Friday night we got to our campsite at Manzanita Lake. We stopped in Redding at 5 Guys before hand so Brad built a fire for fun and we hung out until it started pouring on us.
Saturday we woke up and started our tour of Lassen. Here it is exactly 100 years after blowing up! On our drive through the park we saw a deer and a coyote. We also saw lots of chipmunks.
We drove around Mt. Lassen to get to the hydrothermal area known as Bumpass Hell. It was a 2 1\2 mile round trip that totally wiped us out between elevation and the surprising amount of sun.
Mt. Lassen and Lake Helen viewpoint on our hike.
We heard frogs croaking and found them soaking in a pool above the hydrothermal area.
During our hike we found different pine cone types and later asked a ranger to help us identify what trees they were from. Ruth and Will guessed Sugar Pines, but they were actually Western White Pines.
We saw a chipmunk scurry across the brittle ground near this bubbling, 200 degree water and wondered how it wasn't getting burned. The ranger told us that the water doesn't heat the ground too much so it only feels warm and doesn't burn the chipmunk's feet.
We got back to camp that afternoon and made eggs and potatoes. Claire was "making a fire," and Ruth and Will were climbing trees; they were at least 15 feet off the ground.
The next day we went to Shasta Lake
After our boat ride we got on a bus that took us up to the Shasta caverns
My attempt at capturing the kids with the stalactites was blinding. Brad got a much better shot at the end of the tour. In that last room of the caves we also saw a little bat flying above our heads!
