A Visit to Lassen National Park

Sorry but I have been locked out of our blog. I finally got in. This blog was written in May while we were in Trinity. We are in San Antonio, Texas on our way home. I will post blogs with pictures as time permits. I hope that you will enjoy the belated showings.

We had three days off in a row so we decided to visit Lassen NP. Lassen is not that far from Trinity but the mountain roads slow you down. Also there is only one way that is paved to get west to I-5 and Lassen . On rte. 299 there is construction. They are cutting into the mountain sides to get fill for places where severe bends had occurred. We were not held up too long, 10 minutes before being escorted through the construction sites. Some have had to wait up to 2 hours to get started. It takes almost 20 minutes to go the 3 or so miles. It will certainly improve travel time east/west when finished.

As you approach Redding, you pass by Whiskeytown Lake. Whiskeytown is another town , like Trinity Center, that was flooded when the lakes were formed. Redding is a fairly large city that has too much traffic for me. We did some shopping. I bought a smart phone at the Verizon store while Lou was getting help with hers. (I swore I would never get one but that is a story for a different blog.)  It rained. We spent the night south of Redding in Red Bluff at a Best Western.

The drive to Lassen was about 60 miles through the brown parched California country. I guess some call it the Golden California. The rain had gone but low clouds were hanging around. They were predicted to lift by noon. They did not lift completely as our pictures will show.

These first shots show some of the views that we saw. The road through the park was twisty and hilly as most mountain roads are. Several places the road hung on the edge will a long drop to the creek below.

I enjoyed photographing the narrow creek beds as the water flowed down the mountain side. There were numerous like these.

This was a meadow where Lou spotted a couple of deer on the far side. We stopped and watched them quite a while. The one eating stopped eating and watched us cautiously for a while. When it appeared that the deer thought that we were not a threat, it returned to it’s lunch.

Another scenery shot. I once had a guy tell me he did like like Alaska. When asked why, he replied “There is nothing up there but scenery.”

There are a number of distinct geological features in the park. This is probably due to the presents of all four types of volcanoes found around the world. They are the cinder cones, composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes, and lava domes.

 

“Bumpass Hell is the largest concentration of hydrothermal features in the park. Bumpass Hell was named after an early settler who severly burned a leg after falling into a boiling pool. The hydrothermal features can be reached today from a well-marked 1.5 mile trail that starts from a parking area opposite Lake Helen. A visit to Lassen is not complete without a stop at Bumpass Hell.”

 

 

Our visit was not complete as we did not hike to Bumpass Hell. We did not have the necessary foot gear. You walked on snow pack 3 to 4 feet deep made slippery by many Hell visitors. Also the fog was so thick that you could not see more than 20 or 30 feet in front of you. We plan to return. (A later blog).

No trip can be enjoyed without lunch!

On to Utah

 

Boy, these blogs get ahead of you when you are busy travelling. It is about a month after we left Denver and there has been much to see and do. Southern Utah is a high plateau. Most of the time the altimeter reads well over 6,000 feet above sea level. 8,000 was not an uncommon reading. Several times we were over 9,000. The air is cool, clear and deficient in oxygen. I notice the last as we climb trails to explore the wonders of geology that the Lord has bestowed on the area over the last 300,000 years. The air quality makes for beautiful blue skies.

Leaving Denver we slugged our way up and over the Rockies. The last pass was 11,200 feet. The motor home made the last bit in third gear and was happy the air temperature was near 40 degrees. Otherwise we might have had a bit of an overheating problem. Everything was downhill from there, almost everything, there were numerous grades of 6% or more, both up and down. (Click to enlarge, back arrow to return.)

 

The first looks that we had were of the distant geology. The haze is due to the large distances, maybe 8 to 10 miles away.

As we drew closer, we could see the many colors in the soil. Much of the color comes from iron compounds although manganese, copper and other minerals add to the coloration.

We hiked one river bed away from the more common tourist route.

 

The spring flowers were in blossom. What a treat.

