Ashland, OR, 24-Jul
We did a hike where we got a view of Mt. Shasta, then spent the afternoon in Downtown Ashland.
The Grizzly Peak hike had been on our list for quite a while, so it was nice to be able to finally go there. We tried to get an early start to avoid the heat, and we weren't sure how popular the hike would be.
Grizzly Peak
The last mile or so to the trailhead was a dirt road with its share of potholes, but it wasn't too bad. When we got to the trailhead, we were surprised to be the only car there. As we were getting our things out of the car, another vehicle pulled up. All signs were pointing to a quiet start on the trail.
Almost immediately on the trail, we started seeing a lot of wildflowers, and soon after, moths and butterflies. We also heard a lot of bees pollinating the big fields of flowers. Higher up, we heard a woodpecker working on a tree for a little while. We also heard a raven, a red-tailed hawk, and a western tanager.
The trail climbed steadily but wasn't too steep. There was a lot of shade from the trees, and every now and then, we went through a small meadow. At one point, we reached a burn scar which was due to a 2002 fire, and there were still many remains from the fire. This was at the end of a ridge, and when we got to the point, we had great views of mountains. Mt. Shasta was out, but it was hard for me to make out. Melody thought she saw the outline, so I took some photos to check later, and our mountain identification app did indicate Shasta was where she thought it was. I kind of saw something that looked like a mountain, and looking at the photos afterward, I could make it out better.
We then started working across the other side of the ridge we were on, which put us on the north side of Grizzly Peak. After we got back to the trees, we ran across the two hikers we saw at the trailhead, doing the loop in the opposite direction that we were. Later on, we came across a solo hiker who was a local. He said he used to do a lot of biking, but realized he liked hiking too, and has been doing that more. We also saw several other people, so we were glad to have started when we did.
By the time we got to the trailhead, there was still parking available, but much less than before. We worked our way back to our motel, put the things in the room, and went to the strip mall next door to grab some lunch.
Downtown Ashland
After we cleaned up, we did things in the room until we could once again arrive downtown at about 3:30 so we could park for a while. We found another ice cream store at the north end of downtown, so we went there and hung out for a while.
When it got closer to dinner time, we got a quick meal at the grocery store, then went to the Green Stage where Melody was going to watch the concert by Tempest, a Celtic rock band. It was the same band as the night before, but apparently they had different set lists for the two nights. Meanwhile, I went back to the ice cream place to do a bit more things online, then I picked up a dessert and found Melody at the concert, which was winding up.
Tempest formed as a group in the 1980s, and the current members are the ones who founded the group. They are from different places but the group is based in San Francisco. Towards the end of the concert, some people started dancing next to the stage, and as time went on, more people joined them. It wasn't a mosh pit, but probably as close as you could expect given it was a Celtic rock band.
After the band was done, we went back to our room and ate our dessert, glad that we were back much earlier than the night before.
