As part of Henry's mission to visit every National Park in America, we set off to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Heading south on scenic Highway 89 we stopped on the way at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. We couldn't miss visiting another waterfall, they seem to be everywhere in this region!

After driving miles and miles on roads lined with Ponderosa, Lodgepole, Sugar, Gray and Western White Pines and the occasional domineering Douglas Fir, we crossed the gorgeous bright green Lake Britton bridge and turned off onto a shady tree lined lane, arriving at the State Park nice and early.

The park itself is geologically located in the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau region of Sisikyou County, created by volcanic activity that you can see in the black and basalt peaks, and gradual erosion from the weather, especially seasonal ice melts, and many rivers. The park's centerpiece is the 129-foot Burney Falls, which is not the highest or largest waterfall in the state, but is certainly the most dramatic that we have seen so far on our travels. The water originates from underground springs emerging to create Burney Creek and then flowing at the rate of 100 million gallons a day over the falls and then in to Lake Britton.

It was a warm day and butterflies were everywhere. We walked the short hike from the car park to the impressive falls. The falling water cooled the air and we could feel the spray on our faces when the gentle breeze blew it in our direction. If we'd have had more time we would have stayed all day exploring the trails, but this was just a quick stop on the way to Lassen.

After driving another hour or so through more idyllic California meadows and pine forests we finally turned into Lassen Volcanic National Park and immediately stopped for a lovely lunch of sandwiches and crisps on the banks of Manzanita Lake. Cheese and Branston, thanks for asking.

We then continued on to explore the park with a loose plan to hike Bumpass Hell, the heaving, panting and bubbling geothermal area, most popular with day visitors. Circling around the ice topped Lassen Peak at a lofty 10,456 feet tall, we stopped at rivers, meadows and the trailhead for a good look at the impressive peak itself. We stopped at some bubbling mineral-rich mud pots and steaming features beneath Brokeoff Mountain. Henry had never seen anything like it. The underground, active volcanic activity creating an environment where the earth was literally letting off steam. 

At the Visitor Center they were preparing for the Annular Solar Eclipse that would be visible at the park on September 14th. We picked up some postcards for my Dad, a metallic staff medallion for Kim's new walking stick and of course the cancellation stamps for our National Park Passport books.

We stopped to marvel at the mountain lakes that were impossibly clear and seemed to be absorbing the light into their deep blue/green water. Summit Lake, Emerald Lake and then finally parking up at Lake Helen. After admiring the lakes we set off to find the trailhead for Bumpass Hell.  

Just visiting a place called Bumpass Hell was exciting! We wondered what to expect! It sounded like a place where Gordon Ramsay would hang out and angrily cook wild beasts with his bare hands on an open fire, shouting obscenities to anyone who happened to walk by. In fact it turned out to be an area of surreal geothermal features brought to the surface from the park's deep volcanic roots. Lassen is the only National park with all four types of volcano; plug dome, composite, cinder cone and shield and the superheated molten rock just below the surface was evident at Bumpass Hell. It was a seething, steaming, hissing hydrothermal landscape full of hot springs, fumaroles and even more boiling mud pots. The colors were stunning.

The Giant Sequoia trees of the Sierra Nevadas are the largest trees by volume and the oldest living organisms on the planet.  Some were standing a thousand years before Jesus was born. Just imagine the history that continues to pass the giants by as they continue to stretch into their full height and girth.

Characterized by their colossal trunks, some exceeding 30 feet in diameter, and soaring to heights of over 300 feet, the Giant Sequoias are quite literally giants of fairy tale proportions. 

Within Yosemite, at Mariposa Grove, there is a small, protected sanctuary of about 500 giants. 

The drive to Mariposa was spectacular, as we climbed higher and higher above the Merced River and the Valley below. We hugged the mountainside and drove the windy zig zag road through dappled tree tunnels until we reached Wawona Hotel, stopping at the Visitor Center for another National Park cancellation stamp.

After a quick restroom stop (Henry can hardly believe how often a menopausal woman needs the toilet!!! He says I have the bladder of a hamster!!!) we continued on to Mariposa Grove to walk amongst the giants.

Once there, we took an easy, paved hike stopping to enjoy the Grizzly Giant, the California Tree Tunnel and The Bachelor and The Graces. You can no longer drive through the California Tree Tunnel and our huge Chevvy Silverado truck would never make it through anyway!

Unlike the Sequoia National Park, we could not get close enough to gently hug the feet and toes of the giants and hear the news from the forest by putting our ears close to the trunk and listening to their whispers.  Low wooden fences protected the giants from the passing hikers.

We were all in awe of the tree beasts, their massive torsos and their arms reaching up into the sky, their bearded tree top heads touching the clouds, glimpsing into magic kingdoms.

It is truly humbling to stand in their presence.

I love the ease of taking snapshots with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I do not own a fancy DSLR camera, I prefer to take lots of quick pics with my phone and then sift through to find one or two reasonably good shots.

