I set this blog up with the intention of sharing my traveling adventures with friends and whoever else is interested. And then…we stopped traveling for several months. Fancy that, a Murphy’s Law experience.
Our next cruise adventure will take place in a canoe. We’re gearing up for a 4-day trip next week. This is a pre-trip to make sure we’ve got all the comforts that we will need for our big canoe trip in late June.
We had planned to take our two dogs with us on this adventure, but the weather has been so rainy and cold, we have not had time to get them used to the canoe. So, this morning, I booked them a cage at the local doggy resort.
We take off next Thursday and head east, driving 4 hours, towards Mt. Lassen to Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park. Mt. Lassen is the last volcano in the series of volcanos running up north. They’re all pretty familiar names: Shasta, Hood, St. Helens, Rainier. I’ve left out a few others….I believe there’s an Adams and a Baker and a Jefferson as well. Mt. Lassen, like the rest is semi-dormant. I believe it last blew up in the late 1800’s. If you’re ever out in this vicinity, it’s a beautiful place to visit and not nearly as trafficked as the other national parks such as Yellowstone or Yosemite. And, if you’re going to Yellowstone just to see boiling mud pots, you can see them at Lassen just as well and it’s easier to get a campsite.
Here’s a little write up about the Ahumawi Lava Springs and the link from whence it came– Hopefully, we’ll have perfectly beautiful weathers like the pictures on the link. If not, well….we’ve got a big tent and good imaginations.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=464
Ahjumawi is a place of exceptional, even primeval, beauty. Brilliant aqua bays and tree studded islets only a few yards long dot the shoreline of Ja-She Creek, Crystal Springs, and Horr Pond. Over two thirds of the area is covered by recent (three to five thousand years) lava flows including vast areas of jagged black basalt.
The park is a wilderness area and most of it is extremely rugged lava rock. Visitors should prepare adequately for their visit. While there are over twenty miles of park trails by which to explore this beautiful geographical wonder, please be advised that travel off the trails requires proper preparation and equipment. Be sure someone knows where you are going and when you expect to return.
What is also going to be exciting is that we will have a clear view of both Shasta (my favorite mountain), Lassen and the solar eclipse that’s happening on the 20th.
We’ve planned our menu and have started collecting our food. I’ve been watching the weather. It gets hot in the day and near freezing at night. I shall pack accordingly.
I’m not used to canoe camping. I’m used to either stuffing everything I need into a car or carrying it on my back. Fortunately, Al’s a pro. I’m going to be so curious to see how much one can actually take in a canoe.
This going to be fun, that much I know.
Chronicles of Cammy, my Fool's Journey and Travelogue 