Manzanita Lake at Lassen N.P.

With friends in town, we decided to visit Manzanita Lake at Lassen Volcanic National Park. It is a thirty minute drive from the Ranch — right up the hill to Shingletown and then east on Highway 44. The north entrance is very different than the south. Dominated by Manzanita Lake, the views of Mt. Lassen are amazing. In May, the snow is still blocking the main road through the park, so we were on foot shortly after entering the park.

Mt. Lassen last erupted in 1915. Since that time, scientists have monitored the volcano carefully for signs of the next eruption. One monitoring station is an old seismograph near Manzanita Lake.

The seismograph here is an old smoked drum type. The National Park Service claims it is the only known one of this type still in use, although I think the University of Tokyo may have something to say about that.

The best part of the hike was hanging out with good friends. And the scenery was pretty good too!

Next time, we will have to go fishing. — KLM