Back up..go left.
We awoke early Saturday morning,anxious to take the ninety-minute drive out to Mt.Lassen Volcanic National Park.Everything had been meticulously planned down to the last detail!
*Pack fried chicken and cole slaw...Check !
*Stock ice chest with water and Gatorade...Check !
*Cameras fully charged...Check !
*Fill the tank with gas,and our bellies with breakfast...Check and Check.!!
*Be sure to watch the weather report for the Mt. Lassen area...
..I thought YOU were s'posed to do that??..
..no shit.When we arrived at the park entrance,young Cherie,looking mighty cute in her park ranger hat,advised us that the road was only open for one mile!
This is sorta like being told that you're only going to be allowed ten feet past the entrance to Disneyland,but what the hell.
I promised you guys a video recap,and I'm nothing if not a man of my word.
Unless,..you know,..it's to my advantage to lie.
Thus,and without further adieu!
I decided to take the minimalist view.
The fumaroles and mud pot shots were taken just a few yards past the 'Road Closed' sign.
Oh sure,we could have ventured out onto the now snow covered trails in search of more fascinating displays of vulcanism,but we decided that none of us wanted to appear on the six o'clock news,frozen to a tree.
Having said all that,it was a total blast!
The drive up was rife with breathtaking views,Little Newt thoroughly enjoyed himself,and the contrast of pristine snow against the raw power of the Earth's living interior was inspiring!
Plus!..The irony of my having gone all Winter without seeing a single snowflake,only to find myself smack in the middle of a blizzard on the cusp of Summer,was quite delicious.
Happy Memorial Day Kids!
Make chex payable to §£ïñg 8:58 AM
27 Bootleggers
27 Comments:
What a wonderful adventure. Snow in summer.
mom- It was a great adventure!
We didn't know at the time that all that snow had arrived just Friday night.
Next time,we'll be sure to check the weather rports first.;)
I'm glad you obeyed all rules and didn't end up as a news item.
jan- Lizzard King made me.
if you all had gotten lost in the snow and woods, i would have sent out the texas rangers for you...not the real texas rangers, the baseball team, as they aren't doing much as far as winning so finding you guys would at least be an adventure for them..
that was really cool...
Big Yeller Dawg- HA!..True story,..I've been found by the real Texas Rangers back in 1974!
Found in posession of 1 ounce of marijuana.
I spent ten days in Stratford County jail.
Two meals a day.
Beans,coffee,and great slabs of Texas bread,all prepared by the wife of Texas Ranger,Clois Vaughn!
Best jail food I ever 'et. ;)
And they say Texas jails are bad, Ha! I am curious, what was the temperature on the trip?
austexgrl- The temperature wasn't all that cold on the way up.About 60 degrees,and no snow.
As you near the entrance to the park,the altitude rises over a thousand feet rather abruptly,so it wasn't until we were a few minutes away from the entrance that we ran into snow.We were prepared for cold weather,so it wasn't uncomfortable.
I'm guessin' in the high 30's.
ask yourself;
what would chevy chase do at wallyworld?
now i'm going into mourning for john candy again.
billy P.- Oh great,..now I'm pining for Beverly D'Angelo again.
Fun fun! But snow mixed with volcanic steam must have made a mess of your 'stache. Was your hair simultaniously frizzy and flat at the same time? I think about these things.
Hat-tastic- The 'stache escaped unscathed (thank god!)..Did I forget to mention I shaved my head before the trip?..Oh yes.
There's still SNOW up there? Holy moly! Sounds like you enjoyed yourself, though. Good for you!:)
serena joy- 'There's still SNOW up there? Holy moly!'..
This was our thinking.
Holy crap!
We just got done with an hundred plus degree heat wave,so it just didn't occur to us that we'd encounter arctic conditions just a short distance from home...Live and learn.
Sorry I haven't been around much - been a weird time around here the past month or so plus vacation. Glad to see the place hasn't changed much - just a few more peanut shells on the floor and a couple more ring stains on the counter. Still feels real comfortable.
That is so cool - snow and volcanic bubbling - gotta love Ole Mom Nature.
We were at Pompeii on the weekend kept hoping that Vesuvius would give a puff for the camera - nothing!
There's a wonderful wrongness to seeing snow on Memorial Day!
My first summer in Montana (which was also my last one, thankfully), it snowed in June. And then again in August. I moved there from Florida. My idea of winter clothing was a long sleeve t-shirt and bermuda shorts. I love snow as much as the next person, probably even more really...but snow in June and August? Who'd a thunk? Oh the money I spent on thermal underwear that summer....
Glad you guys made the best of your summer snowstorm roadblock. As long as Little Newt enjoyed himself, I think it can be deemed a success. lol
Kari
You were still able to eat the fried chicken right?
In which case, I'm not seeing a problem here.
The mind, she boggles.
Did you really shave your head?
Willym- You know you always have a seat at the bar my friend!
Lassen is no Vesuvius,but it did get cranky more recently.
Long about 1912 if I recall.
citizen- It's a wonderful paradox indeed!
kari- I love the snow,and we had a terrific time.
Under normal circumstances,we might have ventured out a bit more,but under normal circumstances you aren't likely to break through the snow,and land in a hydrothermal vent. ;)
JP- Oh,we scarfed on some fine fried chicken after we got back down the hill.
No problem. :)
Rainey- Yep,I got a buzz cut for the Summer.
My hair grows really fast,so I should have my ponytail workin' by the end of Fall.
Don't be a'scared when you see me,but I resemble a mildly psychotic holocaust victim.
That easily competes with any National Geographic stuff. I don't get any vicarious anything from them.
A., who does not read blogs but is happy to comment over my shoulder, did all the appropriate sound effects on this and then couldn't resist asking: Didn't they check the weather?
Yes, OF COURSE I said: read it yourself. I'm not telling you ALL the details.
booda babe- We actually did check the weather..'Possible light showers'.
This little snowstorm even had Rob the weather guy fooled.
Now,my mission is to get some of the really awesome stuff on film!
It's a moral imperative.
The snow was from a Top Secret Pentagon weather control experiment...they were using the snow to cover the Sasquatch tracks.
allan- HA!..I suspected as much.
Stupid top secret Pentagon weather control people.
our state motto isn't 'don't mess with texas'..for nothing
That is wonderful..I really need to make a road trip up there. I want to see mud boil.
Makes you aware what a thin crust of earth we have beneath our feel and that all the human and animal etc activity that takes place on earth is on that thing crust - but the real bulk of the earth is an unknown and for us uninhabitable place...kind of makes you think about your place in the scheme of things a bit seeing all that heat just below our feet - and then covered in snow? What a world.
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