Posted on by Anne Sandler · 30 Comments

The saga continues at Lassen National Park, Part 3: The Sulphur Works, Devastated Area and on the road

It’s been a rough time for this blogger. All I can say is don’t get rear ended by a large pickup and trailer. I’ve kept up with my Lens Artists posts but neglected my regular blogs. So let’s pick up where I left off in Lassen NP.

You can’t smell the sulphur aroma, but you can see the bubbles and maybe the smoke coming up. The Sulphur Works “is a vent for the last rumblings of a long-dead volcano and yet it is also reborn each day as forces of erosion and hydrothermal activity continuously alter the landscape. Although named after the chemical element of sulfur—which is a byproduct of the hydrothermal system—the area bears the British English spelling of the word assigned by a pioneer that once laid claim to what was then known as Supan’s Sulphur Works.”

On the way back to our campground near Manzanita Lake, I was able to take a few pictures showing the devastation from the fires. It’s still beautiful and sad at the same time.

I’ll finish up Lassen NP with a short tour of the Devastated Area–not connected with the recent fires, but the eruption of  Lassen Peak’s 1915-1916 eruption. The short trail has voice explanations throughout and was interesting. Just push the button and learn!

This ends our visit to Lassen NP. I hope I’ll be able to get out in the trailer soon. In the meantime, there’s a lot to photograph around home.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Change is sometimes not good: Lassen National Park, part 1

You can’t stop change, and sometimes you don’t like it. I was anxious to get to Lassen National Park again. It had been so many years. So I called the national reservation number and made a reservation. I thought I was so smart because I had a map of the campground which showed all the sites. This was great, a pull through site right near the flush toilets.

I was so excited to be camping and not RVing again. When I opened the truck door, the forest smell hit me. Wonderful pine trees. It was going to be great. But maybe not all that great.

The pull through was not on flat land and there was no ranger in sight. All the sites had reserved signs on them. We had difficulty getting in and out of the trailer because the campsite was steep. We assumed that all the campsites were taken because they had the reserved signs. So we were stuck.

Since I have a few days worth of photos, I’ll continue my rant in part 2. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the Lily Pond trail located at one end of Manzanita Lake. I didn’t go all the way because the altitude was bothering me.

I don’t want you to think that I’ll be complaining throughout this series. We had a great time and there’s more to come!