Sunday July 12th - From Red Bluff to Lakeview, Oregon

As on the past four Oil Leaks, David was accompanied by a navigator bear, selected from his wife's extensive collection. This year, the honor fell to Tully, who though small in size, makes up for it in other ways.

Tully studies the map for today's route

Just before 9am we left Red Bluff, and took a very pleasant drive on Hwy 36 towards Lassen Volcanic National Park.There we were joined by Kjell Nelin, who was driving his Porsche Cayman, as his E-Type is currently leaking oil at a dangerous rate... After a brief stop at the visitor center, we drove to the first feature on the road that threads through the park - Sulphur Works. There we joined a group in a tour led by a Park Ranger.

Wisps of steam and sulphur dioxide escaping from fumerols

A mud pot bubbling away beside the road

Jerry's Boxster, Kjell's Caymen, David's '69 E, and Lloyd's '71 E

We drove deeper into the park on well maintained roads, stopping along the way to admire the scenery. The weather was pleasant, with a bit of a chill in the air when the sun went in. The road climbed steadily to 8,500ft at it's highest point.

Lloyd and his E-Type pause for a photo opp

Our next stop was at the Bumpass Trailhead. From there we hiked to Bumpass Hell, a 3-mile round trip to an extensive area of hydrothermal systems heated by the molten rock that lies underground.

Despite the hostile environment, nature finds a way...

From L to R: Brokeoff Mountain, Mount Diller and Pilot Pinnacle

The walk afforded great views of the remains of former volcanoes. Apparently the whole area we were exploring was once covered by a massive volcano, Mount Tehama, larger than Mount Lassen that has since been eroded away. Brokeoff Mountain, Mount Diller and Pilot Pinnacle form part of the remains.

Lassen Peak from the trail. A wisp of snow remains just below the summit on the north side

After walking for 30-40 minutes we reached Bumpass Hell. The basin received its curious name from a disgruntled explorer Kendal Bumpass, who lost a leg after falling into a boiling pool in 1864.  

Bumpass Hell spread out below

A boiling mud pool - the photo fails to do justice to the bubbling cauldron

The hike out of Hell was pretty challenging for a bunch of old men. By the time we reached the top of the basin we were all in need of a break...

Kjell, Jerry and David L stop for a much-needed breather...

As by now, we were all very hungry, we set off northwards out of the park towards our destination, Lakeview Oregon.

Lassen Peak with a patch of snow on the north side

Lassen Peak (10,457ft) towers above a green meadow

The convoy down the mountain

We found a great place to eat at JJ's Cafe in Old Station. They bake their own bread, and cure their corned beef, and smoke their own pastrami. The meal was very welcome before we set off for Lakeview. The 150 mile drive on 89 and 299 on empty roads was very pleasant, though it was interrupted by a brief rain shower.  We could see other rain storm in the area, but our route avoided running into them. We pulled into Lakeview, Oregon around 6pm. Lakeview no longer has a lake. It was drained to provide land for growing crops. It's nickname is "The Tallest Town in Oregon" due to it's elevation. Over dinner at El Aguila Real (the only restaurant in town open on Sunday evening) we learned that Norman Black's car suffered an alternator problem on his journey to the start of the Oil Leak when in the company of the Meboe's. Hopefully we will learn more tomorrow and see what can be done.

Deer roaming the streets of Lakeview

On our return to the hotel after dinner we witnessed a group of 4 deer roaming the streets. One jumped the fence into a residents front yard and started eating the apples off his tree. As he was sitting on his front steps at the time, he was not amused, and his shouting combined with the barking of his dog soon had the deer jumping back over the fence and into the street right by us. Very bizarre....

Tomorrow, the Oil Leak officially starts, and we head for Boise, Idaho.