Lassen County

 Susanville is the county seat of Lassen county, and is known hereabouts as a micropolitan area. The entire population of the county is about 34,000, with Susanville comprising half of that. We decided to explore the area, but all the anticipation, we could only come up with two points of interest in town, the Fort Roop historical site and Inspiration Point. Off we went.

Fort Roop was located at a strategic crossroads during the great pioneer migration westward, and flourished as people settled in this fertile valley. Today the site is near a lovely public park and adjacent to the historical museum. It’s said that the trees surrounding the fort today were planted by the city’s namesake, Susan Roop.

This huge tree slab is indicative of the trees in the old growth forests in the area.

Another mile west on highway 36 brought us to Inspiration Point……road. Listed as a place to view the city and contemplate the universe, we instead found a lovely neighborhood of houses set among tall pines. No photos….nothing to see here, folks.

Our next venture was a daytrip to nearby Lake Almanor. Almanor is a power generating lake for the west coast utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric. The lake was created in 1914 by PGE’s predecessor, Great Western Power, and was named by the company vice president for his three daughters: ALice, MArtha and elaNOR. 

It’s about 30 miles from our “home” to Lake Almanor, and the road is a construction mess through old burn scars. With all the stops and one lane sections, it took us an hour and a half to get there.

At long last, Mt Lassen came into view. Not much snow this time of year!

Lake Almanor is a beautiful , 44 square mile surface area lake in Plumas County, California. At an average depth of 90 feet, it is a huge body of water used for power generation and water flow control in the Feather River. Of course, water sports and fishing are a big draw and used heavily by the residents of the many shoreline homes.

In the more shallow edges of the lake, waterfowl take a break from their trips north and south.

The little town of Westwood, just east of Lake Almanor, hosts a “Chimney Days” charitable day each year, and seeing signs advertising that event, we were puzzled. Another miles or so east, and we discovered the focus of the event.

And the story behind it.

After getting a close look, we decided: 1. We needed to back away, and 2. There may not be a festival next year.

After a close look at additional burn scars, we topped a hill and took a look at the valley that surrounds Susanville.

Tomorrow will be our next to last day on the road this summer. We expect to spend an overnight with friends in Auburn, CA, and head home the next day.

It’s been a trip of opposites. The weather started hot in June and has finished cool. We have seen close friends be happy, and have seen them angry. We started our trip with a trailer that was performing well, and ended it with a different rv, hopefully in better condition. But we have enjoyed the scenery, the great new friends, and spending quality time with each other! The Old Age Sucks Tour has been a success, and we’re already planning a trip for next year!

Like they say: Ya gotta go with the flow!