Lassen Peak

Sunday, June 10, 2012
After a leisurely breakfast of French toast, eggs and turkeyasouris sausage at our favorite place, the Roadside Inn, or maybe on this occasion it should be called the Campsite Inn, we made our way back down the dusty road to 44 and about 30 miles to the northwest park entrance station of Lassen Volcanic National Park. 

Before leaving the campground, we again stopped at the ranger station just to see if our luck had changed and there would be someone there. Nope, but here again came Ashley. She very kindly looked around once again for our stamp, but didn’t find anything. And for very good reason. When we entered the park at the northwest entrance station, we asked if they had any stamps, and lo and behold produced the Butte Lake stamp and the Summit Lake stamp! Both of those ranger stations are still closed, and lucky for us we asked for stamps at the right place!  

Now on a roll, we stopped just up the road at the VC and Loomis Museum, and got three more stamps. We also learned from the lady at the desk that we should stop at the Sundial Bridge in Redding on our way through. Wilma had read a little about it on line, but it looked like it was $14 each to get into the park. Here we learned there is no charge to walk across the bridge, and if there at night, the bridge deck is lit. Great information. She also gave Wilma a “limited edition” guide to the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, now that we are at the end of it.

We were told at the entrance that the camp host had the Manzanita Lake stamp so we knocked on her door and asked about the stamp. She hesitated then said ”Oh yes, I think I do” and went back into her trailer to dig it out. We went out to her picnic table and she dug it out of the pouch it was in. She attempted to set the date, but the month wouldn’t move. Barney told her he had fixed them before and she gave it to him to set the date. She then accepted a piece of paper from Fred to test it on. It left no image. Fred and Barney were sure it had not been used this year. She put ink on the stamp pad and stamped Betty’s page, which Barney had. Fred worked the ink around in the pad and onto the stamp and got Wilma’s page and his sheets done. We agreed that the host would be a little better equipped to give the next person a stamp.

Wilma and Betty put together a small lunch and we took off in the Rubble-mobile headed to the southwest entrance to the park and the Kohm-Yah-mah-nee Visitor’s Center for a few more stamps. We stopped on the way at the Summit Lake Campground, which was closed, and ate our lunch. We made a few more stops on our way over the 8500’ summit and watched people ski and play in the snow, to smell the Sulphur Works and for photos. The snow at the summit was 6 to 8 feet high along the road. None of the side roads were open because of the remaining snow. The Sulphur Works consists of boiling mud pots, hot springs and gas vents. It smells as bad or worse than anything in Yellowstone. 
  At the VC we got our books stamped, wandered through the exhibits and watched the video about the park.
We returned to our campsites with a couple more stops on the way back. We checked out the showers thinking we would take one in the morning. Wilma put together some haystacks which we consumed with gusto. Now everyone has returned to their cave-mobiles tired and ready to relax for the night.
Our total trip mileage for the day was about 60 to 70 miles. Sounds like a tough day doesn’t it?
Good night.