We’ve spent the last three days exploring Redding, California, which time magazine dubbed the “kayak capital” for its “weird obsession” with all things paddling.
On the way, we saw several magnificent views of Mount Shasta, probably with its least amount of snow for the entire year. In fact, while we were here it appears to have received its first dusting of winter snow, but we were too far away to venture back just to capture that.
The pictures below attempt to capture the vibe of the city, which is one of the most outdoor focused of California towns. Surrounded by TEN national or state park designated areas, and bisected by the scenic Sacramento River, the place reeks of outdoor adventure possibilities.
The pictures below show our favorite scenes of Redding, including nearby Mount Shasta, fishing and biking along the river with its iconic Sundial Bridge, and a hidden gem pizza place (Cinders) that wowed us.
As always, clicking on any picture will open it in a separate window, larger and without the caption.
The trip into Redding from the north is scenic, especially in fall colors 
Mount Shasta dominates the approach, first in the distance 
And then up close and personal 
Our campground sat right on the Sacramento River 
A beautiful series of bike paths can be reached from this pedestrian bridge which is also a sundial 
Fly fishermen in the river highlight this scene taken from the bridge 
Now THAT is a great bike trail! 
The trail is mostly flat, paved and well shaded, often with canopies of overarching trees 
With viewpoints of the river along the way 
And we had a top 5 ever pizza experience. Hand tossed, with Alfredo sauce base, chicken, uncooked tomatoes, ranch dressing. WOW!
Hi, Guys! You are headed our direction. If you come down by Palm Springs maybe you could stop, or we could meet you for coffee in town. We are at Caliente Springs east of Desert Hot Springs.
Dianne —
That sounds great! We will be in Hemet, about an hour away, the nights of Oct 29-31. Then we are spending 4 months in Ehrenberg, which is about 2 hours or so to the east. How about coffee the morning of either Oct 30 or 31?
Ken