Northward

Hi All,

I have now survived my first two national Parks!  I'm currently sitting in a Starbuck's in Eugene with the first wifi access I have had so far, so I figure I would give everyone a quick update.

So far, everything has been going great.  I started the trip with a night (Friday) at the Boy Scout Camp I used to work at, Camp Lassen,  I received a warm welcome and it was good to see a lot of familiar faces still around.  I didn't stay too long, as I wanted to get going on my trip, so Saturday morning I headed further up the Mountain to Lassen State Park.  I was only spending one night here, so I wanted to make the most of it.  Lassen NP has a single road that goes from the South end of the park up to the peak, then back out the North end of the park.  I have to say it is one of the prettiest drives I have ever been on, with a wide variety of forests, and some spectacular views.  I stopped for a few hours to take a hike to Bumpass Hell, the parks largest concentration of geothermal activities.

Bumpass Hell Steaming

 It was definitely worth the hike.  I then headed to the North are of the park where I made camp in the Crags Campground, the parks smallest one.  It was peaceful and perfect.

My humble campsite

Plaikni Falls

The next morning I continued my journey North on my way to Crater Lake National Park.  This too, would be a shorter stop with only two nights in the park.  It also took me most of the day to get to the park, so Sunday was spent mostly driving and setting up camp.  I realized I am beginning to pack the car up very efficiently, with everything in easy reach.  I woke up early ( I can't seem to sleep past 6 AM,  the sun comes up so early!) on Monday intent to explore the park, but was delayed a few hours trying to reserve my campsite for that night.  After that, I went to explore the park's scenic loop trail and take a few small hikes.  The first was to the Pinnacles, some impressive geological features at the edge of the park.  Then, another hike to Plaikni Falls, which had few people and was a nice site.  After that I made my way around the rest of the island, stopping for pictures.  By two, the roads were getting crowded, so hurried my way back to camp to relax.

The Pinnacles

Today has been mostly driving to the Portland area where I will spend the night with the Staub Cousins.  After that it is up to Washington and Mount Ranier, and I will hopefully give you an update after that.  Until next time!