Lava Beds National Monument

April 12, 2024

Driving to Klamath Falls for our Crater Lake National Park base, we realized that Klamath was just as close to Lava Beds National Monument  in northern California. We decided to check it out one day. We were so glad we did.

Lava Beds is home to hundreds of lava tube caves - the highest concentration of lava tubes in the U.S. Around 24 are developed and readily accessible to the public. We really liked that you could explore them on your own. Stop by the visitor center and pick up your free pass to display on your car dash. They'll tell you which caves are open. Sometimes some caves are closed to protect bat habitat. They'll even loan you flashlights if you didn't bring any.

These caves vary in difficulty level. The easy caves allow you to walk upright. The intermediate caves require stooping and bending. The most difficult require crawling. All require flashlights. Helmets, knee pads, and gloves would be prudent for any cave beyond the easy level.

We stuck to the easy caves and went through five of them. Most are not super long, but you do still need that flashlight!

Rain coming

Paradise Alleys cave entrance

Not sure who startled whom

Three cave entrances

Skull cave - our favorite

Steep stairs!

Lava everywhere

Where Are We Going Next?

Crater Lake National Park

April 10, 2024

We ventured to Crater Lake National Park. Though there were signs of spring everywhere, it was still very snowy at Crater Lake in April. The park gets around 44 - 45 feet of snow per season. We guessed that there was every bit of 20+ feet of snow around the lodge and ranger station. In fact, when we saw how much snow there was, we were even more impressed that anything was open at all. It was no small feat to clear that much snow. 

That said, this is the second park in a row that we've definitely hit in off season as opposed to shoulder season. Both Lassen Volcanic National Park and Crater Lake National Park were extremely limited in availability of things to do unless you like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and winter backpack camping. The roads through the park were still closed because of snow. Visitor centers operated under limited hours or were not open for winter.

Short of renting snowshoes, after about 20 minutes of viewing the lake and watching a film at the visitor center, we headed back to the campground. 

Did you know that Crater Lake is the deepest Lake in the United States? It's over 1900 ft deep of rain and snowmelt water. No streams run into or out of the lake. Less sediment is one of the main reasons the water is so beautifully blue and clear. 

The road into the park

The snow depth at visitor parking

Visitor Center and park store

Ah...beautiful and peaceful

Where Are We Going Next?

Northern California

April 9-10, 2024

We took advantage of some nice spring weather while in Redding. Sunday afternoon we headed over to the Sundial Bridge. It's a pedestrian bridge leading to the Turtle Bay Park. We walked along the paths and enjoyed some of the outdoor art. 

The next day, we ventured to Shasta Dam. Shasta Dam is the second largest dam in the United States. Grand Coulee is the largest as determined by volume of concrete used to build the dam. 

Viewing the eclipse

The three Shastas - Shasta Dam, Shasta Lake, Mt. Shasta

As we left Redding, we stopped at Dunsmuir at the Railway Park Resort. We enjoyed dining in a refurbished railway car. Overnight lodging options include railcars and cabooses. What fun for rail fans. 

Railway Park Willamette Shay

 Where Are We Going Next?

Lassen Volcanic National Park

April 6, 2024

We were getting the feeling that we were way too early in the season for Lassen Volcanic National Park. The road through the park was still closed and would be for another couple of months. We were camped in Redding, about an hour away from the northern entrance. 

We weren't sure what we'd be able to see with pretty much everything still being closed. The road itself closed at the visitor center. It may be spring, but Lassen was definitely still snow covered. However, we decided to take a short hike through the snow and enjoy what we could. 

It turned out to be just one of those relaxing days. We stopped at a small restaurant in Burney, the Blackberry Patch Restaurant, on our way back for hot coffee and a late lunch. It was perfect after our snow adventure. Our food was great. The server was fantastic, and the warmed blackberry cobbler was absolutely yummy.

What month is this?

Road closed

Maybe we should have rented the snowshoes

Manzanita Lake

Someone lost a shoe in the snow

Snowy peaks in the background

Where Are We Going Next?

Travis Aviation Museum

April 4, 2024 

Travis AFB ranks as one of our best military famcamp stops in California. The famcamp is well-maintained and is walking distance from the commissary and exchange. The base is located between San Francisco and Sacramento and makes a good home for day excursions. The icing on the cake is the car wash with an RV bay.  

Travis is also home to a decent aviation museum. We checked it out on our last day full day on the base. Oh, remember the depleted uranium airplane counterweight? Harold took a photo of a C141, the plane type on which the counterweight would have been used.

Yeah! a real RV wash bay

C141

Where Are We Going Next?

Jelly Beans!

April 3, 2024

We selected Travis AFB famcamp for its reasonable cost, security, proximity to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Jelly Belly factory. Seriously, the Jelly Belly factory was one of our reasons. Jelly Belly offers a self-guided tour along a walkway above the factory floor. Lots of videos explain what you're seeing on the floor below. It's kind of noisy, especially if you happen to be near kids. 

When we were there, the factory was shutting down for an annual three-week maintenance period. So, if you go, be sure to check the event calendar. We missed seeing the tumblers in action. 

We were pleasantly surprised to discover Jelly Belly art. Large mosaic images, approximately 4 ft x 5 ft, made of jelly beans as opposed to tiles, could be found throughout the tour. Ronald Reagan featured prominently with his known love of Jelly Belly, especially the licorice ones. 

What's your favorite flavor?

Outside the museum

Even the belly flops taste great!

Where Are We Going Next?