Northern California: Lassen Volcanic National Park

Spontaneity has not been my strength, mostly because I love to plan and in fact I travel twice. Once when I plan and again when I am traveling.

Over coffee and an almond croissant in Reno, I looked at the map and saw Lassen Volcanic National Park, no research, 'just do it'.

What a win. Loved the drive.

Lassen Peak is one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world! Formed 27000 years ago, its a baby geologically and a beauty.

We have moved away from the Sierra Nevada's to the Cascades and it is fascinating to be right in the seismic zone, the Ring of Fire. This will be the first of many volcanoes we see.

On the approach road to Lassen Peak

View of Lassen Peak from the southern approach

At 10457' well above the forest line

Only Fred!

Lassen Peak from Kings Creek Meadow

Sky, rock, tree will be an enduring memory for me

Algae coloring Emerald Lake in the Park

Puddle Jumping, Northern California

We chatted to a young barista in Tahoe Lake and she shared the term 'puddle jumping' that Australian friends had used for traveling from place to place.

So here we are, puddle jumping for a week through Northern California.

Our first puddle appropriately was a mudpot from the Lassen Volcanic National Park.

As we approached the color of the sulfur buildup rock is evident and then the smell hits you too. The mudpot was bubbling aggressively from the snow melt. So fascinating to be this close and to appreciate the energy of our planet.

Mudpot visible at the base of the sulphur buildup.

Sulphur gases coming off the mudpot

Huge mudpot of Lassen Volcanic National Park

The landscape of Lassen Volcanic National Park being shaped by the sulphur eruptions over the eons.

Sulphur plume!

Reno Rodeo: Cowboy Technicolor

Another Rodeo night in Reno.

Feast for the eyes, the leather leggings called chaps are fashion items in their own right.

Serious cowboy action, I was slack jawed at time.

Bareback, Saddle Bronc, Mutton Bustin, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Tie- Down Roping, Women's Barrel Racing. We saw it all.

Some of the best action was watching the dismounts and the corralling of the horses, it takes real skill from the three cowboys in the arena that support the competitors. The horses are huge, powerful and so on point all the time.

Bareback action

Saddle Bronc action

Team Roping, one cowboy lasso's the head the other the back feet

Working the ropes in hand and in his mouth!

The dismounts were extraordinary

Interval action, training the little men young to be cowboys, so cute though.

Impressive cowgirl action

Reno Downtown Riverwalk: its officially summer

Managed to sneak in an amble along the Riverwalk here in Reno before the start of the US vs Portugal game.

It is a beautiful day, the Truckee River has been centre to much of our time in Lake Tahoe and even here in Reno it is a focal point.

Our room in the hotel over looks the river which runs through the centre of town.

The Downtown Riverwalk is well done, with art installations, historic homes, theaters, flowers. murals, food - we even scoped out a coffee shop for an early croissant and coffee before Fred gets back for the Netherlands game.

Its sunday afternoon and loads of people are out and about, hip hop festival, swimming, tubing, walkers, runners,  picnicking, cyclists - summer it is.

Our trip in numbers...

Great Red Paintbrush

 We have been on the road in the USA for 7 weeks:

•   travelled 5519 miles, (8882 km)

•   been in 3 US states – California, Arizona, Nevada

•   explored 5 National Parks - Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Gate Alcatraz

•   visited 6 State Parks - Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Jacinto Mountain, Hearst Castle, Red Rock, Red Rock Canyon

•   National Forests; 3 Sequoia, Sierra, Tahoe

•   slept in 13 beds; 3 hotels, 4 motels and 5 timeshare units, 1 private home (make it 19 with Bahamas)

•   ate Ben & Jerry ice-cream, 6, Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, Triple Caramel Chunk, New York Super Fudge Chunk, Americone Dream, Cheesecake Brownie

•   added 35 birds to my US bird list which is now 199 and my world list is 1482, top bird Roadrunner

•   popped into 4 museums, Palm Springs Art, Cable Car (SF), De Young (SF), Maritime Museum (Lake Tahoe)

•   farmers markets, 2; Oakhurst, Ferry Building (SF)

•   decaprio 3 movie catch-up, Aviator, Gatsby and Departed

•   Oscar 5 movie catch-up, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, August: Osage County, Zero Dark Thirty, Charlie Wilson’s War

•   relished organic extra virgin olive oil, 3 farms 

•   walked 147 miles; beach, mountain trails, coastal meadow, high altitude lake, golf courses, climbing red rocks, canyon rim, valley trail, desert paths, Las Vegas Strip, mountain hikes, many city blocks

