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This was a very long day. We began at 8 AM and 73 degrees with mostly sunny skies. The temps did get down to 66 in the park, but it was always very comfortable in shirt sleeves. We left Redding and headed west to Lassen Volcanic National Park. The plan was to drive in the west gate and out the south and that is what we did. We spent more time in the park than we had anticipated, which made the drive to Mariposa a long one. But we were enjoying the beauty of this park and it was difficult to move on.
Lassen is a park that surrounds the Lassen Mountain, which is a volcano that last erupted about 100 years ago. And it must have been quite violent, because there are lava fields for miles around. As I observed these fields of fluffy yellow grass peppered with black angular rocks, I wondered if these were rocks in hay fields or hay growing in rock fields. It was hard to tell. And it boggled my mind…how did these rocks get so far from the volcano…did they fly there in a violent explosion, or was there water that carried them off into the distance. I just don't know. Perhaps one day I will do some research, but not tonight.
The word for today is PEACEFUL. Lassen Park is very peaceful on the west side, which is lakes and camp grounds. There were not many people there riding around as we were. And I thought, if I was going camping, this is where I would want to go.
The road took us higher and higher in elevation until we were at 8,500 ft. and the peak of Lassen Mt. was only 2,000 ft. above us. The views were grand. We were now on the other side of the park and this is where the visitors were, and where the photo ops were. And I took many photos.
We exited the south gate and headed south through miles and miles of farmlands and vineyards. And Steve kept pointing out how dry the land appeared. And he was right. Many riverbeds were dry, the lakes were low, and the corn in the fields was yellow and dying. California is in a drought. We saw rice paddies with healthy plants growing, and we saw empty holes in the ground where there was no water and no rice. And many fields were yellow, even a golf course that we passed was all yellow but for the green grass on the tees and greens. One might think it was winter and the fairways were dormant, but not so in August. We did see some healthy fields being irrigated…sunflowers, grapes, lots of almond trees, olive trees, tomatoes, and a few things we could not identify from the car.
When we reached Sacramento, I noted we were now in the palm tree zone, something we have not seen much of since we left Florida.
We reached Mariposa after 5 PM, tired and spent, and happy to be done for the day. Tomorrow we drive through Yosemite and out the other side to Nevada.
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