I just got back from a short walk to Summit Lake. Our campsite has a view of the lake.
When I took the dogs out for their morning “constitutional” I thought I heard geese but there were none to be found in the lake. We haven’t seen any water fowl–but we sure see and hear a lot of crows! I hate crows!
Actually the birds we see the most are Steller’s Jays. They are pretty noisy birds too. Several of them are keen to get at the dog’s food in the dog pen. One yesterday was a brave little guy. He got right up to the fence and poked his head through the slats to get at the food bowl. But the bowl was just a millimeter out of his reach. He tried several times and was probably mystified that he was unable to grab a morsel.
Our campsite was suggested in Sunset Magazine’s special camping issue as a particularly pretty site. We are right next to the neighboring campsite but it’s not too bad when you get further back in the site. The lake is a couple hundred feet away but we can still enjoy the sight of the water. The clouds yesterday were particularly beautiful. I told Howard that I think I’m a mountain lake person–maybe we should search for a place on a lake. We remembered how much we liked Spoon Lake, a place outside of Glacier National Park in Montana. We stayed at a little A-frame cabin there and it took a lot of effort to pry ourselves away from the lake to see the park
We were lazy on Sunday. Howard put up his hammock and we just sat around, enjoyed the views and read. We had hamburgers and salad for dinner. It does get chilly about 5 or so we head off to spend the evening reading in our comfy “living room” in Diana. I’m embarrassed to say what time we go to bed. Most people are just starting dinner as we are snuggling under our down comforter.
Yesterday we ventured to Manzanita Lake,
an easy 20 minute drive north. We gassed up–even though we were only down a quarter tank, I’m not taking any chances! And then there was laundry to do. Maybe I’m being a clean freak (I don’t think I am) but, between the dogs and us, we track in a lot of debris. The floor and throw rugs get awfully dirty and it drives me nuts. I need to find rugs that just don’t show the dirt and then I’d be fine.
While I was trying to get 3 loads of wash started before anyone else arrived at the laundry (there were only 4 machines and one was in use) a couple about our age asked about our RV. They had a Ford van that was not really set up as a camper; it only had a bed. I had to give them a tour of our Diana. They could not believe how much of a home can fit into such a small vehicle. The tour was completed and so was the laundry.
We enjoyed grilled scallops (from our little freezer) and quinoa salad for dinner.
So that was yesterday. Today we got up and took our time hitting the road. For breakfast I had a couple of hard-boiled eggs I needed to use. I also had some pre-cooked bacon. So bacon-deviled eggs it was! Not bad but I used too much bacon–if that can be possible.
We journeyed back to the park entrance to visit the visitor’s center. The hydrothermal features in Lassen are not as fantastic as those in Yellowstone but there are many incredible volcanic-related sights to see. I bought an informative booklet featuring a guided auto tour (using road-side posts) of the park. The Sulfur Works with its steaming fumaroles, hotpots
and brightly colored soils
and rocks; the sapphire blue Lake Helen; and King’s Creek were just a few interesting stops on the tour. “Bumpass Hell,” a roundtrip, 3 mile hike through a hydrothermal basin, was also on the tour but the 3 hour hike was too long for just one of us to go. (One of us needs to stay in the RV with the dogs.)
We arrived back at camp about 1:30 and had a snack of smoked fish (thanks to our neighbors), cheese, excellent grapes and potato chips (bad!). The wind really picked up and it was too cold even with our fleece jackets on to stay outside. So here we are reading, writing and relaxing in Diana.
Tonight is grilled chicken thighs, grilled potatoes and homemade pesto to spice those treats up. We leave for Lava Beds National Monument near the California/Oregon border tomorrow. It’s about a 3 hour drive.