Tingley Lake Estates

We left Lassen Park at about 8:30 this morning. We were on a quest to heal ourselves at Medicine Lake. (Thanks James and Patti for the tip on this spot). We headed north on 89 (thru Hat Creek) and turned onto Powder Hill Rd. also known as Highway 49. We decided to bypass McCloud on this trip and hit it on the way back home. McCloud happens to be the spot where Popy grew up. I'm lookiing forward to seeing it first hand. It might give us some clues as to why he is who he is. We got to Medicine Lake at about 11:30. The folklore around Medicine Lake is that it will "heal what ails you." Once the center of a volcano, Medicine Lake has no known outlets, yet its water remains crisp and clear. Native Americans believe it has healing powers. I was ready to jump in and become 20 years younger (okay maybe just heal the mosquito bites). Ned said that if he jumped in he would be worried that I might vanish., i.e. I am what ails him. (isn't he the funny one). It turned out that Medicine Lake was a bit breezy and much too cold for me to do much more than dip my toes in. It was also overrun with Sunday Bubbas in power boats, houseboats, catyaks, and jet skis. So much for our spiritual experience. We then decided to backtrack a few miles and head to Glass Mountain. We had to venture down a washboard dirt road for 6 or so miles. However, we were not disappointed! Imagine a 4200 acre glass flow created when glassy dacite and rhyolitic obsidian flowed from the same vent without mixing. We stopped by the glass mountain and did some exploring and picking of obsidian rocks. Very cool! (We brought back one for you too James & Patti). However, our biggest surprise was venturing farther down the dirt road and coming upon the most spectacular view of the Modoc Valley, Cascade Mountain Range, and Lava Beds framed by the brightest green noble firs we had ever seen. We tried to take some pictures, but it just didn't do it any justice. We then went back to Medicine Lake and followed the "Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway" signs. Do not be fooled - it was a single lane road that turned into a dirt road for miles and miles. We finally made it to Lava Beds National Monument. (We joked that we would be eating omelettes tonight since we didn't think the eggs made it). After viewing the visitor's center, we did a quick tour of the Lava Beds and Ned explored a cave. (I was too chicken and decided to read up on the local petroglyphs instead). We decided to head for Klamath Falls and call it a night. We fortunately made it to the Oregon Welcome Center just before closing and found out about a "wonderfully delightful quiet campground" close by. Otherwise known as Tingley Lake Estates (see photo above). So, here we are in our favorite little moblile home park campground hosted by Nell and Frank. This place is a hoot. We are the only nomadic residents. We are parked near a little pond which has 110 varieties of birds spotted per year (per Nell). The good news is that we were able to use their hose to wash off our bikes and van, hook-up to electricity and I have pirated someone's wireless. wahoo! We have been invited to use Nell's paddle boat when it "cools off a bit." (It's 8:00 pm and still about 90 degrees). This little bit o' paradise also comes with free showers & flush toilets. We expect to take off e-a-r-l-y! Tomorrow Ashland! Ah to sleep or perchance to dream.

Lassen Volcanic Park – 7/6 - 7/8

We had a beautiful drive today from Nevada City to Lassen. Our original plan was to head up to Reno and then take 395 thru Susanville to Chester and on over to Lassen. However, when we reached 89, just outside of Truckee, Ned thought, hey why not go thru Sierraville so that we could stop at our favorite Mexican Restaurant. Adhering to one of our road rules, meandering encouraged, and also not one to bypass a good meal at Dos Hermanos, 55 minutes into our trip we already changed plans. Everytime we’ve been to Sierraville it has been in the dead of winter with lots of snow and freezing cold. I must admit it was quite pleasant to sit on the porch and enjoy the warm breeze and vibrant flowers. We then headed up 89, thru Quincy to Lake Almanor. By going this route we completely missed Susanville and Westwood, where we were going to bike ride the Bizz Johnson trail. Mmm, oh well, we headed to Lassen Park and decided to do a hike instead. We got to the park and started the Bumpass Hell hike at about 3ish. It was still rather warm, but well worth the hike! The geothermal activity is so strange – boiling lakes, steam vents, mudpots all oozing and stinking out of the earth. The water temperature is thought to be around 240 degrees! (Yes, I have a picture of Ned sticking his hand in one of the streams to test the waters. I was brave enough to take the picture – ahem). The hike back was gorgeous with great views of the surrounding areas, the late afternoon light on the adjacent mountains, and it had cooled off with a nice light breeze. Our first night we camped at Manzanita Lake and were quite surprised by the nice camp spot we had reserved. Despite being a relatively full campground, our spot was secluded, well shaded and very quiet. The big question is what activity for Saturday? Go on a hike, relax around the campground, bike ride? I’m taunted with Mt. Lassen Peak beckoning to us “climb me, climb me”. Mmm, what’s a girl to do...