Leah, June 17th Lassen

Today we hiked King's Creek Waterfall trail. We hiked for about 3 hours. I remembered to bring my camera on the hike. On the hike to the waterfall was easy. But the trip back to the car was very hard.


The waterfall was beautiful. After lunch on the trail Matt and I were playing in the snow. Afer Mom and Dad finished eating we continued to the car. I got very hot so I took snow and rubbed it over my face and ncek. When we got to the car Dad took us to get ice cream. While we were eating we saw 2 cute puppies named Pablo and Pierre. After we finished we drove back to the RV.

Matt, June 17th, King's Creek Hike

Today, we went in to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We hike a 3 mile trail called King's Creek Water Fall Trail.

It was a long and hard trail. Going down was easy but, but going back up was hard. On the hike we saw medows, water falls, and snow. On our way up you would have a hard time breathing. Then we went back to the RV. When we got back we relaxed. Mom and Dad planed the rest of the trip and me and Leah played around.

Craig June 16, Cool Caves and The Long Way Around

Sleeping in was tops on the list this morning. After a few short nights and lots of hours on the road, we were all ready for some shut eye. The camping spot was perfect, no noise, cold temperatures (I had to get up and close a window around 3:00am, YES!) and the mountain blocked the 4:45 sunrise until about 8:30. We were all refreshed and ready to go.

A few more hours on the road and we would reach our first destination of the day,. Subway Cave. The kids at first were confused and were wondering about where we were eating lunch until we explained it had nothing to do with a restaurant. We pulled into the parking lot and found we could get the whole motorhome and Jeep combination turned around without a problem. This is always a relief when your 65' long and are not able to back up.


The cave promised more of the cooler temps we are looking for. It was around 46* in the 1/3 of a mile cave. This cave is unique in that it is open at both ends. The indians believed it was home to an ape man. The cave has some spots where the idiots have shown thier lack of appreciation by spray painting some grafitti here and there. But overall a worthwhile stop.



Next we hit the Shingletown KOA and parked the bus. After a getting set up we headed up to Lassen National Park for a look around. The requisite stop at the visitors center gave us some ideas. We decided to drive from the north end of the park, out the southern end then head west before picking up a small highway that would lead us back up to Shingletown and the camp. This route would give us a chance to see the whole park and help us decide on which hike we would do tomorrow.

The drive through the park was great. It was late in the afternoon and the park was deserted. What a great change from the larger parks we have been to where the crowds detract from the experience. We were able to stop in the middle of the road without worry. The views were amazing from the road, which tops out at about 8500'. Snow, still in abundance at this height made for some fun resulting in cold hands and sandal clad feet.




We exited the park and headed west on SR36, our map showed us another state route that would serve as a shortcut through Manton and back to Shingletown. Well, the shortcut was not what we had hoped. It was very scenic, but very slow and winding. It took hours to get back.

Leah June 16, 2007 The Caves

Yesterday on our way to Lassen Natl. Park we stopped at Subway Caves. Subway Caves us an underground cave. You start by climbing downa set of stairs then you walk around looking for signs that tell you about what part of the cave your in. But, it's completely dark so you have to bring your own flash lights. Once you get to the end of the cave you walk back to the parking lot. Then we drove to our new campsite. After we got set up we explored Lassen Natl. Park.

Matt, June 16th, Subway Cave

Today, we travled to the campsite. Before we got there we went into a cave. It was called the Subway Cave. We spent about a half an hour in the cave. We got to see lava tubes. Lava Tubes are tunnels. The cave tempeture was a big difference. Most of the people that went into the cave wore shorts. One lady even wore a dress! My family and I wre the only people who wore pants. Also, we saw two tiny volcanos, grafitti on the walls, and a cave-in. We went out of the cave and drove to the campsite.