At Yosemite, you truly cannot take a bad photo because the scenery is so stunning. I had fun exploring black and white photography in the park, especially using the long exposure facility on my phone to take pics of the waterfalls. It's all part of the creative process for me. At the back of my mind I am always considering documenting the moment for future generations, Henry in particular, but also any future ancestors that might be interested in life in 2023.

I was excited to explore Yosemite through this creative lens and I was looking forward to revisiting the Ansel Adams Museum in Yosemite for further inspiration.

Born in 1902, Ansel Adams' passion for landscape photography led him to the pristine wilderness of Yosemite. His meticulous craftsmanship and dedication to capture the grandeur of the park resulted in his timeless, iconic black and white photographs that celebrate Yosemite's natural beauty.

In the park there is a wonderful little museum celebrating the life and work of Ansel Adams that I remembered visiting back in 2008 on Kim's sabbatical. Prints, postcards and huge framed black and white photographs are absolutely stunning. As you walk in from the beauty of the park, you cannot help but be delighted to see the familiar sights  captured in a photo, taken from the most advantageous angle. The photos tell a story of Yosemite over time. Capturing all four seasons of Yosemite as it lives, breathes and unfurls with life, from the first buds of Spring and the rushing waterfalls in the valley to the snow topped trees and mountains in the depths of Winter, the changing personality of Yosemite in all its miraculous moods.  

In honor of Ansel Adams, here are my best efforts at black and white photography in Yosemite.

All photos are taken with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

There are only a few places on this beautiful planet that are inextricably linked with a single person, to the point where you cannot even think of one without thinking of the other. They are  energetically entwined and bound with the fine, silky threads of deep respect and utter devotion. Mount Everest and Sir Edmund Hillary, The Lake District and William Wordsworth, Gombe and Dame Jane Goodall, Walden Pond and Henry David Thoreau. For Yosemite, it is the naturalist, John Muir. No one has described the vast beauty of Yosemite, championed for its protection and impressed upon the world the necessity of such a place to reveal the connection between man and nature, like John Muir. 

If you have been to Yosemite, you know that words just cannot do it justice. It is nature's cathedral. It is a place that has to be felt and experienced. A place to bow down in reverence.

So of course, I have to begin with some descriptive words written by John Muir himself to describe this spectacular National Park.

The drive at dawn to the park from our campsite just outside Groveland was twisty and turny with panoramic vistas, sharp drops and skeleton forests burned to the bones, trees like living zombies standing tall, black at the roots and ghostly gray at the tippy tops. In the early morning mist it was a little apocalyptic.

Through the tunnels, then down in to the valley,  we stopped and started to take in the sights of Bridal Veil Falls, the Merced River, the looming gray sentinel that is the fearsome granite El Capitan, the sharp edges of the Three Brothers and then Half Dome, like a huge ship with its stone sail at full mast, sailing down the valley in the distance.

We parked and set off for a short hike to Yosemite Falls. Henry and I had come prepared, wearing our swimsuits, ready for a dip in the icy waters. Because we had arrived so early we were amongst the first to be at the Falls and we had a good hour to ourselves at the pool where the Falls gather in a deep overflowing granite basin before their final tumble down to the valley floor, feeding the lush meadows with fresh water. Our time at Yosemite Falls is already etched in my memory. Henry's huge grin and utter joy of being right there in the moment, in the glorious sunshine, with the spray of the waterfall hitting his face, scrambling over the rocks and taking a dip in the icy pool, was exhilarating. I will remember our time there forever.

Finally, at lunchtime our grumbling tummies dragged us away and back to the truck where we had our picnic lunch near the Visitor Center and of course we got our National Park cancellation stamps.

In the afternoon we hiked out to Half Dome, past the Ahwahnee Hotel, along the Merced River. We tried to spot the intrepid hikers heading up the rounded granite rock to the top on the 18 mile round trip via the Mist Trail, a feat completed by my brother-in-law Simon many moons ago. The long day hike now requires a National Park permit. What an incredible view of the valley there must be from the top! I did watch several YouTube videos of the demanding hike, so I could get a glimpse of the panoramic view. 

Seriously, words cannot express the magnificence of this colossal National Park. I tried with all my might to view it through the eyes of John Muir. I not only wanted to see its timeless beauty but feel that deep soul connection with nature in my core. 

I believe I did.

These photos were taken over several days in the Park.

We set off to Pinnacles National Park with the hopes of seeing a California Condor, an enormous, endangered buzzard-like bird with a huge wingspan known for gliding through Californian Canyons. Of course Henry wanted to get his National Park cancellation stamp for his collection and to add to his list of National Parks visited. He has now visited 10 out of 64. He wants to visit them all!

Once again it was a glorious day and we set off nice and early with a packed picnic.

The scenery in central California was like a bucolic fairy tale, with rolling hills of golden grass, the occasional red barn, beautifully maintained farmhouses with colorful flowers dancing in stone troughs, rustic windmills and wooden water towers, animals ranging freely, lazily chewing the cud or pecking at the ground, we kinda expected to see Rumpelstitskin, Prince Charming or maybe Little Red Riding Hood  skipping along the lanes. The drive was magical.

