A Month Away To The Eclipse Trip

Above, The Beast at the Beaver, Utah KOA Kampground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A month from tomorrow, I'll be heading up to Idaho to see the eclipse, the first one since 1918 that will have its totality across the center of the United States.

The drive will be a leisurely one with a couple of over-nights either in Nevada or Utah along the way. One night will be (maybe) in Las Vegas and the next in Utah (either in Cedar City or Beaver). I thought about staying a night in Mesquite, Nevada instead of Las Vegas, but I was told that Mesquite is hotter than Las Vegas.

My investment banker is seriously thinking about coming along. He will likely catch a flight from Boise, Idaho to L.A. the next day if he goes. From there, I will head west into Oregon to see Crater Lake National Park. The last time I was at Crater Lake was in 1971.

From Oregon, I will be heading south into California to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park. This will be my first visit there since 1968. That was a funny trip as we camped at the Manzanita Campground in the park. I remember that the place was swarming with mule deer. On a hike to Bumpass Hell, there was a steam hole from the volcanic activity in the asphalt trail. My mom noticed it and thought that it would be awful to put one's foot into the hole. No sooner than she thought that, she slipped and her foot slid into the hole. No burns, but it scared the heck out of her. Also, since we were there in September, it got a bit cold at night. We camped in a canvas umbrella tent. My mom and I were nicely warm in our sleeping bags, but my dad about froze as he had a thinner sleeping bag. Fun times!

After Lassen, I will likely wander around the upper regions of the Mother Lode country. I've been to many places in the southern region, but this will be my first visit to the northern areas. Clamper country!

I see this as a two-week trip.

Before I go, I do have a couple of chores to do. One is to get Sierra's vaccinations up-to-date. The second is to get The Beast serviced (oil change, trip check, etc.). Once all that is done, we'll be ready to hit the road.