While driving through Sundial Bridge Dr, I saw a sign that says "Monolith". I had no idea what it…read moreis. We made a stop to check it out. It is located next to Sheraton hotel. Remains of Shasta Dam that was converted into art pieces. Learned a bit about the history of Redding during this quick stop. Free to explore and browse. Free parking as well.

This is an amazing landmark and art piece that's on the grounds of the Sheraton Redding Hotel at…read morethe Sundial Bridge. It's basically an old aggregate plant that took stones from the Sacramento River and used a miles-long conveyor belt to send them to be used in the construction of the Shasta Dam. It's a very cool piece of history that easily flies under the radar.

This library is So Cool! Fantastic selection of books for a small library, and if they don't have…read morethe book you're looking for, their Zip Books program allows you to special order them, get them shipped to your house, and then you can drop them off at the library when you're done. The Zip Book section alone is worth checking out.

I can't say enough good about Scotty Jungwirth and West Coast Brush Hogs. I had 1 1/2 acres of…read moremanzanita, digger pines, oaks and underbrush with widespread storm damage. He went to work and within a week had fell and/or pushed down dangerous trees and cleared out massive amounts of poison oak, manzanita, blackberry bushes and widow makers, as well as precariously leaning trees over the fence line. He then scraped my property so that in the spring there will be pathways of grass underneath oaks and not an impenetrable tinderbox of fuel for a fire to eat it's way through. He has the latest in equipment and the expertise to operate it all, with years of experience in logging and dirt work. I would recommend him for any defensible space work, clearing property for a building pad, you name it this guy can do it!! Laurie Schell, Shasta Lake, CA

Pulled over on the highway to check out this old courthouse. Staffed by a park employee, it…read moredoesn't take long to see everything, but you can stay a while if you read all of the interesting story boards. I recommend visiting this locale if you have any interest in the history of Shasta.

An original town in Shasta County…read more This historic park houses the remains of Shasta City, once alive and bustling during the Gold Rush days, and now a ghost town with restored stagecoach, barn and courthouse. Due to Covid-19 the museum is temporarily closed but we stopped and walked among the Southside Ruins, strolling and stopping to read the markers and interpretive signs at the brick ruins, imagining for a moment what it was like in 1849. The authentic brick buildings have crumbled and are the decayed remnants of a once thriving gold rush shopping district. Across the street is an open picnic grounds with lots of picnic benches under shady trees. The park hours sign read: open from Sunrise to Sunset. The temperatures here reached over 100° F this past weekend and is probably like this every summer so take extra water. We did not see the cemetery. We hope to return again someday to explore and learn more. Easy access. The park is six miles west of downtown Redding and Highway 299 passes through the town's Main Street. Review #1910

With Francie Sullivan, I'm wavering between four and five stars…read more If I'm guessing at Sullivan's politics, I'm going with moderate, somewhat left of center. (I'm a relativist, not an absolutist. Someone who is a bit left of center in Redding would be a bit right of center in Davis, and accused of being a member of the John Birch Society in Berkeley.) I hate to risk poisoning Sullivan's well by accusing her of being the most prominent progressive on the council, so let's just say that she's sitting at one end of a teeter-totter, with Cadd and Jones on the other end, and McArthur and Bosetti sitting closer to each other on either side of the fulcrum. To suggest (Record Searchlight) that Sullivan provides balance to the council is to misunderstand the laws of classical mechanics. Bruce R. says that Sullivan's praise of City of Redding employees is laid on "embarrassingly thick sometimes." Maybe, but if you've witnessed a few city council meetings, you've seen how city staff and the council are regularly subjected to uninformed, paranoid, cynical, withering criticism from the Shastanistan Brigade of Proudly Ignorant and Arrogant Red-Faced Know-Nothing Yahoos. Sullivan famously lost it a few years aback and dressed down those who regularly bring their toxic points of view and rabid personalities to council meetings. That episode was largely out of character for her -- it's a measure of how nasty the SBPIARFKNY can be that a person of mild temperament like Sullivan could be stirred to the point of issuing a genuine verclempt-spiced rant. At any rate, when it was high time for someone to stand up for civility and decorum at council meetings, that person was Sullivan. Like I said, I'm on the fence between four and five stars. Part of Sullivan's platform has always included the notion that small businesses in Redding need more encouragement. I'm a small business owner in Redding, and I agree. I've yet to see anything come out of City Council that would specifically provide a hand up to Redding's small businesses. I've yet to see Sullivan champion such a proposal -- if she has, and I missed it, in the words of Jack Nicholson's Col. Nathan R. Jessup: "Well, aren't I the asshole?" If Redding has a local small vendor preference -- as many of California's more prosperous communities have -- I'm unaware of it. (Sorry Francie. For me, pointing out the existence of the SCEDD and the EDC on your campaign website doesn't quite cut it.) Lastly, I'm going to say it right out loud: Sullivan is a strikingly attractive woman -- she'd look fantastic modeling the cowgirl/hippie-chic clothing and jewelry featured in Robert Redford's "Sundance" catalogue (if Bob had the huervos to use models other than 20-30 year olds). As we all know, strong-chinned men and gracile-featured women have an unfair advantage in politics and beyond. But the looks only complement Sullivan's smarts and heart. It's those latter attributes that tip the scale to five stars.

Francie Sullivan's public and genuinely enthusiastic support of the contributions made by Redding…read morecity staff is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is a very practical and shrewd tactic for doing her job - which is to find ways to ensure the wellbeing of the residents of Redding. It is in the interest of all residents to have talented and committed staff working effectively in planning and public works, legal, treasury, and community services. Francie is well aware that in recent years there have been plenty of issues that could, and did, cause some employees to find another employment opportunity. If she were a CEO she would be praised for preventing brain drain and employee turnover that can negatively affect the mission and bottom line of any organization. This does not mean that issues or need for adjustment is unaddressed, but Francie knows recognition goes a long way to help staff and community members achieve better things together. She has chosen to be a champion of what's great about Redding and what's great about the people who work for the City, to promote their value to city residents who might be unaware and at the same time to share publicly her thanks for a job well done.