Meredith and I went on an adventure Tuesday!  We drove up to McCloud Lower Falls and hiked (really, it's a walk....) to Middle McCloud Falls, then drove to Upper McCloud Falls and had a picnic lunch.  After lunch we went to Burney Falls and walked the Loop there.  Fun day!

It was a nice cool day, too - lower 60's throughout, with just a sprinkle of rain - enough to stir up the dust on my windshield.  We stopped at the Vista turnout on the way up, and Shasta was clear, but we would be playing in the clouds to the right...

Lower McCloud Falls - there was even someone swimming below the falls - and the water is ice-melt......brrrrrr!

Middle Falls - the pretties of the three, I think.

We did have a nice chat with a fellow hiker - he had on a Search and Rescue vest, complete with his gear, and had his search dog with him, and they were exploring different Falls for the day, waiting for his wife to finish up some business meetings.  Meredith stopped to chat with him, and they swapped skiing stories from the Tahoe area (Meredith worked at the resorts during college) and avalanche/rescue stories.  (I'm always amazed at the questions Meredith asks, and that people actually answer!) There were some other people doing some sketching climbing around the Falls, and he joked that he wasn't ever really off-duty - someone always seemed to be doing something stupid.

Upper Falls - not so dramatic.  This is the cascade above the actual falls.

And the Falls.....If we hadn't seen the other two, it probably would have been a decent waterfall.

This is the pool right above the big Upper Falls

And a couple of beggars visitors for lunch

Burney Falls - there were people swimming here as well.  One of the signs said that the water is 48 degrees year-round.  Double brrrr!  (Though one of the girls walking down wearing her inner-tube did say she had a little bit of alcohol fortitude...I started to wonder if the guy we talked to at Middle Falls was stopping by Burney Falls too....)

The Rainbow Bridge on the Loop trail.

This little guy did not want to get out of our way.  He sat/walked/ran down the middle of the trail.  The flash from my camera finally sacred him enough to let us by.