Union Valley, Looking into the Sierras
This trip started with a family campout at Union Valley Reservior, just east of Sacramento. My mother and all of my brothers and sisters and their families were there. We boated, loafed and ate.
Wizard Island at Crater Lake
The next portion of the trip took us to the town of Rogue River, on the (you guessed it) Rogue River. It was across the street from our motel. We used the location as a base for trips to Crater Lake, the Southern Oregon Museum of Natural History, and Wildlife Safari. The high point of this section of the trip, though, was the day trip doen the Rogue River. The river was high, so the rapids were pretty minor - but they didn't seem minor if you were in the rubber kayak. As usual, the lunch was good. There was plenty of bird life along the river - herons and a pair of bald eagle were the most notable.
Another unexpectedly fun portion of the trip was the Wildlife Safari, near Winston, OR. The drive north along I-5 is not spectaculzar except for views of the Umpqua River. The Wildlife Safari does have a lot of animals to view, relatively close up. However, the carnivores were mostly inert. The bears were the most interesting large animals, s they seemed to find very interesting poses to sleep in. The giraffes were easy to photograph but the ostrich was the most cooperative of all the animals.
The Southern Oregon Museum in Ashland did a great job of explaining the natural history of the area, covering the flora and fauna as well as the geology and the effects of volcanos on the region. The interrelationship of altitude, coastal proximity and weather was also addressed well. The museum is worth an afternoon. The place where I wish we could have done more is Crater Lake. We were limited in what we could do because, at the end of June, there was still 15 feet of snow on the northeastern part of the rim drive. To get as far as we did (the trailhead for the lake cruise) we had to drive through 10 foot drifts (beside, not on the road).
Cades Cove, Redwood National Park
On the way south from Oregon to Redwood National Park we stopped ad Bridgeview and Foris Wineries for tastings. Both wineries do a good job with normally German grapes. The Illinois River valley is remote and the towns in it provide tourist resources, particularly for rafting. Oregon Caves is also worth a stop. The wineries are good but not well known. Finally, at about the California border, the road starts following the Smith River to the sea.
From the border, you follow Highway 101 through Crescent City along a series of state parks associated with the Redwood National Park. We camped at Prairie Creek State Park, at hte Elk Prairie campground. The first thing we did as we entered our campsite was to shoo away the elk. They were always close to the campsite, but liked to stay away from people. The wildlife at Redwood was quite varied -- from the elk and bears to mice, with hondreds of different bird species visible. One day we went to Fern Canyon, hiking a trail back up the canyon and then around to the north, coming out finally on the ocean, following the shore back to the car. The "coastal" elk herd watched as we passed. The forest was lush and dripping. Seeing the new life grow out of old, fallen and decaying logs and stumps was fascinating. The next day we took a ranger hike to tidepools in the north of the park. There was plenty to see there too -- large anemones and sea stars were the most interesting. From there we took the old coast road to the trailhead for Cades Cove. The hike was down hill. We had the entire beach to ourselves for the entire afternoon. The tide cam in, crashing over the rocks. The wildflowers were also in full bloom, sepecially the Humbolt lillies, which resemble small tiger lillies.
White Capped Sparrow40k Monkey Flower19k
Mt. Lassen and Chaos Crags from Manzanita Lake
Next it was back to the snow. We took California Highway 299 across from the coast to Redding on our way to Redding, and finally to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Highway 299 follows the Trinity River most of the way. This is another "not to miss" drive. The canyon continually deepens, but you can always see the river. Finally, as you drive eastward, you get down to river level. There are plenty of put in pints for canoes, rafts or tubing. Redding provides a good resupply point. The final approach to Lassen is along State Highway 44. You turn south from it to get into the park. If you follow the highway farther, you get to the Hat Creek area, which contains resorts and good fishing. True to form, we scared deer out of our campsite as we set up. Mt Lassen erupted in the 1910's, finally quieting down again in the roaring 20's. So much of the scenery is volcanic. However, water had an impact on the eruption, as it did on our trip. The main road through the park still had 30 feet of snow in in - in July. We could not get to the main thermal sites. The road got you there but the path was steep and icy. Rangers were (rightfully) letting noone onto the trail. I satisfied myself with a hike around Manzanita Lake, with its reflective views of Mt. Lassen and the Chaos Crags. We also hiked the Chaos Jumbles, many acres of ash blown out by the volcano. We also took a ranger hike that pointed out the effects of the eruption, showing downed trees, comparing viewpoints with pre-eruption photos, etc. On our final day, we drove around the park to Drakesbad, where we could see thermal activity. The hike through mountain meadows and over snowbanks (the trail was marked by tem[porary plastic streamers tied to trees) to the mudpots and steam geysers. The detour was worthwhile. While it was too early for wildflowers, there were snowflowers. These plants do not contain chlorophyl and are therefore not green. They are parasites, living off of the roots of trees and shrubs.
Snowflower68k
The Sierras from Bridgeport
For the lastr leg of the trip, we followed the eastern spine of the Sierras from near Mt. Lassen to US 395 following State Highway 89. We camped north of Lake Tahoe on the Little Truckee River the first night and spent an hour watching an American Dipper (water ouzel) at work. And listening to logging trucks. We spent midday the next day cruising Tahoe from the South Shore to Emerald Bay. A pleasant diversion. Then we drove south to 395, following it to the Twin Lakes area north of Bridgeport. While our campground was not near the lake, we drove to the lakes and watched ducks and deer feed. This was the last noght of the trip. We continued to Big Pine, were we took State Highway 168 across Weigard Pass, past Deep Springs College and on into Nevada. The rest of the drive was routine.
Eastern Sierras from Twin Lakes43k
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