On this day we left Reno, NV and headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
“Lassen Volcanic National Park, located in northeastern California, is part of the National Park Service, within the Department of the Interior. The over 100,000- acre park is situated 130 miles north of Sacramento at the southern end of the Cascade Mountain Range. Established in 1916, Lassen Volcanic is the fifteenth national park established by Congress, making it one of the oldest in the nation. In 2016, Lassen Volcanic marked its 100th anniversary with over 500,000 visitors coming to see the steaming fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Lassen Volcanic offers opportunities to discover the wonder and mysteries of volcanoes and hot water for visitors willing to explore the undiscovered. Imagine walking on a boardwalk alongside bubbling pits of mud and hissing cracks in the earth. Steam rises from boiling pools and moistens your skin, and the smell of sulfur fills the air.’” [Source: NPS.gov]
That being said, the devastation of the 2021 Dixie Fire could be seen for many miles before we got even close to the park. While we have all seen these types of images on television (as they cover these devastating fires) – to be there and drive through is immersive reality and over-whelming. We drove by many burnt out buildings, vehicles and even firefighting equipment that were caught up in the fire and like the natural resources … they too were destroyed. Burnt vehicles stacked in rows like hay bales, the rubble of the building pushed into piles, emergency operations camps along the road
In the gorges you could see what “scorched earth” looks like. The views were amazing …. until you realize that there was forest there before. Miles upon miles we saw the work continuing to clear around the roads and replace infrastructure. The smell of the aftermath of fire remains in the air.
While we did not get to see a lot of the volcanic features …. we clearly got an education of the impact these fires have on the forest and eco systems. Impacts that will be with future generations far beyond my shelf life.
