Ashland
Love’s Labor’s Lost
July 2018
Goodness me, Julia and I are off on another road trip. It seems we just got back from our Silver Lake road trip, and now we are off on our next adventure. This time, we are heading due north to Lassen Volcanic National Park to explore a rich hydrothermal site featuring acres of bubbling mud pots. The summit of Lassen Peak Volcano will offer us views over the vast surrounding forested wilderness. Nearby, the Devastated Area is littered with lava rocks from its last eruption. We’ll trek a network of trails through forests and around several lakes, including parts of the Pacific Crest Trail. Boy, oh boy! I can’t wait.
From here, we head out of California and further north to Ashland in Oregon. We’ll spend time in Ashland, known for its renowned Shakespeare festival. We look forward to experiencing the Bard’s Love’s Labor’s Lost in the fiery, hot, and dry conditions typical of this part of Oregon.
We’ll then head west via Grants Pass and on to Crescent City. Here, we’ll hike through some of the remaining 4% of California’s old-growth Redwood forests on our favorite trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
Returning south, we’ll drive on a flow of electrons to Shelter Cove, which is perched on the edge of California’s beautiful, northern, and rugged coastline.
Our last stop will be at Van Damme State Park on the magnificent Mendocino coastline. We might walk one of my favorite hikes through the superb forests of Russian Gulch State Park nearby. Who knows? We might even visit a winery or two in the Anderson Valley on our way home. Stranger things have happened.