Eureka and Lassen National Park

We finished up our time in Northern California with a short stay in Eureka and a trip to Lassen.

Eureka CA

A port city in Northern California with Victorian homes and hotels (the Carson Mansion is amazing). They have a cute downtown, many murals around town, water front bike trail, and tons of seals swimming in the harbor. 

On 9/1  we took Hwy 299 from the coast to Redding CA on our way to Lassen.....this road goes right through the Carr Wildfire area (that was that crazy big wildfire that started on 7/23 and wasn't 100% contained until 8/30, it burned 229,651 acres and 8 people lost their lives).  It was sobering to drive through. 

Lassen Volcanic National Park is not one of the most popular National Parks but it was very interesting and very pretty.  There are 4 different types of volcano in the park...who even knew there were 4 different types of volcano (and if you were really wondering: plug dome, shield, cinder cone, strato  ....right, I didn't think so). Lassen Peak last erupted in 1917 with widespread devastation.  There is still lots of geothermal activity (steaming sulfer vents, gurgling mud pots and boiling springs)....and it's the most likely peak to erupt in the next 100 years. 

Nevada, here we come!