It is late for us old folks but around 10PM we pack up coats,
hats, gloves and camera and head for the overlook to check out the magnificent night
sky. It does not disappoint. We have an unobstructed view with the milky
way streaked across horizon to horizon. Kent
grabs some great pictures while I just stand and gaze in awe.
Boot steps are nearly silent on the needle covered trail a
we make a slow climb through thick stand of pines. (One would think that if trailheads are at
5000 ft + at least some trails would be downhill or at least flat – not so
far!). Patches of snow cling in
sheltered spots in the woods. We had been forewarned there was still heavy snow
cover on the trail just 2 weeks ago and we find the first on the trail at about
½ mile in. We are across it in just a
few steps. No big deal. Split log bridges, fallen logs, and stepping
stones aide multiple crossings of first a tiny stream and later the larger Hat
Creek. Bird songs occasionally punctuate
the forest silence. Snow patches become larger
and more frequent. There is a bit more
detouring and a lot more careful stepping but it is still passable. We rest a spell beside a Hat Creek waterfall
then find our way to the trail destination. Paradise Meadow.
The creek meanders across a broad meadow backed by rocky
cliffs. Even ¾ snow covered it is a
beautiful serene place. We scan for wildlife
and I check out birds then find a sunny place to settle and soak it all in. Sounds mingle. Shadows and colors play off one another as
the grays of winter make way for the bright colors of spring. Cold wind off the snow blasts in stark
contrast against my sun warmed skin. The details meld together to create a unique
feel for the place. It is beautiful now
and will surely be splendid when the wildflowers come into full bloom…a few
more weeks.
We take a detour at a fork in the trail in search of a
vantage point that allows us to keep watch on the meadow while basking in the
sun. We cross a split log bridge that
has seen better days. The heavy snowpack
has taken a toll; hope it holds together for our return trip! Wildflowers are popping up in sun warmed forest
glades. It is a beautiful continuation
of our walk but doesn’t bring us back around to the meadow. We bask in the view for a bit then start back. As we near the last curve in the trail we
hear the telltale sound of an ax wielded by pretty ambitious hands. Could it be someone working on the bridge, our
only path out. Sure enough; a trail crew is hacking away at
the bridge. They have thought it through
though and let us pass on the one still mostly sound log. Looks like it will all be good as new by the
end of the day. The crew reports that this
one was less than two years old….guess Mother Nature wins pretty much all the time!
We end our stay at Lassen with a stroll around the Lilly
Pond trail. At only ½ mile and close to
the visitor center you might be tempted to skip it but it is a nice walk with a
well written nature guide.
Did you know: if you sniff the bark on the trunk of a Ponderosa
Pine it smells like vanilla!
Erosion alters and forest cover camouflages the classic
volcanic shapes of many of the peaks around Mt Lassen but our hike today is
unmistakably volcanic. We climb Cinder
Cone at Butte Lake on the north side of the park.
First hint, enormous ridges of volcanic boulders deposited over thousands of years, most recently just 370 years ago. At the trailhead, our feet crunch on the sharp, black grains of volcanic sand. To our left, a long wall of jumbled rock, now named the Fantastic Lava Bed, that is the cooled remains of slow flowing A’a lava that escaped from low on the cone.
Black sand is several inches deep now and we are slowly climbing. The forest abruptly stops and before us is a steep trail cut into the side of the 35-degree cinder cone
Inside the CinderCone
. This will take a while! The steep angle and deep loose rock make for tough going but we make it. From a height of 850 feet above the surrounding forest the view is impressive. Check it out: Fantastic lava Field, Painted Dunes, Mt. Lassen, Butte Lake, Snag Lake, and a dozen other peaks that are remnants of the violent volcanic past of the area.
Painted Desert
Just because, we decide to take the back trail down off the
cone. Yikes, we thought he up-slope
trail was bad but this one is even steeper and loose rock deeper than boot
tops. We make a semi-controlled decent
as we ride mini avalanches down the first section of the trail. We manage to stop to admire amazing wildflowers
and are greatly relieved to arrive at a more manageable slope on the lower
trail. We stop to empty sharp rocks from
our boots then make our way on to the trailhead.
It is hard work but I definitely recommend the hike. Take your time and take lots of water. Kent says walking sticks are a great idea
too.
On our way to the hike a rare Sierra Nevada Red Fox crossed
the road in front of us and a doe with two very tiny spotted fawns made an
appearance along the forest route.
As we head toward home we check out a National Forest
overlook with a great view of the two most prominent mountains: Lassen and Shasta. It is spectacular. Note to self, this would be a great place for
dark skies viewing of the milky way.
We start with a guided bird walk. The path is around the very same lake we
strolled yesterday but with a bit of help we spy three new birds: Hermit
warbler, White Headed Woodpecker, and a MacGillivray’s Warbler, plus we see a
total of three bufflehead families. An
eagle made another showing but not so regal this time. He was being chased off by a lone, tiny (but
obviously brazen) black bird. Kent got
some nice reflection pics.
Crags Lake
It is still early so we take off on the Chaos Crags
Trail. We start along a creek winding
through pine forest climbing ever higher. We pass by boulders scattered among the trees
left behind by retreating glaciers or spewed forth from thundering
volcanoes. This is rugged territory
still scared by the long-ago eruptions. Our destination is Crags Lake perched among
the volcanic rubble at about 7000 feet.
The pine scented air is cool and the sun blazes down in the forest
meadows. It is a perfect day for a
walk.
We break out into the open with views of the crags and rocky slopes and the tree encircled, emerald green lake nestled in a low spot before us. Lovely.
The
unique terrain is the highlight of the walk but some wildlife makes a
showing. We spot a deer and a handful of
the usual wood warblers plus the entertaining, noisy Clark’ s Nutcracker.
