Posted on August 27, 2009 by jason
We headed up through Lassen National Park and pretty much cruised right through. Bode napped the entire way, so we just kept driving. It’s pretty, but we weren’t in the mood for hiking or waking up a sleeping kid, so onward and upward. He woke up in time for Subway Cave, which was a great stop for him. He got scared as soon as the cave got really dark and wanted to go back to the car, but as soon as we left the cave he wanted to go right back in. This time he was a brave explorer, explained how the lava tubes were formed to me, and we made it all the way through. There was even a snake waiting for us at the end. Cool! Four is probably the right age to get introduced to spelunking.
We drove up to Burney on a recommendation and we spent the afternoon relaxing by the lake. Kids skipping rocks and that sort of thing. Big impressive waterfall. Nice place. We’ve actually been here a few days now just taking it easy and getting caught up on some chores, blog posts and internet things (free internet at the pizza joint – a recurring theme.) They’ve got a car wash, so it was good time to wash off the filth we’ve accumulated since we left. Those mountain gravel roads aren’t kind to the engine compartment of an old air-cooled bus.
Burney is a funky little town with exactly everything you need and no more. Mexican food. Check. Pizza. Check. Bowling alley. Check. Wacky VW guy with a van up on a pole in his front yard. Check.
If you’ve got a few days to lounge around and enjoy a place, this is a good one. The campgrounds at Burney Falls State Park are spacious and quiet. It’s also given me some time to finish more bus projects and take a real close look at my steering. There’s still a fair amount of play in it – you definitely notice it on a windy road – and I’ve tracked it down to the Drag Link Arm (i think). Fortunately for me, The Bus Boys is only 50 miles down the road in Redding, so that’s our next destination. Note : if you search for The Bus Boys on Google, you will not get the VW parts guys. However, I was reminded that The BusBoys were nominated for a Grammy for the song “Cleanin’ Up The Town” from the original “Ghostbusters” film.
Posted on August 26, 2009 by angela
Heading up towards Lassen, we made a few wrong turns and ended up in the tiny town of Belden. Any town with a large martini glass on top of the town sign is okay by us. Its easy to miss a turn around here, and certainly not a problem, since everything is so beautiful. Turning around and driving along a ‘shortcut’ that was by no means shorter, we found a stream with wild blackberries growing along the side. Bode gave up on the blackberry picking quickly, so we left that for Dad. He and I trekked through the stream, climbing over the slippery rocks trying to make it to the next row of big rocks that formed a small waterfall.
We climbed up to the next little falls around the corner and I noticed a camping trailer parked above. We were in the water (thigh high on Bode) laughing and struggling when I noticed two plastic milk crates in the water. One held bottled water and the other beer. Just then, a large man in a t-shirt with the arms cut-out and holding a fly swatter stands up and yells “You stay away from those bottles.”
It was really loud by the stream, and I assumed he was joking, so I turned to my four year old and said “Okay Bode, no beer for you!” and I turned back to smile at the guy. Apparently, he wasn’t joking, and I got a look from him I’ll never forget. I didn’t know there was a problem with beer thefts in the middle of nowhere, perpetrated by women and children. Don’t argue with someone holding a fly swatter.
About 8 miles into our shortcut, we hit the even tinier ‘town’ of Caribou. It’s a PG&E town and it’s pretty much just a few houses for the folks that work at the dam just a little farther up. From here, the road turned to gravel. We persisted and started climbing. Once again, the bus proved totally capable as we wound around mountain roads past Butt Valley Reservoir – another nice looking camping spot. No camping for us tonight, though. The little resort at Child’s Meadow looked inviting and we pulled over to enjoy the evening.
Another one of the great things about this trip and blog is that we now have the time to catch up with people we’ve lost touch with over the years. Our quote of the day is from one of Jason’s old friends, who pretty much nailed it.
I’m not sure whether to say you guys are nuts, or to congratulate
you on continuing to evade maturity.
-Steve B.
We’ll take the congratulations.
