Monday 8/14/17
When I visited Lassen Volcanic National Park a few years ago, I hiked up to Lassen Peak. The view was spectacular and the trail a
steady climb up a long series of switchbacks.
On the one side you were in the shade and it was windy and cold. On the
other you were in the sun and comfortably warm.
The highlight was the snow. I
seriously considered revisiting the trail just for the opportunity to hike in
the snow…in August.
Considering the
trail would be a detour of about 110 miles, I chose option number two. After another breakfast of a Cliff Bar and an
apple, I packed up the car and left Susanville behind me. I picked up Hwy 44 just like the day
before. This stretch of road takes you
through Lassen National Forrest and alternates between thick pine trees, wide
open grasslands and the occasional lake.
It’s a pleasant drive, but bereft of pullouts. There was also just enough traffic to prevent
me from stopping in the middle of the road to take a shot. Still a lovely drive though.
In the town of
Old Station I picked up Hwy 89 headed north.
I hadn’t gone a quarter mile when I saw a sign for the “Subway
Cave.” With a name like that I had to
double back to check it out.
From the parking
lot it’s a third of a mile loop trail that takes you down into a lava tube. The sign at the trailhead warns that you’ll
need a flashlight. Fortunately, I had a
small penlight in my bag. I’ve been
carrying one for years after my friend Alice suggested it. Fortunately, the battery was still good. Heading down…
There are no
lights strung in the cave and as soon as you go around the first corner it’s
pitch black.
Whenever I
heard the term lava tube I’ve pondered how they could have been created. The kiosk explains it all. The lava on the surface cools first and
hardens. Underneath, it still flows. When there’s nothing left to flow, it leaves an
empty tube.
I did backtrack into Old Station out of curiosity. The economy there seems based around tourists
through both the winter and summer. I
found myself at the only restaurant in town, a little place called JJ’s. It’s small enough to only have seven tables
inside and four more on the back patio.
It was just nice to have a proper breakfast again.
Back
on Hwy 89 I drove through twenty miles of pine forest that went from thick to
patchy where the fires of a few years ago did their damage. It was good to see the forest trying to
reclaim itself though.
I pulled off
just before the junction with Hwy 299. I
had a decision to make. Six miles ahead
sits Burney Falls State Park. When I drove west through here a few years ago, I asked a group of locals what I really needed to see on my drive. They all agreed I needed to see Burney Falls. It definitely
lived up to the hype. I could revisit or just turn east. Ahead of schedule, I chose to revisit the
park.
After paying the
$8 entrance fee, I parked the car and made my way to the overlook. From there you can either take the short
trail down to the base of the falls, take the mile and a half loop trail or the
longer three and a half mile loop trail. The longer trail was closed. So, I walked down to the base of the falls,
still feeling the stiffness in my legs from the previous day’s exertions. The late morning light was hitting just right
to create a rainbow over the pool below the falls.
Unlike a lot of
waterfalls I’ve visited over the years, this one is different. The main flow still travels above the highest
layer of harder rock. But, somewhere
along the way water also crept below that layer and started eroding it
away. So, there’s also quite a flow of
water from below that layer.
I milled around
the park for a while and even went back to the base of the falls. The light certainly had changed and the
rainbow was gone.
After
backtracking the six miles, I was back on Hwy 299 heading northeast. My goal
was the town of Alturas. The town sits
along the Pit River and was originally named Dorris Bridge after Pressley and
James Dorris who happened to have built a bridge over the river. The name Alturas comes from the Spanish word
for height.
But, I had about
eighty miles to get there. I took this
from an overlook of the Pit River. Once
I saw the abandoned bridge by the waterfall I went back to the car to dig out
my 300mm zoom lens.
The road took me
through the town of Fall River Mills. On
the outskirts was this curious circular barn and a sign for the Fort Crook
Museum.
Neither were open on Mondays. The fort was originally names Camp
Hollenbush, but was renamed Fort Crook after 1st Lt. George
Crook. He was part of the Second Pit River Expedition in 1857. The first was
seven years prior. It’s goal was to
establish contact with the Atsugewi and Modoc.
The second expedition was to encourage them to relocate to
reservations. Crook was badly wounded by
an arrow. He did survive and fought in
the Civil War. He was granted a temporary promotion to
General and eventually led a brigade at the battle of Antietam.
After the Civil
War, Crook’s temporary promotion was rescinded and he was reassigned to the Idaho
Territory to lead the fight against the Snake Indians. He was then sent to Arizona to force the
Yavapi and Tonto Apache onto reservations.
