Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Lassen Volcanic National Park



Since we had a long drive ahead of us, we left for Lassen Volcanic National Park at 7 am driving through very agricultural areas of California seeing fruit orchards and groves of nut trees.  We stopped in Chico, CA to pick up sandwiches and snacks at a grocery store since there is no shopping or fuel available within 60 miles of the park.


We took a three mile hike to an area called Bumpass Hell that has many volcanic vents releasing sulfur gas and had boiling mud pools.  The area was strikingly beautiful but had a foul odor of sulfur steam.  The steep incline, narrow path rocky path and an altitude over 8000 feet made the walking slow but the view was well worth the trip.  After returning to the rental car after our hike, we drove to a short trail showing the devastation from the eruption of Lassen Peak in 1915.  It was amazing to see the rubble field of stone that was hurled from the explosion less than 100 years ago.

We left the park around 5 pm and drove back to El Dorado Hills arriving around 9:30 taking a quick shower and heading for bed.


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