Working our way north, we cut over to the I-5 in northern California. We have driven this route many many times between Tacoma and San Diego. We drive right past Redding. We made the decision to park the motorhome at the Elks Lodge. It is a beautiful facility boasting a large pool, rolling lawn, large shade trees and conveniently located on the Sacramento River near the Sundial Bridge.
Sundial Bridge is a pedestrian only bridge that links to Turtle Bay. The weather is perfect for a bike ride along the Sacramento River Trail.
Lassen Volcanic National Park is open year round, however the road that winds through it is usually closed from Oct-June. We were only able to drive about 10 miles in to Devastated Area. This is where 101 years ago the mountain top blew. The reforestation you see here has occurred since the eruption.
This huge "hot rock" boulder was born only 100 years ago, formed by the eruption. It came from over three miles away being pushed by a lahar. We have a lahar warning system in place in the event of an eruption for the areas surrounding Mt Rainier in WA. It is a type of mud flow with huge pieces of debris that flow from the mountaintop, frequently along rivers.
If I would have taken this picture when we first arrived when there was no wind it could have earned it's name of Reflection Lake
Ten miles from Redding is Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
The hike rounds through fragrant wild lilacs and along the river.
Whiskeytown Falls goes on and on. It is over 220 feet.
We kept going up and up
And looked over the top
On the way back to the trail head we stopped here for a picnic.
Crystal Creek Falls is a picturesque "man-made" waterfall in the park. The water was diverted when an overflow structure was built to reroute excess water from a quarry tunnel.
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