His next posting was Nebraska to move the Poncha onto reservations. That’s where he encountered Standing Bear.
The Poncha had
signed a treaty and agreed to move. Due
to a mistranslation, they thought they were going to an established reservation
within the state. Instead, they were
taken to Oklahoma. It was too late to
plant crops and the resources they were promised never arrived. A third of the tribe didn’t survive the
winter.
Standing Bear’s
eldest son was one of the dead. In
keeping a promise, Standing Bear along with thirty followers left Oklahoma to
bury his son on ancestral land in Nebraska. General
Crook had them arrested. After hearing
the truth about the conditions in the Oklahoma reservations, General Crook
became sympathetic and relayed the incident to a reporter who spread the story.
Andrew Poppleton,
the senior attorney for the Union Pacific Railroad heard the story and offered
to sue on Standing Bear’s behalf on the basis of unlawful detainment. Even
though he was sympathetic to their cause, Crook was the senior military
commander and thus was named as defendant.
On behalf of the
Poncha, Standing Bear made his statement in court, “That hand is not the color
of yours, but if I prick it the blood shall flow and I feel pain. The blood is of the same color as
yours.”
Judge Elmer Dundy
ruled that indeed Standing Bear was “a person” under the law and subject to its
protection. Standing Bear and one
hundred thirty Ponca were allowed to resettle back in Nebraska.
Passing through the town of Beiber I saw this sign on the window of a restaurant. It was closed, but the sign didn’t make me want to eat there anyway. Besides, I knew a place one town up the road.
The last time I
drove through here I was heading west towards Lassen Volcanic National
Park. It was mid-morning and I was
craving a cup of coffee. So, I pulled
into the Adin General Store. I was quite taken by the place. So, I stopped in and hit their deli
counter. They do make a nice sandwich.
Seen along the drive...
After my late
lunch, I hopped back on the road for the last stretch. A sign caught my eye and I doubled back. It said “Red Tail Rim ¼ mile.” I had no idea what the red tail rim was and there
was no other signage by the parking area. I
was in no hurry, so I walked about twenty minutes up the trail. It was a pleasant walk through the forest,
but I never saw anything I would identify as a red rim of anything. Still, it felt good to be walking.
It wasn't long until I pulled into downtown Alturas and went in search of the Hotel Niles.
I booked this
hotel because it was only a couple of bucks more than the Super 8 up the
street, and it’s a very interesting place.
I was on the second floor. The
first thing I notice at the top of the stairs were the open sitting areas. There was even a bookshelf with an eclectic
variety of reading material.
The other reason
I chose the Hotel Niles were the rooms.
They all have themes. When I
booked, there were two left. I could
have taken the Bridal Suite, but that just seemed a little weird for a guy
traveling alone. Instead, I chose the Africa themed room. I couldn’t resist.
In the 1850’s, Jay
Niles left his family in Michigan and headed west. How plan was to make enough money to bring
them out at a later date. He found
himself in the town of Cottonwood, CA where he worked various jobs in the
lumber and mining industries. He also
picked up some extra money on the side as an accomplished fiddle player, a
rarity at the time.
When he had enough
money saved, he took a stage coach back to Michigan. He hadn’t gone very far when it was robbed. They took everything but his fiddle. So, he went back and started saving his money
yet again. In 1868 he was able to travel
back to get his family and bring them west.
In 1931 he bought
the Hotel Curtis, renovated it and renamed it the Hotel Niles.
After dropping off
my bags in the room, I took a walk around downtown, The hotel is a half block from the Modoc
County Courthouse and the county police station.
I worked my way
back to the hotel and sat in a booth in the hotel bar sipping a pint of Lost
Coast Blonde Ale while writing up some notes from the day’s travels. The bar is original to the hotel and is a
nice mix of tourists and regular locals.
The beer selection was also a nice mix of
local and national brands. I didn’t ask
about the polar bear on the wall.
I left the hotel
bar, grabbed my camera and took a walk into downtown Alturas. I was looking for a perfect place to wait for
sunset. These are from an empty parking
lot just up the street from the hotel. When was the last time you saw one of these?
In my travels, I
occasionally come across a hotel wifi that I just can’t connect to. I was reading a strong signal. I just couldn’t latch in. On my way back to the hotel, I walked past a
coffee shop and my phone chirped. I had
managed to connect to their wifi signal even though they were closed. There were a few tables out front, so I hung
out there and checked my email. That
lasted about ten minutes. The mosquitoes
made me call it quits. I was done for
the day.
Coming Up on Day 5,
Some Forgotten WWII History
No comments:
Post a Comment