Summit Lake

Lassen Volcanic National Park

July 2018

We were hoping to get the chance to go for a swim in a natural body of water during our visit to Lassen National Park. As we were sightseeing through the park, we passed by Summit Lake at 7,000 feet above sea level. It was a small lake, so we were hoping the water wouldn't be ice cold.

Jenny was the first one in and Laurel was right behind her. I felt the water and it was freezing which killed my interest in going in the lake. Usually I'm up for an ice cold dip, but wasn't feeling it for some reason. I pushed Kellisa to the edge of the lake and she splashed around with her hand.

I was hoping the water would be too cold for her, but I was wrong again. She desperately wanted to join her best friend and sister IN the water. I wasn't thrilled because I would have to change her into her swimwear and carry her in the water. How could I say no to Kellisa's smile and bossy finger pointing to the water? I couldn't and after a few minutes of getting ready, we were both in the water. 

Devastated Area Interpretive Trail

Lassen Volcanic National Park

July 2019

Kellisa's "best buddy" from Jacksonville, Jenny visited for a few days and going to a national park was high on her list of adventures. Yosemite was closed due to forest fires, so we headed north to spend an afternoon in Lassen Volcanic National Park. We visited the park and this trail back in July 2014 on our vacation to northern California, 18 months before we would move across the country. This would be Lisa and Jenny's first visit to this beautiful and surprisingly little visited gem in the national park system.

Jenny was more than happy to push Kellisa along the trail. It was nice to watch Kellisa have so much fun with her friend. This opportunity to see Kellisa as strangers see her on the trail confirmed everything I always believed, it's beyond obvious that she is having the time of her life with the non-stop smiles and giggles that resonate through the deep forest.

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Foresthill Bridge

Auburn, CA

July 2018

Out of the blue, my phone started alarming with notices from the Sacramento Bee. There was a traffic situation in Auburn, approximately 20 miles from our house. The police had blocked traffic around the Foresthill Bridge because there was a jumper situation. 

We had driven across the bridge and even hiked under it, but until I received the alerts, I never realized the bridge towers 730 feet over the North Fork of the American River, making it the highest bridge in California and 4th highest in the United States. 

Two days after the jumper situation had the bridge closed for 4 hours, Kellisa and I had a few hours with nothing to do. It was only 81F outside, so we wanted to be outside, but didn't have enough time for a trail. My thoughts went back to the bridge. We've flirted with the idea of walking across bridges in the past, but many don't have lanes or walkways for pedestrians. The first and only bridge we've crossed was the Francis and Mary Usina Bridge back in St. Johns County, FL. A quick Internet search revealed that you could walk across the Foresthill Bridge on both sides. We now had a plan.