•   walking well ahead of schedule, 37 miles credit, (for each 50 miles driven we want to walk 1 mile)

•   longest hike 10 miles on Four Mile Trail with 3200’ climb on steep switchbacks

•   took a bike, cycled along the Truckee River for 16 miles, (26 km)

•   watched 7 episodes of Game of Thrones, season 4

•   lowest driving elevation, 214’ below sea-level at Furnace Creek Golf Course, Death Valley

•   highest driving elevation, 9945’ Tioga Pass, Tioga Road, Yosemite

•   got cold at the lowest temperature below 40 degrees F in Tehachapi (3 degrees C)

•   was hot at the highest temperature of 115 degrees F while walking in Death Valley (46 degrees C). Car registered 125 degrees F at one point – over 50 degrees C

•   wine tasting, 2 at Tablas Winery, Paso Robles and Souza Family Vineyard

•   modes of transport, 8, helicopter over the Grand Canyon, ferry to Alcatraz, cable car, bus, metro, streetcar, bicycle, paddle boat on Tahoe

•   shows/events, 4, in Las Vegas, O Cirque du Soleil; in San Francisco, Beach Blanket Babylon, SF Giants baseball in San Francisco; in Reno Extreme Bull Riding

California Snow Flower

Lake Tahoe: Five Lakes Trail

Feel as though I got my hiking mojo back today!

I read this quote about the trail we chose for our last hike here in Lake Tahoe, nice rhythm up the granite canyon before getting to the forest, spring flower meadows and the series of lakes:

'It's called the Five Lakes Trail, and it's one of the best short day hikes in California.'

It is a great walk and we got to do a couple of miles along the Pacific Crest Trail too (PCT for those in the know), the legendary trail that is 2650 miles of exceptional hiking. They say you have lived life if you have hiked along the PCT. Do my 2 miles count? So now I have lived life?

A special experience was hearing the low booming vibration of a Sooty Grouse calling from the forest. Could not find the bird though even though we really tried.

Steep initial section before the granite canyon

Would love to understand the geology!

Hiking up the granite canyon

Taking in the canyon

Flowers on the PCT

Today, the first day of summer, still seeing the delicate beauty of spring with the fragile Mariposa Lily

The destination, one of the lovely lakes along the trail

Lake Tahoe: Living in the Postcard

The Captain of Tahoe Girl has been working on the 'lake in the sky' for 30 years and talks about living in the postcard.

Our time cruising in the paddle boat is a gentle way to see and to experience the vistas and the majesty of this huge lake floating high in the Sierra Nevada's.

And its all about the water and the color of the water, mesmerizing.

Endless inky blue water, looking across to the east and Nevada

Clarity of the water.

The change in depth creates amazing color changes in the water.

Big sky, rocky lake edges rimmed with pines.

Beauty of the shallows of Lake Tahoe

From 15' to 200' creates this hard line in the color change!

And wherever you look, mountains. Must be an incredible winter scene with snow everywhere.

1. 
   

   From Wiki:

   
   

   Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of 6,225 ft, it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City.
4. Area: 496.2 km²
5. Volume: 150.7 km³
6. Surface elevation: 1,897 m

   Length: 35 km

Reno Rodeo: Extreme Bull Riding

Reno, Nevada. Gambling and a quickie divorce was definitely not on our travel plans, so Reno did not feature. 

A rodeo event was definitely on my to-do list though. 

I was planning for our week here at Lake Tahoe and read about the 10 day Professional Rodeo events in Reno. And now here we are, in Reno, part of the rodeo scene, Wranglers, checked shirts, cowboy hats and boots, belts, buckles, bling, mountains of fast food, red-white-blue everywhere, beer flowing…. 

In our grandstand seats, bulls are in their enclosures (behind the Wrangler signs) and cowboys getting ready

I booked for the opening event, the Extreme Bull Riding, cowboys, bare backed on the bull, holding on with one hand only, trying to remain on the fiercely wound up bull for at least 8 seconds.

Was extreme indeed.

Cowboys in action!
Colourful, noisy, dusty, fast, I woohoo-ed all night. Even better than the bull riding was the corralling of the bull after the ride, cowboys on horses with lassoes, dogs, so cool, so American.

Entertainment. Bareback horse rider with six gorgeous black steeds. Speechless.
Great evening out and the bonus of a quite lovely sunset.
Going back to Reno on sunday for more action.