Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park

Took a trip to Lassen Volcanic National where the air was clear (we have been having very smokey days here due to wildfires just north of us.) We rented a cozy cabin for three for two nights. There was  me, my husband and his 16 year old son all having a great time in the wood camping and hiking. Below are some of the photos from this trip and place we hiked. And, I couldn't go on a trip and not stop at the local thrift stores.

This is the great little cabin we stayed in, there is no electricity or water, but the Park provides you with a battery operated lantern and it has a propane wall heater, that we didn't need to use, the temperatures were high around 89 F, lows around 54 F, Inside is a table, chairs and double bed, and room for the son on the floor with an air mattress.

It is getting dusk, around 7 pm this is Manzanita Lake where the cabins are, the lake was caused by a avalanche on Chaos Crags blocking Manzanita creek and forming this lake about 350 years ago. Can you see the ducks?

We hiked around the lake the first evening which was 1.5 miles.

Chaos Crags squeezed upward 1,100 years ago from explosive eruptions, and Manzanita Lake.

Chaos Crags, Manzanita Lake and Mt Lassen to the right.

And of course they made buildings out of the rocks that got spewed all over the place. This building is at the northwest entrance, not sure what it was used for, looks like it may be an old ranger house.

Manzanita Creek

They have this seismograph set up for show, there are side window you can look in to see the machine working, but it is not what they use to measure the earths activity. There are 35-40 seismographs set up around the park which is 150 square miles.

This is Loomis Museum, named after Ben Loomis who bought 40 acres here. He studied the landscape, took photos and opened this as a learning center back in the early part of the 20s. This building is by Manzanita Lake and the campground. Loomis donated the property to the Park in 1929.

Wide view of the cabins in the woods at the campground.

We are heading to the south park entrance and stopping along the road to enjoy the sights. This is looking down on a creek that meanders through a meadow.

Helen Lake

These are some wild lupines growing among the rocks. We were hiking along the trail to Bumpass Hell to see the mud pots and steam vents. The trail was pretty narrow along these rocks at some points dropping down into the valley. (3 miles round trip)

Looking south from the Bumpass Hell trail.

Hot water coming from the earth at Bumpass Hell, these are acid-sulfate hot springs with temperatures recorded as high as 322 F.

Bumpass Hell  read more about these hot spots.

So pretty, very tempting to take a soak, spring at Bumpass Hell

More hot springs at Bumpass Hell overlook ramp on right.

The park has built these sidewalks to keep people safe because the crust near these mud holes and hot springs can break and people have been know to fall into the hot water. This is exactly what happened to Kendall Bumpass when in 1865, he lost his leg when it was severely burned when he fell through the crust.

We are off on another hike, 3 miles round trip, to Kings Creek Falls

Kings Creek Falls a 50'waterfall.

Devastation from a Forest Fire in 2011, this photo was taken from the side of the road.

And how can I travel without checking out the local thrift shops, these two are in Shingletown located about 25 miles from Lassen

Found a lovely aqua and silver 1960s cocktail dress in this thrift shop

Rain stands for Rescued Animals in Need so all proceeds go to spaying and neutering and placing animals in homes. she places about 100 cats a year and 25 dogs, pretty good for a small town store. Some of the animals live right here at the store or in her home, there is no 'shelter'.

 Here I found a beautiful 1920/30 hand painted rose earring piece surrounded by rhinestones. The lady that had donated it said it belonged to her mother,  the lady was in her late 60s, she said it was from a pair of earrings but she lost the other earring and can't just throw things away so she made a pendent out of it and put it on a chain.

Lassen is just one of the 59 beautiful National Parks in this country, I have been to several others and hope to go to many more. While we were at Lassen we learned a lot about volcanoes, such as there are four types and all four types are found in Lassen. A wonderful place to learn geology, history and enjoy the peacefulness of nature.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Any recommendations, please share, thanks!

Oregon Coast from Florence to Lincoln City

We had a great three days on the Oregon Coast. If you have never been be sure to make it a destination, there is so much to explore and see, from the dunes, to the tide pools and hikes through the forest everywhere is beauty. These photos are just a few and don't even begin to capture the wonders of the Oregon coast.

I love this bridge over Cape Creek at Heceta Head Lighthouse on Highway 101

This was the assistant's light house keepers home and is now a bed and breakfast at Heceta Head Heceta Head State Park

The sand dunes to the south stretch for 40 miles Oregon Sand Dunes

Devils Churn at Cape Perpetua south of Yachats

Beach looking north

Beach looking south

More coast line

Surfers

A canoe at Devils Lake State Park in Lincoln City we camped in a yurt here at the park. Yurts

The Salmon River flowing into the Pacific just north of Lincoln City Cascade Head Scenic Research Area we did a six mile round trip hike, this is the first viewpoint, only 2 miles up, we hiked another mile up the hill to the second viewpoint but it was to foggy to see anything.

I hope you get a chance to visit the Oregon Coast, these are just a few photos from the middle section of the Oregon Coast.

Have you been there, let me know what you think and how was your trip, any special places we need to check out?

Kentucky Hallow Home of Jesse Stuart Life Magazine 1943

I was taken by these photos of Jesse Stuart's (1907-1984) home in W-Hallow, Greenup County, Kentucky, Southern Appalachia. The home, farm and land reminds me very much of this area of Southern Oregon where I live. Jesse Stuart was a novelist, poet and farmer. and writes about the hill people. His books include Taps for Private Tussie and book of poems Man with a Bull-Tongue Plow 1934.

Photo of his wife, Naomi Deane and 14 month old daughter, Jessica Jane.  Photo Loading straw into a haystack with his uncle Jesse Hilton.

Jesse Stuart writes in an unheated shack and is finishing here a long narrative poem he started 11 years ago.

Hope you enjoyed this journey into the past and I for one am glad we have computers to write on, but nothing wrong with hard work, does a body good!

Tillamook Cheese Factory

One of the many summer trips we took was to the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook along the Oregon Coast. Not only do they have great cheese but some delicious ice cream and fudge too.

They lay out samples as part of the tour.

This is the main store.

The fudge counter.

Large vats for cheese making.

This tub fills with cheese, we spent to much time enjoying the coast and arrived to late at the factory to actually watch them make the cheese.

Conveyor belt with blocks of cheese being sent to an adjacent room.

Block of cheese coming from other room, from here I think it gets sent to cold storage for aging.

It looks like they cut and wrap cheese in this part of the room.

End view of room where I think they cut and wrap cheese.

 Here are some old Tillamook cheese ads. There was also lots of history of how the dairy industry came to Tillamook.

Even though we arrived to late to watch them make the cheese the self-guided tour, free samples, fudge and ice cream were all so good.

Is there a factory open for tours in your neck of the woods and have you gone and taken the tour, what did you think?