Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park

By George Kelly

 

 

 

I first visited Lassen Park, as a teenager, in 1947. Since that first visit I have introduced my wife and many families to all this great Park has to offer.

 

Located 47 miles east of Redding, California Lassen Volcanic National Park gives you a chance to commune with nature in a laid back, unhurried way that many of our larger National Parks, with massive amounts of visitors, cannot equal. There are no hotels or restaurants in the park. When fully up and operating there are 455 campsites located at eight sites throughout the park. All come with a table, fire ring and a bear proof food box. Potable water and restrooms are available at each campground. The largest is Manzanita Lake at the west entrance. It has a convenience store, showers, laundry facility, 20 new sleeping cabins, a museum presenting the history of the park and Ranger programs to enjoy. For information about these features or to make reservations go to www.recreation.gov.

 

The main road traverses the park from the western entrance to the new Visitor’s Center, at the south entrance, for a distance of approximately thirty miles. While traveling this road you will be treated to outstanding vistas of crystal clear streams, sparkling blue lakes, brilliantly green meadows, multi colored wild flowers, stands of old growth timber and areas that were completely flattened during the eruptions that ended in 1921

 

There are over 150 miles of hiking trails running throughout the park. Many of which are accessible from the main road. My wife and I have hiked many of them but there are four I think you should consider. The first is level and only one and a half miles around Manzanita Lake. If you take this one just as the sun is setting the last rays of sun light will be framing the summit of Lassen Peak and beautifully reflecting it on the lake. Trout will be dimpling the surface in their quest for an easy meal of hatching insects while overhead Night Hawks perform a graceful ballet of swoops and dives in search of their share of natures buffet.

 

 

A favorite is the hike to Bumpass Hell. It proves that Lassen Peak is just sleeping and not dead. It is the largest hydrothermal area in the park consisting of live steam vents, boiling mud pots, mud volcanoes, hot springs and boiling pools of water. These are all extremely hot so for your safety stay on the wooden planked walkways. Bumpass Hell is reached by an easy trail of three miles for the round trip. It starts at Emerald Lake on the main road. You will know when you are getting close by the smell of sulphur in the air.

 

 

 

The hike up Cinder Cone will require a short drive out of the park and re-entering at the Butte Lake road. Directions are available at either of the entrance stations. Cinder Cone is a moderate hike of four miles round trip. When reaching its base the hike becomes more strenuous as you start up the trail to the summit. Good hiking boots should be worn as the loose cinders make walking up it like walking in sand. You climb 700 feet from the base to the top and it can be tiring but the views make it worthwhile so just take your time and enjoy them all.

 

 

 

The climb to the summit of Lassen Peak is the most strenuous hike but well worth it for the outstanding views you will experience. The trail starts from the parking lot at the 8500 foot level and rises to the summit at 10457 feet. This is a round trip of 5 miles. Sun glasses, a warm light weight jacket, a good hat and hiking boots should be worn to make this climb. Bring water as there is none available on the trail. This climb does not require any technical abilities but rather that you are in fairly good shape. A word of advice, make this hike near the end of your stay so you will more acclimatized to the altitude.

 

 

 

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a park where families can enjoy nature as nature intended it should be enjoyed.

Lake Amador

Lake Amador

A Fisherman’s Dream

And A Family’s Fun

If you were to ask the average trout fisherman where to go for a chance at catching a really big trout the answer would probably be some lake or stream in the Sierra or Cascade Mountains. Save yourself some long distance driving and head for Lake Amador just a few miles out of Ione, CA. The morning I visited Lake Amador, to get information for this article, I left my home in Galt, CA. and headed east on State Rt. 104. It was very foggy that morning which added to my driving time but I was still at the lake in much less than an hour.

Upon my arrival I met with Laurie Lockhart who not only graciously answered all my questions but gave me a free run of the facilities. She said this would allow me see for myself just all this great destination has to offer. They have 73 RV sites that are full service and over 100 sites for camping. The camp sites have restroom and shower facilities available and a dump station is located on the premises. These camping sites are located near a good size pond, with a water slide, that is filled for swimming during the warmer time of the year. Swimming is also permitted in the main lake but the water is usually colder than the pond’s water.

                                           One of the Lakes many quiet coves

The main area known as the Lodge has tackle, bait, propane, gas, cold beverages and snacks. They also have boats with motors available for either a full or half day rental. There is a café that is open Friday, Saturday and Sundays. They have two full size Pool tables so you can show off your skill with a pool cue. The ladies who work here are a wealth of information on fishing conditions and are more than willing to share this with you. The staff, at Lake Amador, wants your visit to be everything you hoped it would be and go out of their way to see that it is

Check in counter and store

                                           The very helpful Laurie & her daughter Chloe

Lake Amador has its own trout rearing facilities and they plant up to 200,000 pounds of their special Cut-Bow Trout each year. These are a cross between a Rainbow and a Cutthroat Trout. If you like to eat trout, these are some of the best eating you will ever sink a fork into. On top of this, they will give you the fight of your life when you hook one. While I was talking to Laurie she had a number of fishermen come in for their fishing permits and she told each of them that they had better be sure that their rods were secure while fishing because over and above the normal one and two pounders that they had planted that day they had put in ten trout that had a combined weight of just over one hundred and fifty pounds. There was also a photograph on the counter of a trout that had been caught a few days earlier that weighed in excess of sixteen pounds. I have fished in a lot of places including Alaska but have never come close to catching a trout that big.

