We visit Lake Almanor with John's parents every year at the end of July/beginning of August. This year was Josh's 8th trip and Lucas' 5th -- hard to believe! The lake is in the Mt. Lassen area, very close to Mt. Lassen National Volcanic Park. The year Josh was a newborn, we journeyed into the national park and hiked down to a geothermal area full of steaming lakes and bubbling mud pots, so hot that you would lose your leg if you strayed off the walking path. Needless to say, we've been waiting to return when we could be SURE the boys would stay on the constructed pathways!
Because the lake is a mountain lake, the water level rises and falls based on yearly snowfall and snowmelt. This year, it snowed in Northern California even in May, so the lake was very full. The area where we stay is a peninsula, which ends in a point known as "The Point." This is Josh's favorite place at Lake Almanor, because he can climb down the big rocks to the water, practice skipping rocks, and enjoy a panoramic view of the whole lake. We drove down to the Point on our first day only to find it wasn't there: the water had risen so high that you couldn't even drive to the parking area, it was submerged! The bench we usually sit on to enjoy the sunset was about 20 feet out in the water. As John's mom said, there was no point to The Point.
But our other Sunday tradition is the weekly "family dinner" in which all the families on the peninsula join at the recreation area to grill dinner, eat and catch up, play volleyball, and then listen to a band. This one went off without a hitch. John took over cooking duties, and Josh and Lucas played volleyball (with a soccer ball -- had to improvise) while the adults caught up with old friends.
Back at the house, there were many things to keep us entertained. Not least of which was the kid-sized firetruck, complete with pedals and a movable hose. Even Josh squeezed himself in there for some fun.
The deer are always fun to seek out. This year, the gardener came during our stay and left the back yard gate open, so we awoke one morning to find two deer in our own back yard! (Any yard with grass or plants in this area is fenced off to keep the deer from eating it all.) The boys were able to get within three feet of one of the deer (who later took a nap in the back corner of our yard too). It was an incredible experience.
And Lucas STILL enjoys the singing big mouth bass. "Take me to the river, throw me in the water ..."
More pictures to come ...
1 comment:
glad you all had a fun trip! everytime we see a stingray, the kids exclaim "that's just like the one that josh & lucas caught!"
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