Lassen

(nr Old Station CA)
The camps I had wanted to stop at were either not yet open for the season or too far away from my route. So, I continued on without stopping; which put me still further ahead of schedule. It had snowed in northern California the week prior, and again the day I reached the turn toward Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Butte Lake in Lassen National Park

Hwy-89 was closed due to the snow. So, I redirected and stopped in Chester to do as my GPS “recalculating”. I had a superb lunch at Oldtown Cafe with free WiFi for computer research. I decided to take CA-44 around the east side of the park. A steady rain persisted, so I pulled into Bogard Rest Area to overnight in their large paved parking lot for RVs and trucks. I was the only one in the rain and light snow all night.

Boulder at Lassen

While continuing north on Hwy-44, I saw a sign to Butte Lake. I turned there because fellow blogger and follower Gypsy said it was one of her favorite places. It is part of the Lassen Volcanic NP, but was not yet open for camping. There was no snow there, and so day use was permitted.

Butte Lake and Lava Piles

I hiked around taking photos, and noticed some previous fire damage. A young deer walked with me part of the way. It never occurred to me to get a photo until it trotted away. There was still a light rain, so I didn’t venture far from Tardis.

Tardis in Lassen NF

Leaving Butte Lake, the gravel road passes through Lassen National Forest. Lucky for me, there was a free campground only a few miles on the way back to the highway. All by myself for two days next to a creek amid the pines and aspen trees.

Camp: Lassen NF – Butte Creek CG
Scene: Creek, forest, lake, volcanic rocks