Northern Mountains - California - page 724

www.fesbandb.com ; 660 Main St; s/d with shared bath $60/70) has four simple rooms right in
'downtown,' with a big breakfast included. There may or may not be restaurants open
(everything was shut at 5pm on a Sunday when we passed). Another option is to drive 9
miles north to Merrill, OR, and stay at the backcountry-cute, good-value Wild Goose
Lodge ( 541-331-2701; www.wildgoosemotel.com ; 105 E Court Dr, Merrill, OR; r $60, cabins $120;
) . The closest real town is Klamath Falls, OR, 29 miles from Tulelake.
THE AVIAN SUPERHIGHWAY
California is on the Pacific Flyway, a migratory route for hundreds of species of birds
heading south in winter and north in summer. There are birds to see year-round, but the
best viewing opportunities are during the spring and fall migrations. Flyway regulars in-
clude everything from tiny finches, hummingbirds, swallows and woodpeckers to eagles,
hawks, swans, geese, ducks, cranes and herons. Much of the flyway route corresponds
with I-5 (or Fly-5 in the birds' case), so a drive up the interstate in spring or fall is a show:
great Vs of geese undulate in the sky and noble hawks stare from roadside perches.
In Northern California, established wildlife refuges safeguard wetlands used by migrat-
ing waterfowl. The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges offer extraordinary year-
round bird-watching.
Modoc National Forest
It's nearly impossible to get your head around this enormous national forest
( www.fs.usda.gov/modoc ) - it covers almost two million spectacular, remote acres of Cali-
fornia's northeastern corner. Travelers through the remote northeast of the state will be
passing in and out of its borders constantly. Fourteen miles south of Lava Beds National
Monument, on the western edge of the forest, Medicine Lake is a stunning crater lake in a
caldera (collapsed volcano), surrounded by pine forest, volcanic formations and camp-
grounds. The enormous volcano that formed the lake is the largest in area in California.
When it erupted it ejected pumice followed by flows of obsidian, as can be seen at Little
Glass Mountain , east of the lake.
Pick up the Medicine Lake Highlands: Self-Guided Roadside Geology Tour pamphlet
from the McCloud ranger district office to find and learn about the glass flows, pumice de-
posits, lava tubes and cinder cones throughout the area. Roads are closed by snow from