Far Northern California isn’t as remote as it used to be, but the region still offers some of the state’s most memorable weekend drives. Once satisfied with explorations of Lassen Park and surrounding communities, consider pointing your Prius up the road toward more spectacular scenery. The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, recently declared an All-American Roadway, […]
There’s still time for enjoying some mountain scenery—if not this Labor Day weekend then soon, before winter makes high-country travel more challenging. Northern Californians happen to have a world-renowned destination just up the road: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The park’s most hospitable season is summer, from mid-June or July into October. Which makes right now […]
In Fall There is a faint rustling at the top of the pines—just a teasing promise of winter rains to come. The September days are still hot in the mountains, but you can see that the season is about to turn. The green grass of early summer (wild oats, timothy, red clover) is browning. Now, […]
Benjamin Franklin is credited with that aphorism about the worth of water. Generally taken as a metaphor, Franklin’s wisdom was first published in the 1746 edition of his wildly popular Poor Richard’s Almanak. More than 150 years later farmers in California seemed to know the literal worth of water. WATER WEALTH CONTENTMENT HEALTH: That simple […]
Up the Road has received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. And now we need your help to get farther up the road. We’ve been doing our part, including: Steadily “growing” our Board of Directors, now chaired by John Merz, co-founder of Northern California’s immensely successful Snow Goose Festival and recently retired CEO of the Sacramento River […]
Is the Solution for High Bidwell Park Fire Danger Some Very Traditional Fire Management? By Kim Weir Here’s a scenario Bidwell Park lovers typically wouldn’t want to imagine: It’s a crackling fall day, dry as toast. After no rain for many moons there’s finally a brisk nip to the air. Change is coming. A north […]
Which came first, the technocentric parent or her plugged-in child? During a recent holiday debriefing with a friend, I learned that a colleague of hers was feeling guilty because she and her husband were unable to afford an iPad for their daughter. Nodding and sipping tea, I was vaguely sympathizing while trying on the […]
Stuff to read, stuff to give to others to read—let’s hope for a few moments of peace to enjoy a book during the holiday season, and then stretch that peace as far into winter as we can. One woman spent an entire year reading a different book every day. At the end of the year, […]
Editor’s Note: If the world’s determination to save the imperiled mountain gorillas succeeds, it will be a sustainability success story—what the International Gorilla Conservation Programme refers to as “integrated efforts in enterprise, environment, and equity” based on ecotourism-funded community development work. Ecotourism, which offers economic development options beyond subsistence slash-and-burn agriculture, is generally considered to […]
© Up the Road 2011
Roughing It—and Not Roughing It—at Lassen
It’s often possible to land a Lassen campsite on a weekend without reservations, especially if you can send out a scout on Thursday night or Friday morning to stake your claim. Half of the park’s sites can be reserved in advance online via Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777, along with group camping areas and stock […]