As I write this, we have finished our assignments in Grants Pass. We have had friends and family visit over the past few weeks and have had a great time showing them the beautiful land and water that have surrounded us over the past 6 months. It’s wild looking back at the things we have done, the things we have seen, and the experiences we have had so far this year. And now, we are about to begin another chapter.  We have purchased a 5th wheel trailer (which is currently in storage) and will move in to it in November. But first, we will spend 3 weeks traveling through Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico before we return to Memphis to visit family and friends. We plan to tent camp at the Grand Canyon and Death Valley on our return to Oregon in November. We have reservations at a RV park for a month in Grants Pass; to allow us to get situated in the trailer and look for work if we do not already have assignments arranged by then. We are looking forward to the next chapter in this adventure.

Back to Lassen; Lassen is a park I have wanted to visit for years and knew I would kick myself if we didn’t make it there while living less than 4 hours away. We made it there the last weekend of August. It is a beautiful place, with high mountain peaks, beautiful lakes, geothermal areas, lava flows, cinder cones, and painted dunes. All four types of volcanoes are represented at Lassen; composite, shield, cinder cone, and plug dome. Lassen is the southernmost peak in the Cascades Volcanic Arc, which forms a section of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

We have visited many volcanic areas over the years since my infatuation with volcanoes began in Hawaii in 2009. There are elements of volcanic landscapes that are familiar, but each has it’s own character. Volcanic lands inspire wonder and a healthy appreciation of the awesome power of nature. I doubt I will ever tire of visiting them. There is a sense of humility that I feel while standing on a volcano; a realization of the power that lies beneath my feet, the power that shaped the landscape around me. Also, an admiration of the beauty that has emerged from destruction and an appreciation of time. So often we forget how short the human life is, compared to the Earth, which has endured changes for billions of years.