Saturday, 08/06/2022 We were drawn to the West Coast again, more precisely to California.
Die erste Cali-Nacht verbrachten wir am Crescent Beach. Von dort aus hatten wir es nicht mehr weit zum Redwood Nationalpark. Die Redwood National und State Parks bestehen aus einer Reihe geschützter Wälder, Strände und Graslandschaften an der nordkalifornischen Küste.
However, most people know Redwood as home to the tallest trees in the world. Even Skoolie looked tiny as we drove through the redwood-lined streets. But when walking through the coniferous forests, the size really became apparent.
In Prairie Creek we were able to admire one of the largest trees - with the imaginative name "Big Tree". The motto "Standing tall" was practically given.
Redwood was interesting - no question about it - but the bar was set so high for everything we had already seen that my enthusiasm was limited. All the more I was looking forward to the next targeted national park. On the way there, however, we had to go through a forest fire area, which we only became aware of when we were right in the middle.
The acrid smell and hazy visibility became all the more frightening when we spotted the fire on the mountains next to us. We wanted to get out of this area as quickly as possible, but had no idea how far this burning area would reach.
We were relieved when, after about 100 kilometers, visibility finally cleared again and the smell of burning was no longer noticeable. In Redding we wanted to stay at the Walmart but were told to leave by security. We came across one of the few W stores that don't allow overnight parking. The security officer directed us to the Walmart in the neighboring town of Anderson. From there we went the following day (Monday, August 8th, 2022) to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
We started with a walk around Manzanita Lake,
stopped by the Hot Rock,
visited the puzzled rocks and their inhabitants
and stopped at one or the other pull-out to let the view work its magic on us.
Then we wanted to see the Cold Boiling Lake, but I had to admit defeat on the rocky, steep path
and settle for the Kings Creek Picnic Area in the valley.
However, the little creek and wildflowers quickly put me at ease.
Our last stop was at the Sulfur Works. These are the easiest hydrothermal vents to access in the park.
Literally breathtaking. The brown, bubbling mixture of sulphides made me gasp.
Fascinating on the other hand, the colors of the rock.
My conclusion to Lassen-Volcanic: Beautiful and beguiling ❤️
After a semi-quiet night at a rest area at Honey Lake (CA), we did a short detour to Nevada
to the biggest little city in the world: Reno!
We did some shopping and I set up my mobile office.
Then we said goodbye to Nevada again for the time being - back to California!
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