Smokin!
By the middle of the next morning the smoke began to subside as Mt Shasta came into view, appearing to float in the sky.
As the air cleared, we could start to see more of the beauty around us again.
We made it to California.
and Lassen Volcanic National Park, where we decided to check out the Subway Cave.
The cave was formed by flowing lava and was pitch black inside, but with the help of a couple flashlights (glad we packed those!) we could see the lavatites hanging from the ceiling.
and petrified mini volcanoes on the floor.
We made our way through the mountains, which used to be one massive volcano, that broke apart into five volcanoes. Largest one was active less than 100 years ago and erupted in 1915, devastating everything around it.
The ride
was incredible, but the road construction at 8500 Feet was a bit unnerving.
We found boiling sulphur works (aptly named Fart Gulch) whose smell rivaled even Yellowstone's.
Boiling mud pots.
And views of the surrounding volcano chain that rivaled much of what we'd seen.
Reno was waiting for us with a nice hotel, good dinner, cold beverages and a wealth of people to watch.
Day 1 - 603 miles
Day 2 - 768 miles
Day 3 - 510 miles
Day 4 - 400 miles
Day 5 - 368 miles
WOW -- those are AMAZING views! In spite of the smoke, I think you lucked into incredible weather. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMore to come, Yvonne. Glad you are enjoying our adventure.
DeleteSeriously....you went right through Redding?!?!? Did you at least wave as you went by on your way to Lassen? That's where we cut our Christmas trees. Multnomah Falls is one of my favorite waterfalls and Crater Lake is usually so crystal clear. So sorry you had to deal with the smoke. We've only had it about 4 days this year, all coming from Oregon fires and you hit it at its height. The crazy thing to me here is that you can leave an 85 degree day, drive the one hour up to Mt Shasta and snowboard in shorts and 70 degrees. (you just don't do that in the Midwest!) You really don't "luck" into good weather here...it's pretty much always gorgeous! Sure wish I would've read your blog earlier so we could have offered you some hospitality.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda, We'll be out there again soon - we loved the area and want to see more of it, instead of just a quick drive through the area.
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