Turtle Bay Exploration Park - Originally Published 2009

Time for another multiple page entry.  If you have the time, I recommend a stop at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park.  Just off of Interstate 5, the park sits on the Sacramento River in the town of Redding.  There is plenty to see here.  It makes a nice stop to stretch you legs and get a little culture.

First stop is the visitor center.  You can pick up a map of the park and buy tickets to the museum exhibitions.  However, it is possible to see some of the park without purchasing tickets so take a look at the map before rushing to invest.

My guess is that this is the oldest part of the park.  The inside of the Paul Bunyon Forest camp doesn’t have a lot going on.  There are some old saws, a few taxidermied animals, and some information on logging.  There is a some renovation going on so maybe the goal is to dress this place up a bit.  Stop in if you have already paid the admission, but it is the weakest section of the park.

This was a great surprise.  During the summer months, the park opens two special exhibits.  In one exhibit, you can wander and feed birds.

This was an especially aggressive parakeet.

 The park imports a collection of butterflies for the second park of the exhibit.  Very nice.

On to The Turtle Bay Museum

The Turtle Bay Museum is a well put together place with permanent exhibits themed around the Sacramento River and two traveling exhibits.

This is a great aquarium featuring fresh water fish found in the Sacrament River watershed.

Luckily, the day we happened upon Turtle Bay, the museum was hosting one traveling exhibit called “A T. Rex Named Sue” and one featuring Lego art.

Aside from being one mean pile of bones, Sue is supposed to be the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.

Right next door was a display of art made by using Lego bricks.

Listen up, architecture fans.  Right here in Redding, you can find an example of Santiago Calatrava’s work.

Not familiar with his body of work?  Don’t worry, neither was I.  The important thing is that you don’t have to know who he is in order to appreciate his work.

 The Sundial is a footbridge that spans the Sacramento and joins that northern part of the park with the southern.  One impressive think about it is that is does not make any direct contact with the river.

 Another is that it really is a working sundial.

Shasta Caverns - Originally Published 2009

Lake Shasta is the self-proclaimed houseboat capital of the world.  It is also home to the Shasta Caverns, a privately held set of caves that make for a nice diversion after endless hours on Interstate 5.

 Now, if you go take a look at the website or take a glance at the literature available at the Caverns’ gift store, you will notice that this trip proudly bills itself as “Three Adventures in One”.  The third adventure is the cave.  Two other adventures?  Here is the first.  A ride on a pontoon boat across Lake Shasta.  Guess the pace of life is slower in this part of the world if a pontoon boat qualifies as an adventure.

 You see that bus?  That’s adventure number two.  Yup.  I’m not judging.  Just pointing out that things must be a little slow if a ride on a bus is an adventure.

 Now, before I sound like a stuck up city slicker, I need to tell you that the views from the visitor center are amazing.  The day we went, it was very warm and very clear.  Shasta really is a beautiful place.

 If you have never been in a cave before, this is a great place to start.  It’s pretty user friendly and not overly strenuous.  Aside from that, these caves have some really amazing formations.

 The tour itself really doesn’t take that long, maybe an hour at the most.  Luckily, the tour guide was knowledgeable and had a fair amount of personality.

 I’d like to give you a map with directions, but the website only has GPS coordinates.  Basically, head north on the 5.  You will cross Lake Shasta and there should be some signs along the side of the road after that.

Halloween Club - Originally Published 2010

Being a peer-edited scientific journal, Animated Meat seeks to shed light on the mysteries of the universe.  Today, we ask the question, “What happened to all the adults?”

Adults.  Remember them?  They were those folks with mustaches and lower back pain that drove AMCs.  They used to tell us when it was time for bed and to turn down that god damned racket.  I’m not sure when it happened, but it seems that they very quietly disappeared somewhere back in the 1990’s.

Take the Halloween Club, for example.  This is a year-round store in Santa Fe Springs devoted to all things spooky.  It’s well stocked and the staff was great.  They were attentive and helpful.

But a year-round Halloween store?  I don’t think that this would have flown back in 1976.  Why?  Because 1970’s moms were worried about being good moms.  They didn’t concern themselves with dressing like a slutty stewardess. 

Do you have $1000 sitting around?  If you do, they have a storm trooper outfit for you.  The adults that used to be around wouldn’t be interested in something like that.  That same thousand dollars could be used to put a new roof on the house.

But as I said, this place is incredibly well stocked.  There’s even a cannibal butcher shop.  Stock up, because the peeled off face is on special this week.

And while I’m busy calling our generation’s ability to be adults into question, I want to point out these costumes.  Yep.  Leatherface, Jason, and a pimp all in child sizes.