 

There were numerous petroglyphs. We found some where the park people had built board walks near but we also found some while hiking up a dry river bed. You have to be aware of the weather while hiking dry river beds. A rain storm miles away can turn the river into a raging torrent in a matter of minutes. Lives have been lost by careless hikers. Many places there is no high ground to get to as the walls of the canyon are narrow and steep.

Our days were very eventful and tiring but we persevered. There were so many scenes to absorb and photograph for later viewing. Someday, when we are old and gray, we will look and them and reminisce. Until then we enjoy sharing them with friends and family. We hope that you enjoy them. (I have several hundred more to choose from before getting to Trinity CA where we are now.)

Denver

 

We travelled across Kansas fighting crosswinds of 25 mph or more. A 39 foot motor home acts like a big sail to cross winds. It might have been less noticeable except for the fact that these were gusty, 35 mph maximum. We parked for the night, April 30th, 19 miles from the Colorado border. Weather reports were wind advisory for the next day, Gusts to 45 mph. We decided to stay put.

Next morning the advisory was removed so we ventured forth towards Denver by 10 am. As we made progress westward the temperature dropped and white stuff became visible in the air. It seem to be blowing almost horizontally. Sure enough, we arrived in Denver on May First of a spring snow storm.

We ended with 4 to 6 inches in the campground where we were. Farther north received as much as 18 inches. Luckily the temperature had been about 80 F for a couple days prior. This left the roads warm enough to melt the snow rather quickly even though night time temps were well below freezing.

Of course the “girls” had to get their feet wet in the snow, while I preferred to stay on the dry pavement.

Notice the color of the sky at over 5,000 feet above sea level. It is beautiful especially on a cold clear morning. Morning! That means breakfast and we found a delightful eatery. The view was of the mountains that we would struggle to cross over in two days time.

Thanks to Chris and Katie for their hospitality, apartment tour and pizza that first night. A special thanks to Chris for his patient tutoring of Lou with her new smart phone. Jessie, the boxer, was very well behaved.

The next evening we dined on “Specks” caught in Lake Okeechobee by our good friend Tom Tucker. Lou fried them up with boiled yellow gold potatoes. An adult beverage topped off a fine meal. The four of us enjoyed several games of euchre. Katie insisted on winning before she would leave. It was a late night.

The smiles were indicative of “a good time was had by all”! Thanks Antolines.

Our 2013 Summer Adventure Begins

 

We got going on Wednesday April 24. There  is always many details to attend to when closing the house for an extended period. We pull out of the yard at 10:30 but had to fuel,  get a bite of brunch and connect up the CR-V before leaving Okeechobee at 11:30.

The ride through Yeehaw Junction to get on the Florida Turnpike was thought provoking, “What did we forget?”. The Willie Nelson song On The Rode Again always runs through my mind as we start an adventure in the motor home.

We crossed the Florida/Georgia border looking for a place to stay. As we had vouchers to stay at KOAs on our way to California to work as  KOA workampers, we stayed at Valdosta Lake Park KOA. It turned out to be a very worthwhile stay.

Lou struck up a conversation with a dog owner about his look like a Dane dog. Steve was a certified RV technician. He ended up solving a several problems we had and showed me a number of things that I was unaware of about RVs.

The next night we reached into Tennessee and Raccoon Mountain Campground. It was nestled in the hills and we heard no noise from the rest of the world, peaceful.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights we were parked in Lois Wagner's driveway in the suburbs of St. Louis. The weather was cold and rainy but we had a very nice visit with Lois and toured some of the very many highlights of the area. (Lois is a member of our church in Okeechobee. Over breakfast at the Masonic Lodge one morning she invited us to stop. We did !)

Friday morning started at the Soular Farm Market. Like the Westside Market in Cleveland only larger. They even had live turkeys and other fowl in cages for sale. Lou was busy taking in the sights and taking pictures with her new smart phone camera. (Clicking photos give enlargement, back arrow to return.)

On the way to the next stop, Lou spotted the Oyster Bar with patio eating.

The next stop was, of course…

 

We toured and tasted their wares. Interesting but too hurried. The guides spoke so fast that I missed some of the info. I do recall that one of the large tanks, and there are over 300, holds enough beer you could drink a six pack a day for 130 years. That is a lot of suds. (The tanks did not photograph well.