We arrived at Pinnacles, a geological wonder formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity and tectonic forces. We were marginally impressed by the unique rock formations, spires and canyons but after national parks like Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon, we couldn't help feeling a little deflated. ​We looked and looked but unfortunately we did not see any Californian Condors. Perhaps they were resting somewhere with Hansel and Gretel in a nearby Gingerbread House? Honestly, much of the park was closed due to adverse weather conditions that had impacted the drivability of the roads to the west of the park. Most unfortunate and a little disappointing.

We drove to the Visitor Center for the obligatory National Park Cancellation stamp and lunched under the nearby shady oaks.

After lunch we drove out to the cave entrances and hikes that were ultimately closed, so we cut our visit short and headed home.

And that's the end of the story.

We are back from Spring Break and making plans.

The plan that we have been working towards for the past 18 months is for our family to live full time in our lovely Grand Design Solitude-S 5th wheel trailer and spend the next three years or more touring the United States. We plan to visit every state. We want to savor every sunrise and every sunset. We want to immerse ourselves in nature. We want to be together.

The plan is to hit the road on Monday 17th July, 2023 and set off on our Grand Adventure. That's the plan.

Before we get to that plan, we have another plan.

The plan is for Kim and Henry to have a six week mini road trip to test out the trailer. It is a plan fit for adrenaline junkies covering some of the major National Parks in Arizona and Utah; Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands plus Moab and the Bonneville Salt Flats for some off-roading, speeding and dirt biking. It's a man plan!

Meanwhile, I plan on nipping back to the UK for six weeks to see family. My Dad is in a care home in Northampton and I miss him desperately. I want to spend some quality time with him at the beginning of the summer. My niece is expecting her 4th child in June and I want to hold and rock a newborn. My sister turns 50 and I want to be there to celebrate. I have some dear friends who are coming to visit the UK and we are planning a mini tour of Cornwall. The Eden Project is already booked. Woo hoo! Most of all I am so excited to spend time with family, just chatting and hanging out. Maybe watch Love Island. Maybe not. Special times. It's a fam plan!

Before we get to that plan we have another plan.

The plan is to get the truck and trailer roadworthy ready for the Grand Adventure.

Since buying our trailer last October we have spent a great deal of time and energy getting a few warranty issues completed so we are safe when we set off. We are still waiting for an awning to be replaced and Kim and Henry are upgrading the toilet next week. It's an ongoing saga that all people who own trailers understand. 

We found out last week that the transmission and a couple of other minor issues needed fixing on the Chevvy. The truck is now in the garage being fixed.

At the same time, we are moving out of our gorgeous apartment and into our temporary apartment with Henry, just for the next four weeks, before we all head off on our mini-trips. It has been exhausting packing, moving boxes, arranging and rearranging, sorting out storage and constantly thinking about what we will actually need to take with us when we begin our Grand Adventure.

​I am still working during all these shenanigans.

Plans. Plans. Plans.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans!

The last few weeks have been hectic, tiring and exceedingly frustrating at times, but we are steadily moving closer to our plan of hitting the road in July. We are tired but excited. We keep catching each others eyes and smiling. Knowing. We are planning and preparing for our Grand Adventure. It's  coming and we can't wait!

We knew that California had been experiencing rogue weather conditions since before Christmas as we had been following news reports and first hand accounts from my bestie, Heather, who lives in Santa Clara. It was no real surprise that recent snow storms had led to park closures. What we had not anticipated was the massive flooding due to an Atmospheric River.

I had never even heard of an Atmospheric River. I was baffled. It sounded like an element card from a Kim Krans mystical oracle deck. I had to find out more.

I discovered an Atmospheric River is like a huge, invisible, out of control fire hose let loose in the sky. Long and skinny, uncontrollably spraying this way and that in a haphazard manner, dumping copious amounts of water in the region. The Atmospheric River in Tulare County led to serious flooding of the Kaweah River, Kings River and other rivers in the area. It was wet!

The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park was closed.

Indefinitely.

The roads had been ruined by the floods caused by the Atmospheric River.

We have been to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park twice before but we were all disappointed not to see the red giant trees, the magnificent views of the Sierra Nevadas from Moro and Beetle Rock and walk in the enchanting meadows. 

We drove up to the entrance of the National Park and we saw for ourselves the destruction of the floods and the snow on the mountain tops.

On our very first proper outing as a family in our Grand Design 2930RL Solitude-S we headed to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park in California from our home in Gilbert, Arizona for Spring Break.

We were excited to test out the trailer for two weeks and see how the interior space worked for us all, especially the beds- how comfy are they? The bathroom- how long does the hot water last for the shower? The fridge- can we fit everything in? And the pantry- will there be enough room for Kim's curry making ingredients as well as large bulk items like kitchen and loo roll?  

It was also Henry's birthday week, so we were buzzing and set off in high spirits.

​Our hearts and hydro flasks were full!