Good fishing can be had right off this dock

 Besides trout, Lake Amador offers outstanding fishing for Bass, Catfish, Crappie and Bluegill. The lake record for Bass is a brute of just over seventeen pounds and each year Catfish are landed that register high on the double digit mark. A lot of these big fish are caught at night which is fine because the lake is open to fishing 24 hours a day the year around. For whatever reason, they do not sell minnows to use as bait but you can bring your own if that is what you want to use.  If you have youngsters that are showing an interest in learning to fish I highly suggest that you take them to this lake.  They can fish right off of the shore and with a juicy red worm presented about four feet under a bobber, they will find many Bluegills more than ready to grab that worm. These won’t be really big fish but to the novice fisherman this won’t matter and I can almost guarantee that they will be hooked for life. This will really be the case if one of those Cut-Bows decides to chow down on the worm.    

Do you need a boat to successfully fish this lake? A lot of the trout that are caught are taken by those fishing right off the bank. For whatever reason, the trout that they plant spend a lot of time swimming in the top four feet of water within twenty five feet of the shore line. If you have your own boat a launch ramp is available but it certainly isn’t necessary to be successful. With over 13 miles of shore line and 400 acres of lake surface area, and you do bring your own boat or rent one, there are a number of coves, arms and creek inlets to explore and fish quietly. When you do catch fish you want to enjoy for dinner there is a fish cleaning station available which will save you from making a really big mess in your own kitchen. Your significant other should greatly appreciate this. 

The boat launch ramps next to the Lodge

                                      

 There are some restrictions that apply when you visit Lake Amador:

No Water Skiing – No Jet Skis – No Motor Cycles - No Racing around in High Speed Boats. This is a location where you can bring your family and enjoy all of its amenities without finding a rowdy atmosphere. The people who run this concession absolutely go out of their way to make sure that you enjoy your visit and will want to come back again. I recommend that you pay it a visit. For complete information as to costs and any other questions you may have they can be reached at (209) 274-4739.     

Your check in point

Published © 2013 by Georgeonthego.net

Newcastle Produce

Newcastle Produce

  Where Culinary Delights

Are Waiting For You

 Normally I write about travel destinations that you will visit in your RV but if that destination has you traveling east from Sacramento on Highway I-80 then you really owe it to yourself to give this business a try.  

 If you enjoy preparing meals and haven’t discovered Newcastle Produce you are in for a very pleasant surprise. Located just off of Highway I-80 in the small historic town of Newcastle, CA., among some old fruit sheds, it is not the place you would expect to find a thriving gourmet food business. In the years since Jan Thompson first opened Newcastle Produce she has built a large clientele not only from the surrounding area but, with her mail order business, from as far away as the state of Maine.

  Don’t let the name of Newcastle Produce fool you into thinking that all they offer is produce. Yes, they do have a large selection of some of the finest produce to be found anywhere. Jan buys from local farmers so she can offer items that in many cases were picked just yesterday. Jan and her husband Francis also own Twin Brooks Farm where they pick many fruits and vegetables early each morning to be offered for sale that day. This is a freshness that cannot be found in even the best of supermarkets.     

      

  Having been in the gourmet food business for many years before retiring I can say that you would be hard pressed to need some product for that special meal and not be able to find it at Newcastle Produce. In addition to the produce, consider the many fine wines from nearby wineries, BBQ sauces, pasta sauces, marinades, olive oils, flavored oils, numerous mustards, jams of almost every kind, many varieties of cheeses, eggs from free range chickens, pastas, artisan baked breads, herbs, spices, local meats from grass fed animals plus dried fruit and nuts and some of the best custom roasted coffee you would ever want to taste.

  On top of all this, Jan has been able to employ a trained Chef to prepare the many foods that are available to eat in or take out. Chef Chelsea Federwitz was trained and graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Saint Helena. She and her staff prepare an absolutely delightful selection of foods consisting of sandwiches, soups, salads, scones of all descriptions, seafood burritos, fruit turnovers and many, many more items. These are all tastefully displayed in their deli counter to help you with your selection. Chef Chelsea also prepares many items for the buyer to take home for an easily prepared evening meal.

  For those of you wanting to add to your culinary knowledge, Chef Chelsea gives cooking classes that are held in the store after closing hours. These classes cover a wide range of cooking topics designed to be used by cooks seeking to increase their knowledge in the kitchen. Many years ago I attended a cooking school in San Francisco and when I first met Chef Chelsea I questioned how anyone as young as she is could really have that much cooking knowledge. After seeing what she can turn out in a kitchen as small as the one she has to work in I no longer have any doubts about her skills.

  For those of you who would like more information about Newcastle Produce you can access their web page at www.NewcastleProduce.com                   

Here you will find recipes and information about events they will be presenting in the future. Jan also produces a free monthly newsletter you can sign up for on her web page or by writing her at 9230 Cypress St. Newcastle, CA. 95658.and request getting on her mailing list.

  It is my hope that you will take the time to drop by and see just what a great store Jan has. I know that if you do you will not be disappointed that you made the effort.  

George is on the go and will be travelling to many places to write about and share with you.  Visit his web page:   georgeonthego.net

Here is just a start.