| Soon
into California,
I took Highway 96, sometimes called Jefferson Scenic Byway and / or The
Big Foot Highway. It follows
Klamath River through a very remote part of the the state. Interesting to have a corner of populous California like this. Hardly any traffic as Klamath carved its way from dry inland reaches to the Pacific Ocean. I noticed river was full of algae. Looks like there must be cow manure in the water. I wondered if it cleanses itself as it heads into deeper forest. A woman at one visitor's center stated that it should clean itself, but farmers have tapped too much water out of the river. Water is reduced to a trickle and too warm for the fish. No wonder there is algae. I remember hearing farmers complain that they weren't getting enough water out of Klamath Lake up in Oregon. Even in this lightly traveled area, water is diverted elsewhere. Population explosion is felt as water wars, even in areas where little traffic is seen. |
I passed through parts of the Klamath and Trinity River watersheds. Touched on the Six Rivers National Forest and went through the Hoopa Reservation. Noticed their small casino called the "Lucky Bear." It was next door to a supermarket. Small compared to the massive indian gaming and entertainment palaces of Bellingham area, where I live. |
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