The route through Lassen Volcanic National Park just opened
last weekend, June 22. This area of the
Cascades got 133% of the normal annual snowfall and Spring is arriving
late. The bummer part: probably 2/3 of
the trails are still snow covered and impassable without special gear; which we
do not have.
The upside: scenery is wonderful.
In sunny forest meadows there are bursts of color as
wildflowers erupt along the edge of the retreating snowpack. Brilliant white patches of snow provide
accents in the rugged terrain of volcanic rock and a blanket of rich green pines
making the ordinarily magnificent even more awe inspiring.
A stroll around Manzanita Lake leads us through dense forest
where the quiet is interrupted only by the chatter of birds overhead, along a
babbling creek, and beside the crystal-clear waters where mother ducks and
grebes and ever vigilant coots call out in alarm to warn of our presence. Black tail mule deer keep a watchful eye on
us as we pass. We spot the regal silhouette
of a Bald Eagle. There are tiny
bufflehead ducks – we learn later that they are one or two days old – huddled
in a pile on a boulder out in the lake.
Mom is patrolling nearby.
The drive through Lassen brings spectacular mountain views,
smelly sulfur geothermal features, a snow-covered meadow cut through by a
meandering stream, glacier blue waters of the thawing alpine lakes, and
thundering creeks swollen with snowmelt.
This is a pretty good place to slide back into the great
outdoors.
With the rig safely tucked away in Reno we headed back East
for a couple special events and some plain ole family time.
First: Willa’s 1st birthday. No way Grandpa and Nana could have missed
that. The party was perfect. We got to enjoy some outdoor time with
beautiful weather and lots of the kids’ friends. Guests came bearing all manner of yummy food
(including cupcakes and the smash cake even if I say so myself). Willa had fun as did all the guests. Year one flew by…we know each upcoming will
go by even faster.
Second: The baby shower for our niece who is due in
July. That was a fun event too and a
chance to catch up with some extended family we don’t often see. We are anxious for our role as great aunt and
uncle and excited for brother Bob and Lou Ann for their beginnings in
grandparenting. It will be a blast.
We sprinkled in a Fathers’ Day BBQ and a birthday wish for
Tracy so there was plenty of party time.
There was time to just hang out too, which there never seems to be
enough of. Thanks to my sister Carol for
letting us crash at her place much of the time.
Good-bye Reno. We
make it safely back to the rig and are heading out adventuring. When we arrived at Lassen Volcanic NP we
found a failed tire on the trailer. It
was fine at a rest area not far back up the road and had not totally shredded
so it had not been flat too long. A
quick change to the spare and we are ready to hit the road again and eventually
do some tire shopping.
The Truckee River is what first drew people to this area and
modern-day Reno is trying hard to continue to capitalize on its appeal. The River walk is a combination of city
sidewalk and winding bike path that follows the river bank. We stroll about 1 ½ miles through
neighborhoods dotted with small green spaces then a stretch lined with
restaurants and larger city parks. Public
art is scattered throughout. Rhino Man, an
enormous abstract flower arrangement, and a whale (it lights up at night). They have created a short whitewater section
for kayakers to play where the river splits around an island park. There are trout in the river, or so they
say. Several fishermen are waist deep is
the snow melt swollen river trying to bring one in.
We grab lunch at Smee’s along the river. Their specialty is Alaskan Cod. Both the fish and chips and clam chowder are a
hit.
Reno lays claim to Burning Man, the mega gathering that
happens every August out in the Black Rock Desert some 100 miles from
here. Art Parks scattered around town
contain a number of the works first created out there. We have to visit a few.
I spy a coffee shop as we stroll back toward the car and decide to check it out. There is more, a gourmet chocolate shop and an ice cream parlor called Rolled Mountain Creamery. Intriguing. I couldn’t resist. I choose lemon raspberry and the show begins. Milk/cream is measured into about a cup jar and natural lemon extract added, shake. A scoop of berries goes onto a 24” diameter freezing tray-thingy. Out come two wide scrappers artistically wielded to move the quickly freezing treat into creamy goodness. More fruit is added, it is all smoothed into a thin layer then the final step, it is rolled into four tight little rolls which are stood in the serving bowl. It does not look at all like ice cream…ok by me, it tastes delicious. Tart lemon and bright raspberry flavor with a smooth yet icy texture. Go there if you get the chance.
The forecast rain is holding off and part of the plan all day has been to check out the Food Truck Friday at Idlewild Park. It is a weekly summer gathering of some 35 trucks with a huge range of fare including beer and wine and the bright green Mr. Margarita truck. The most fun food truck name, Codfather, serving many things from the ocean. Lots of BBQ, tacos, dogs and burgers, Thai, Indian, Italian…just about anything you can think of.
We have a hard time deciding but settle on a Thai spicy rice bowl and lamb gyro plus dessert from Still Rolling…a twist on the eggroll, they say. I wouldn’t really call it an eggroll but the deep fried tiramisu with ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and chocolate covered coffee beans is fantastic.
Weather is closing in and we head on home as the
entertainment is just starting and the crowd is still flooding in. It looks like it is a pretty popular Friday
evening event.
First, a quick stop in Fallon for a cup of coffee and a
couple fantastic cinnamon rolls, one plain iced the other orange
cranberry. We munch on them as we gaze
across the first pools in the refuge. What
is not to like about that?
Stillwater NWR is a collection of marsh lands and seasonal
pools that are a migratory bird oasis in the high desert. It is not peak season now for birding but we see
enough to be interesting. The graceful: black
necked stilts, avocets, western grebes, a swan. The amorous but clown-like ruddy ducks. Richly colored cinnamon teal. Bright, cheerful sounding meadowlarks. A cautious and watchful coyote.