The drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park

  Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I started the day with a 20 minute drive to the Joh Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.  Most everything was reconstructed, but it was exciting to be at such a historic site.  On January 24, 1848, James Marshall found gold flakes in the streambed on John Sutter's mill.  The discovery sparked one of the most massive migrations in history.












Then I drove north the rest of the afternoon until I reached Lassen Volcanic National Park.  The park was such a place of contrasts with snow everywhere and steaming volcanic vents.  Around 400,000 - 600,000 years ago Broke Off Volcano formed and Lassen Peak formed 27,000 years ago as a volcanic vent from the peak.  All below me here was volcanic chambers filled with magma.  In 1914, there were three years of eruption activity.















As I entered the park I first stopped and took a walk by Sulphur Works where I saw numerous openings in the earth spewing hot steam.  I could hear one bubbling violently.  It sounded like I was in the kitchen.















As I continued driving I went up a mountain to an elevation of over 9,000 feet.  The turns were very hairy!!
















Next I stopped at Bumpass Hell and took a grueling three mile rountrip hike around a mountain to view a huge area with hot boiling water and mud pots and steaming vents.  The hike was bizarre because in many places I was hiking through snow in the middle of the summer all while in my shorts and a T-shirt.















After 7PM I set up my tent at Manzanita Lake.