November 7, 2010

Lassen Volcanic Park Trip - Part 3

We began the day by driving along the shores of Lake Almanor, pausing for photo ops.  That's Mt. Lassen, with some stripes of snow, in the background.  Below is a panorama shot (you can click to enlarge).
We saw these signs all over the area, sometimes near ranches but also in the deep woods.  Is it possible there are feral cattle, lurking and about to leap out onto the roadway?


Another common sight was logging trucks.  Much of the area is national forest, but there are private timber company lands as well.  A log truck barreling along winding mountain roads with no guard rails is a force to be respected.
Leaving Lassen, we entered the adjacent Plumas National Forest.  After picking up sandwiches in the charming small town of Greenville, and keeping a sharp eye out, we spotted the parking lot for Indian Falls, where a short walk rewarded us with this view of the small falls on the left:
The main falls:

And the view downstream:

It was stunningly gorgeous, and so difficult to capture in photographs, but here's a panorama nonetheless:

A short video of Indian Falls:

After eating lunch while perched on the rocks, I spent some time in that most elusive and rewarding of activities, quiet contemplation:
And was rewarded by spying a coyote trotting along between the trees and the rocks on the other side.  He or she was too quick to photograph, but this bit of wildlife was easier to capture:

I could have happily built a cabin and stayed there forever, but eventually it was time to hit the road again, heading towards the wide open spaces of Nevada.

I enjoyed the interplay of light and shadow over the range lands.
We ended up back in civilization, such as it is.  I enjoyed the next day in Reno--people watching in the casino, exploring the town on foot, buying a pretty pendant in a pawn shop--but I am not of a gambling temperament and rued the $10 I lost on the slots.
All in all, an excellent adventure!

2 comments:

Pat Dolan said...

Gorgeous area and great photography capturing the expansiveness and unique beauty of the location.

Any connections to Reno and Reno?

Sue Reno said...

To the best of my knowledge, the Reno name is just a coincidence, but it sure makes buying souvenirs there easy!