit is probably a good idea too, as well as, one of those scare-a-bear air horns. Once you've cleared your campground, grab a towel and hike downstream along the creek.

The water makes a 90 degree left turn at a huge granite boulder. Over the years the granite has been ground down and has formed a little beach. Just big enough for the five of us when the kids were young but now perfect for two of us.

Do not drive or ride your bike down the road past the campsite because it the road is usually washed out.

If you swim about 30 feet down from the little beach, you'll find a good size boulder in the middle of the stream. There is a long rope tied to a tree on the bank. You can swim to the edge of the water, grab the rope and swim back and climb the rock. Swinging out over the water and dropping in is loads of fun no matter what age you are but watch out for rope burn.

Sleeping in your tent at night is an awesome experience. You can hear the babbling of the creek, wind blowing in the pines and an occasional snort from a bear rustling around in the under brush.

There you have it. Two fantastic beaches and not one seagull or crab!

p.s. July's question of the month answer: Book series: Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys! Book: Tiger Tiger. Loved them both and read them all. 

28 comments:

  1. buxton/hatteras NC (part of the outer banks)

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  2. I have four ....
    First is the beach at Folsom Lake, back in the days of olde when Folsom Lake had water.
    Then there was the beach at Discovery Park along the American River.
    Follow that up with Makena Beach on Maui.
    Lastly, any beach in Key West.

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    1. I'll have to check out Discovery Park. Never been.

      Ah, I forgot Gillin's Beach on Kauai.Awesome, private, great for snorkeling.

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  3. Sounds wonderful! And such great memories. Nothing like being by the water.

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  4. I have been to many beaches but what makes them memorable are the ones where I spent time with my loved ones. What fun we had. Your memories were beautifully told.

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    1. It is true, no matter how many times I have sat on the shore, reading a book or just resting, it is never as memorable or special as time spent with those I love!

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  5. Sounds really lovely! I love beachy vacations ♥

    summerdaisy.net

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  6. It would be great not to worry about jelly fish! (But snakes are just as bad.) My parents would take my sister and I to the banks of Hartwell Lake in Anderson, SC. Not quite as clear as your lake, but we loved it.

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    1. Loved the ocean beaches in South Caroline. It seemed like you could walk out for half a mile and the water was still just thigh high! Pacific beaches would have you swimming with the sharks and whales that far out.

      I was scared of the lakes when we lived in Sumter. Snakes and gators, oh my!

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  7. I haven't been swimming in a fresh water lake for years. All those near me are cold year round.

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    1. Fresh water sure beats the sand and salt that clings. When the temperature is 112 degrees, it is difficult to find a lake that is TOO COLD!

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  8. I wish we lived closer to a beach! The photos make beach life look so fun!

    http://www.anapeladay.com/2016/08/question-of-month.html

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    1. I like your beach stories. Each is an adventure.

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  9. Maybe I need to try out a fresh water beach. Your words and pictures make them sound so lovely.

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    1. Thank you. Fresh water is great. No sharks!!!

      I love your G+ site. Better than Goodreads for checking out good book reviews!

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  10. I'm in MN and I also love the fresh water lake beaches. The water is cool and refreshing. It is also a treat to be out there soaking up the sun and warmth as our winters are long and harsh.
    Mary at Play off the Page

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    1. So many lakes, so little time!

      I don't know how you do those harsh winters. Must be pioneer stock!

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  11. I was never a huge fan of lakes, but I did appreciate that they weren't salt water. One of my favorites was actually a glacier lake in the Wind Rivers. Beautiful, freezing beach.

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    1. Beautiful, freezing beaches....love 'em. Love waking up in a tent and having to wear two sweatshirts to get the campfire started; start the coffee percolating and bring out the Bailey's Irish Cream. Drinking that first cup, smelling like campfire smoke and walking along the beach. Yum.

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  12. I taught myself how to swim just enough to drown with fewer splashes. But I NEED the water to be around 91 degrees so that I don't really feel like I'm IN water.

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    1. I love reading your blog. Your sense of humor is excellent.

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    2. Thank you, Toni. I'm always surprised to land on a blog where they are familiar with my posts.

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  13. I have never swam in fresh water. I ve been in very clean lakes and in beautiful waterfalls and creeks but something always held me back.

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  14. Great pictures! And what an interesting tidbit: rakes and snake kits as beach accessories.
    My post on my favorite beach is finally live too, if a week late: https://olgagodim.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/question-of-the-month-august-2016/

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  15. Don't forget the scare-bear air horns!! I'll check out your favorite beach!

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