Lassen National Park/Shasta Lake NRA

“I got this” she said looking up at the 12’ snow bank in front of her. “If I get a running start I think I can make it to the top”. Those were the last words Daisy said before she ran at the snow bank and started climbing. She made good progress about ½ way up the bank then her moment slowed…..”Abort, abort!” she cried and leapt into my arms.

 

Where did we find a 12’ snowbank in California you ask? Why, Lassen Volcanic National Park!

 

We had driven through this area twice in the past two years on our way to visit relatives in Northern California. It is an absolutely beautiful area just west of Susanville. This trip, with a smaller rig and more time we vowed to stop for a few days. What we did not count on was the snow. With the higher elevation of the park there was still plenty of snow and the main road (Hwy 89) through the park was still closed. We watched a movie at the Visitors Center that said the park can get up to 40' of snow during the winter season! Despite this set back we had two great days in the area hiking and just exploring the backroads.

The snowmelt is creating streams

Most of the lakes we saw were foggy but pretty cool looking

The truck/camper in the closed visitor center parking lot. We had the place all to ourselves!

 

We even managed to find a snow free remote logging road to camp out on for a couple of nights. The last night we were there it rained pretty hard, we were trying to watch a show on the computer but the sound of the rain was so hard that we could not hear the show. So we turned it off. That is when Barb noticed steady drip, drip, drip coming from the side of the hatch above the bed. Luckily the rain stopped and we were able to get some sleep.

We drove a good mile down a logging road and backed into this open area to camp

And did a little exploring

I had the camera ready.....just in case!

Next up was a day at Shasta Lake. We wanted to get to a little warmer climate so we drove about an hour northwest and found a quiet little spot right on the shore of the lake, had lunch, got out the Dicor and did some  repair work on the camper roof.

Sealing in some areas were the caulk was getting old

Nice lunch spot on Shasta Lake

 

The water levels in the lake are way up from the last few times we have been here. With the higher than normal rainfall in the area the lake is much higher than the previous few years. According to a website we looked at the lake is about 100’ higher than it was last year, only 14’ from the dam capacity.

Roof repaired, we moved on to find another spot for the night. Using Allstays we found a free spot right along the lake near a boat launch but when we got there it was less than ideal. A guy fishing there said we should check out the Gregory Creek area just up the road so we headed that way. When we got there we found a dispersed camping area right along the lake that charged $10/night during their open season (May-Sept) and free during off season! We had the place to ourselves camping within 10’ of the lake!

Our spot for the night

This Google Earth shot from last year shows how much the water has risen.

We are really enjoying the ability to explore remote roads and campsites that we have not been able to in the past. Each of the places we have camped so far (minus the Walmart) we would not even attempted with the 5th wheel and we have not spent a dime on camping fees yet! We have gone down some of the curviest roads and steeping hills taking advantage of our smaller size. Another bonus is the fact that we are able to go to just about any gas station not worrying about height or maneuvering around the pumps. This has saved us an average of about .15/gallon compared to the truck stops we would have normally stopped at. On the down side, we really have to watch the power on our computer and other electronic devices. We bought a small inverter to charge the computer and have that plugged in as well we our iPads, iPhone, GoPro and GPS taking turns charging as we are driving down the road.

We have not used the shower inside the bathroom but we have used the outside shower a few times and we have not killed each other yet but we are only a week into our 24 week journey!

Next up, visiting relatives in Redding......stay tuned!