Northern California Trip
Over Memorial Day weekend, we took a trip up to NORTHERN California. It's been a while, and I just finished going through all the pictures. =P
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Near Sulfur Works.
Smells nice!
I love driving out here.
Pretty high elevation, so there was still snow this time of the year... A lot of snow, actually.
Mini snowman.
And I suppose safaris are allowed if you don't go beyond this point?
There are quite a few lakes in the area. This is one of them. (I can't remember which one)
This is one creative tree.
This tree wants to do the Asian "Yay!" V(*_*)
Volcanic rocks around the Devastated Area. Here you get to see what happens when a volcano has an upset stomach.
The rocks have a variety of colors, age, and composition.
Some are big.
Some are small.
More volcanic rocks.
And more...
Really, there are a lot of them.
Too many rocks. Time for a breather.
Parts of the park was still closed, due to snow or other conditions, so we didn't get to check out some of the trails, waterfalls, or Bumpass Hell. I can easily spend days in this park.
Redding
After a not-so-quick drive back to Redding, and a relaxing dinner, we went to check out the Sundial Bridge.
The Sundial Bridge.
Sunset over Sacramento River.
McArthur-Burney Falls State Park
From the look-out point.
Along the trail to the bottom of the waterfall.
This is probably the most beautiful waterfall I've seen in my life. It was well worth the drive, and the highlight of the trip.
Invisible tree.
Bridge at the other end of the trail we took.
Further down the road is Lake Britton. It's a beauty! (I took this shot through my polarized sunglasses)
Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway
After the waterfall, I wanted to go check out the Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway. I had read somewhere that there are a bunch of volcanic activity-related points of interest to check out in this off-the-beaten-path area, such as lava tunnels and a "glass mountain". So I took an unplanned detour towards Hwy 49...
Scenic point along Hwy 49, overlooking the vast expanse of the Modoc National Forest.
The points of interest in this aren't marked well. The only thing we managed to find was this hole in the ground near a small unpaved lot.
It looks small, but the depression in the ground is big enough to hold my living room.
Inside the ice cave.
The scenic drive goes through some of the most pristine land in California (with a nicely paved road, no less). This was on Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend, and I did not see over 15 or 20 other cars during the 4 or 5 hours I spend in this area. All I saw was trees and more trees, and occasionally we came across unpaved logging roads that seem to lead to nowhere.
Took this shot on my own, with a tripod. Pretty good focus. =)
I was not able to locate any sign that pointed me to the Little Glass Mountain I wanted to find. Instead, I got lost. Shortly after we passed Medicine Lake, when I thought that we should probably begin the return trip back to the main highways, the road became unpaved. I'm not quite sure what happened in between that time, and when I got back to Hwy 15 for my return trip, except I saw signs pointing to Lava Beds National Monument, and that meant I went too far north.
I drove for miles and miles (at least 30-40 minutes) on this stuff... sometimes the road isn't even wide enough to fit 2 cars.
Dirty car. And this was before most of the driving on the unpaved roads.
I didn't get to see the glass mountain. All I got was a dirty car, and probably crappier alignment. A GPS might have been a good thing in this area, as our cell phones did not have any reception at all. My unplanned detour turned out to be quite an adventure, and I ended up not having enough time to go see the waterfalls near McCloud.
Mount Shasta
On our way back to Redding, the adventurer in me decided to take another detour, up Mount Shasta.
We stopped by an Italian restaurant in Mount Shasta city, called Strings. The food was surprisingly good, given the location.
Shasta Dam
Before we left for home, I just had to go see Shasta Dam, the only point of interest close enough for a quick visit. We found some nice picture spots.
Close-up.
Lake Shasta, with Mount Shasta in the distance.
And with that, our mini trip concluded. The weekend just went by too quickly. Even though it's a three-day weekend, there just wasn't enough time to enjoy all that the area has to offer. It's a shame.... This calls for a return trip. =)
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Near Sulfur Works.
Smells nice!
I love driving out here.
Pretty high elevation, so there was still snow this time of the year... A lot of snow, actually.
Mini snowman.
And I suppose safaris are allowed if you don't go beyond this point?
There are quite a few lakes in the area. This is one of them. (I can't remember which one)
This is one creative tree.
This tree wants to do the Asian "Yay!" V(*_*)
Volcanic rocks around the Devastated Area. Here you get to see what happens when a volcano has an upset stomach.
The rocks have a variety of colors, age, and composition.
Some are big.
Some are small.
More volcanic rocks.
And more...
Really, there are a lot of them.
Too many rocks. Time for a breather.
Parts of the park was still closed, due to snow or other conditions, so we didn't get to check out some of the trails, waterfalls, or Bumpass Hell. I can easily spend days in this park.
Redding
After a not-so-quick drive back to Redding, and a relaxing dinner, we went to check out the Sundial Bridge.
The Sundial Bridge.
Sunset over Sacramento River.
McArthur-Burney Falls State Park
From the look-out point.
Along the trail to the bottom of the waterfall.
This is probably the most beautiful waterfall I've seen in my life. It was well worth the drive, and the highlight of the trip.
Invisible tree.
Bridge at the other end of the trail we took.
Further down the road is Lake Britton. It's a beauty! (I took this shot through my polarized sunglasses)
Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway
After the waterfall, I wanted to go check out the Modoc Volcanic Scenic Byway. I had read somewhere that there are a bunch of volcanic activity-related points of interest to check out in this off-the-beaten-path area, such as lava tunnels and a "glass mountain". So I took an unplanned detour towards Hwy 49...
Scenic point along Hwy 49, overlooking the vast expanse of the Modoc National Forest.
The points of interest in this aren't marked well. The only thing we managed to find was this hole in the ground near a small unpaved lot.
It looks small, but the depression in the ground is big enough to hold my living room.
Inside the ice cave.
The scenic drive goes through some of the most pristine land in California (with a nicely paved road, no less). This was on Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend, and I did not see over 15 or 20 other cars during the 4 or 5 hours I spend in this area. All I saw was trees and more trees, and occasionally we came across unpaved logging roads that seem to lead to nowhere.
Took this shot on my own, with a tripod. Pretty good focus. =)
I was not able to locate any sign that pointed me to the Little Glass Mountain I wanted to find. Instead, I got lost. Shortly after we passed Medicine Lake, when I thought that we should probably begin the return trip back to the main highways, the road became unpaved. I'm not quite sure what happened in between that time, and when I got back to Hwy 15 for my return trip, except I saw signs pointing to Lava Beds National Monument, and that meant I went too far north.
I drove for miles and miles (at least 30-40 minutes) on this stuff... sometimes the road isn't even wide enough to fit 2 cars.
Dirty car. And this was before most of the driving on the unpaved roads.
I didn't get to see the glass mountain. All I got was a dirty car, and probably crappier alignment. A GPS might have been a good thing in this area, as our cell phones did not have any reception at all. My unplanned detour turned out to be quite an adventure, and I ended up not having enough time to go see the waterfalls near McCloud.
Mount Shasta
On our way back to Redding, the adventurer in me decided to take another detour, up Mount Shasta.
We stopped by an Italian restaurant in Mount Shasta city, called Strings. The food was surprisingly good, given the location.
Shasta Dam
Before we left for home, I just had to go see Shasta Dam, the only point of interest close enough for a quick visit. We found some nice picture spots.
Close-up.
Lake Shasta, with Mount Shasta in the distance.
And with that, our mini trip concluded. The weekend just went by too quickly. Even though it's a three-day weekend, there just wasn't enough time to enjoy all that the area has to offer. It's a shame.... This calls for a return trip. =)
posted by robchang at
9:51:00 PM
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