It was a sunny day – temps in the mid-40s and the winds were calm. I walked the top of mountain, stopped to remember our Steve, how short and precious life is ……..and I took in his eternal view of New Hampshire – and I then departed the mountain.
Just my thoughts . . . .
So, if you are looking for catalog of photos from the Castle Car Show ……. you will not find that. If you are looking for the lines, curves, bends and forms of American steel …. You may find that.
One Month Later …. or thereabouts.
After traveling nearly 11,000 miles and being on the road for a couple of month …. I was reminded by our weekend ride …… that New England is a great place to ride and to live.
Day 46 – Lassen Volcanic National Park
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.
Day 50 – Bonneville Salt Flats
The ride from Eureka, NV brought us to the Bonneville Salt Flats on our way to Salt Lake City, UT. As good luck would have it, there were “test and tune events” going on in preparation for the fall World of Speed races (Sept 7-12, 2022).
We have a “local day” tomorrow in Salt Lake City, UT. We will then be heading to Wyoming and Montana in the days after.
Day 49 – The Loneliest Road In America
Today we Traveled from Fernley, NV to Eureka, NV via Rt 50 also know as the “the loneliest road in America”, We traveled over 200 miles on this unique road. Stopping once at a small restaurant in the middle of the desert.
Today’s posts are mainly from Eureka, NV. A former mining town that bills itself as “The Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road” [source: Eureka, Nevada | Eureka NV Hotels | Things to Do in Eureka (travelnevada.com)]
Tomorrow, we head to Salt Lake City, UT. This will be the first time in several weeks that we will no longer be on pacific standard time. Good sign we are headed towards the east after nearly 50 days on the road.
Day 36 – Joshua Tree National Park [CA]
Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park [source: NPS.gov). An amazing near 60-mile ride through the park.
Day 47 – Lassen National Park [CA]
Today we left our hotel in Susanville, CA and headed for Lassen National Park. The ride to the park was about 65 miles. Similar to the landscape coming into Susanville, CA yesterday we immediately saw the aftermath of last Dixie Fire [https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/].
Dissimilar to yesterday where we traveled through small towns that were destroyed, e.g. remnants of masonry structures, metal roofs and skeletal remains of vehicles and equipment along the roadside. Today, we would see miles / acres of burnt forest. At first glance you thought “what a great view” – then the reality of the devastation would come to mind. It was erry at times – and in areas it was “scorched earth”. Black vertical poles that use to be trees against an almost concrete floor that was once the forest floor. Devoid of any life – flora and fauna. I shot quite a bit of Go Pro footage, hopefully there is more of story to tell in the future.
Here are a few photos of today’s travels through Lassen National Park.
Day 30 – Aches National Park
Arches NP was one of those bucket lists adventures that had been on our list for three years. However, with COVID it had been postponed … that is until this year. We were able to visit Arches this year as part of the Mother Road Tour 2022. Cheryl and Cathy had joined us for the Utah section of our trip.
The park is extraordinary … it is far more than the stone arches. It is a landscape of colors and land formations like no other park. We able to get into the park early in the morning – the early morning colors and shadows are distinct.
This a short clip of iPhone videos and photos of our time in the park.
Day 41 – Breakfast With Roy
Day 41 – Starting off day at Way Station Diner in Santa Clarita CA
