Mount Shasta, California

The Native Americans in the area consider this mountain to be sacred, and for good reason. It is an awesome sight rising from a flat plain to a height of 14,179 feet. It is one of the southernmost in a string of volcanic volcanic peaks running through Washington, Oregon and Northern California, making up the Cascade Range.

OilMan and I have had many adventures on Mt. Shasta in our various attempts to reach its summit. One time we camped half way up, only to have a fierce storm come up during the night, which blew away part of our tent and froze our son's boots into rigid blocks. Although we could look up and see the summit, beckoning in the sunlight, the way down was engulfed in a whiteout moving inexorably up the mountain. We chose retreat through clouds so dense that you literally couldn't tell up from down, not a very palatable choice, but probably the wiser one.

We have retreated because of thigh deep snow and altitude sickness and and simply an inability to take another step uphill. The most fun we had was glissading down the mountain on our rucksacks, playing pool in the crummy motel where we stayed overnight and enjoying the camaraderie of friends on a true adventure.

All these memories came back to me as we zipped by the mountain at 70 mph. Our adventures on its flanks make it an even more awesome sight from the highway.