Speaking of Shasta..
My family used to go to Shasta Lake every summer, rent a houseboat and vacation there. But somehow the lake seems to have gotten lower and lower each year. Still a great place though.
And one time (at band camp - no) when I was 3, we got into a horrific accident while crossing the then 2 lane bridge over Shasta Lake, and almost went off the bridge. Apparently some drunk driver swerved and almost crashed into us head on. Anyway, at the time because seat belts weren't used (back in the 70's) I was sitting on someone's lap in the front seat and I went through the windshield and was almost killed, were it not for the first car that went by being a nurse and being able to tend to me appropriately. I remember it too, I remember being in the hospital and being upset that they had to cut off my favorite turtle neck because of all the glass in my face. And I remember screaming for my parents too. Weird what we remember from that age, if anything.
Yeah, we got a near record snowpack in 2004 and Shasta still was a bit low. Gotta ship that water to LA, doncha know.
Whiskeytown is a better recreational lake but you have to go to Shasta if you want to float a houseboat.
Sounds like you had a wreck on the Bridge Bay bridge. That was a very scary bridge back in the 60's-70's...it's been widened to 4 lanes since then and the opposing lanes now have a crash barrier in between. Who knows, your wreck may have been one of the many that was the impetus for widening the bridge...THANKS!!