Lou was busy with her camera phone again and almost got left behind.

We really came to see the Clydesdales. There were four housed at the factory. The others were at Grant’s Farm. It was property of Ulysses S Grant. We made that tour the next day while the weather started to clear.

Leaving the parking lot we crossed a small creek. There were animals from all over the world running free as we road a tram through the grounds. The eagles had been injured and could not fly. They are beautiful large birds.

The attraction was sponsored by the Busch family. At least one of the family live in the mansion on the property. There are many influences of the family’s money throughout St. Louis. They are very generous.

Our next and last adventure on this stop was to visit the Arch. The Gateway Arch is the nation’s tallest monument at 630 feet. The Gateway Arch commemorates Thomas Jefferson and St. Louis’ role in the westward expansion of the United States. This photo is from the Internet.

After passing through airport style security you enter an underground area housing three movie viewing rooms and and large museum. The Museum of Westward Expansion has an awesome set of murals covering the walls as well as artifacts and life size dioramas of the period.

This wall covering carving shows the relative height of the Arch.

The right hand picture includes the stadium and a St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball game underway. (I never did find out who won. We passed next to the south gate as fans were leaving. They did not seem over joyed. The team has a very large fan base. Cardinals’ red was visible everywhere.)

The mighty Mississippi was flooding and still rising. Attractions like the chopper rides and ferry trips were cancelled as the bases of operation were far from dry land. The River Walk was under water as well.

Looking down you could see ants milling about. (I bet there even a few uncles in the crowd.)

As Porky Pig would say “Tttttthat’s all Folks.”

Pole Sitters revisited

 

Since Lou’s sighting of the owl on the nest in March, we have been excited every trip to town as we have seen signs of the two owlets maturing. They are very aware of us although we are about 30 or 40 yards away on the other side of state route 70. State route 70 is a busy east/west highway across Florida.

The field behind the telephone/power pole that the nest is on is a working sod farm. There are people and machinery there daily. A large pump to spray irrigate the acreage is noisy and runs frequently yet the owls seem content with their aerie.

A closer look and you can clearly see the youngsters. The adults are not home often as they are busy providing meals for the hungry and growing pair. I imagine that they roam farther from home on each foray as food becomes harder to find.

It won’t be long before the first will fledge. As you can see they are exercising their wings and building muscles preparing for that glorious day of first flight!

“Hey you with the camera! Are you taking our picture again?” At least have us pose and say ‘CHEESE”.”

“CHEESE”

We will try to capture the new owls on wing as they start off in the world.

Quick stop along county road 721 aka 9 mile grade

 

We occasionally drive to Sebring which is about 35 or 40 miles northeast of our home. We choose to travel a good part of it on “back roads”.  They are not only shorter but also you get to see a great deal more. Five or six miles into the journey we pass a small pond that tends to dry down a great deal this time of year. It is always a treat to stop and see what is there.

We have seen spoon bills, wood stork, egrets of all types, many water birds. Today was no exception. (Remember to click on the pictures for a closer view.)

This black and white beauty is a black-necked stilt. It is easy to see where it gets the name. The plumage is black on top and white below. When it flies the wings show black underneath with the long red legs trailing out behind the white tail. It is quite a sight. Although not rare in our area, it is uncommon in most of Florida.

Another sighting in this small wet area, it may not be deep enough to classify as a pond, was a sandhill crane. She is very busy as you can see.

These are very large birds. They stand 36 to 40 inches tall and have a wing span of 80 inches. To see one gliding toward you reminds you of a small Piper Cub. The adults are all over gray with a bare red cap. They tend to be talkative when disturbed or as they fly over. They have a low and loud musical rattle. You would not mistake the sound with ant other creature.

Not on the trip but this morning we had a visit from four wild peacocks. There seem to be at least two flocks that move around at will. This is the smaller grouping. They are excitement for the neighbors visiting grandchildren.

I hope that you enjoy these pictures. Again, Lou was the photographer of choice as her snaps of the stilt and sandhill crane were superior to mine.