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 Post subject: Our May 15th, 16th & 17th Expeditions In Lassen & Susanville
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 12:26 pm 
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
Our May 15th, 16th & 17th Expeditions In Lassen and Susanville California.......

I was very excited as over the past few years some of my friends told me I should visit Susanville California because its truly a beautiful scenic little town in the northern Sierra Nevada's. Personally I love journeying to smaller historic towns to enjoy the food, beer and the paranormal. I take what I can get plus some and enjoy myself to the fullest as with Tammy and my birthday so close together we really wanted to do something awesome.

For me Susanville is honestly not that far but I am so swamped with cases, research, investigations, operating our boards and adding our content to our website it leaves me very little time to do everything I want to. For me Susanville was more then just a getaway it was a place I could grow to love and eventually turn it into my playground.

I hear allot about Bigfoot further up in Northern California and well I went pretty far north all the almost to Mount Shasta. Shasta is an entirely different case because I need time to investigate that area and it will be in my future trust me. You hear about the underground aliens, UFOs and Bigfoot surrounding Shasta but you also hear about the strange surrounding Susanville if you delve deep enough.

Even today the whole region is hot you still have hot springs, steam coming up from cracks in the ground, dormant volcanoes like Lassen which is the largest plug volcano in the world and lava that flows just below the streets. Its very easy to hike around the area and point out volcanic rock just about everywhere. But if you can overlook that then the food, people and wilderness out here does not compare to any other I assure you.

Our journey would take us to Susanville Cemetery, Lassen Ale Works/Pioneer Saloon, Bizz Johnson Rail Trail, Ash Creek, Kopper Kettle, Lassen National Forest, Shasta National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Monument, Subway Cave, Burney Falls, Cinder Cone Volcano & Butte Lake. Not all locations are paranormal but some are historic others are scenic explorations with wildlife and others pertain to the paranormal as well. I try to bring my viewers a fresh line up of various cases so they can learn from those and if you do follow us I promise you that your going to see things that allot of folks do not get to experience.

Tammy and I left around Friday afternoon we sort of had gotten a late start. I wanted to leave early but Tammy had some work to do and I was busy rechecking our supplies. When I offroad or hike I put all our gear, food and supplies on our packs. While I bring extra supplies of water, food, blankets, clothes and other essentials. The projects that we do take allot out of me because we do not just have to get to these locations we have to make sure were ready for them. So their is the whole research thing then buying food and all the necessitates when your busy on the road for a few days. I think I have a hard time just deciding what shoes to hike in or what to wear sometimes but that is just me lol.

Despite all the odds against us the weather was also not looking so good. When we left the area to head up to Susanville we stopped at this gourmet coffee house then had gotten some pizza for the long road ahead. I like to have coffee, tea or something to drink with a nice cigar and some munchies while driving. However we were heading north driving into the storm.

We would reach Susanville around 5pm downtown was real quaint and we also checked into our hotel. We actually had gotten cut quite a good deal considering there was a powwow there most rooms were either booked or very high but not ours. Of course I was not happy with the beds at the first hotel very uncomfortable, hard and there was a college chick who parked her car in front of the stairs therefore I had to lift the luggage and supplies over my head climb over her bumper. I just do not understand how some people ever earn a drivers licence in America seriously!

We made due drove around town which has some pretty picturesque views, hills, overlooks and allot of quaint little restaurants. When I do my paranormal investigations if I do spend a couple nights on a location ill sample the local culture. I will say one thing everyone was hospitable to me in Susanville the town was very welcoming and people were all very nice no matter where we went.

The ole lady who ran our hotel was a little incoherent she said to us if the net goes down I do not know how to fix it so deal with it lol. But after we had gotten the room we just wanted to look around. Being we had limited time our first night would be spent at the Lassen Ale Works and The Susanville Historic Cemetery all I can say is JUST WOW! My adventure would begin here and for our first day both were great picks!

Susanville Historic Cemetery
Day 1

This truly is a remarkable historic site in Susanville and also the site where Governor Roop is buried. His grave is sort of a focal point in the center of this graveyard and you should visit it read the history if you have time about this historic figure.

The cemetery is heavily shaded by many trees but also many wild flowers grow within or around it. Being we went up here in Spring everything was in bloom all the way from buds to flowers then definitely allot of bird life since the cemetery is more like a park.

You have to understand that over time Susanville has done allot of modernization therefore most of the historic sites have been renovated. This is not the case with places like Virginia City or Truckee as well as other towns I been to but the cemetery tells a story about Susanvilles enriched history.

When we were in the cemetery it was sprinkling lightly the skies were dark and fog was setting in. It was cooling down real fast also. Being in the mountains you do not know what your going to get sometimes you just hope for the best. Were an all weather group so it does not matter I just do not like getting my gear wet especially our ghost equipment.

I visited nearly every gravesite here photographed every single vandalized stone to give it its own separate section on our website. I was very saddened by this because you had stones crumbled on the ground, tipped, missing pieces, leaning on other graves and smashed. I found one wooden gravemarker it was split in half while a stone one was missing the top half. For me its like a horror movie you have to understand that the masons put allot of time into crafting these works of art and to have 140 years gone because someone has no respect sickens me it really does!

Towards the back of the cemetery and the center are at least 100 beautiful graves all dating back to around the mid 1800's. One of the graves has four trees growing around it which creates this private dark den you can go inside and stay out of the rain if you had to. Lets just leave it at statistically their is at least 75 percent interments that were buried prior to 1919 so generally most of the graves came from its pioneer days. But it all started when a little boy drowned locally and from that point forward the Susanville Cemetery heavily expanded. Although their is some room for burial here the graves are nearly fence to fence and well sadly their is no wrought iron around it either but their is a few graves that have wrought iron enclosures. Ya know the kind that creak in the wind and are rusty with beautiful ornate work!

While I was photographing some wildlife here two little kids with there parents were walking around the cemetery playing. It is good to see that believe it or not because to many people put to many stipulations on graveyards. As long as nobody is hurting anything by all means walk around do a little genealogy and have a picnic here if you want. Its a truly peaceful and beautiful place it also has some stellar views of this massive volcanic peak off in the distance.

Tammy and I did a total awesome photo shoot of this location as well and I did allot of filming. I tried to take EMF but houses are right nearby and power poles so I just stuck with EVP sessions this time around. In my years of doing this I have done allot of night time cemetery investigations but this is not a place you go at night. Its far to beautiful to mask it in the dark with emerald lawns, statues, beautiful epitaphs to read and allot of nature if that your kind of thing.

When you cant find history somewhere you do not have to look very far if you can find the original cemetery. Being this place is on a hill it overlooks Susanville and its quiet. I love quiet locations and I do try to conduct investigations at such sites so we can do our best work. This is one of these locations I am going to just have to show our viewers when it hits the site. Susanville is a charming town the cemetery is a true representation of the towns politics, early pioneers and settlers who came here. It was formally named Rooptown after Governor Roop. Many of the people buried here were very wealthy miners, lumberers, business owners and residents who at one time lived in the historical homes found near the cemetery which are truly architectural wonders. I know because I ended up after the cemetery taking a drive past a variety of Victorian mansions.

The unique thing also about Susanville is that the high desert and the national forest meet here. Really you can say the town graves the town resides along the edges of the Lassen National Forest. Personally I could not believe how we crossed multiple counties and national forest on the way up here. This is why it makes such a great prospecting area if your looking for Bigfoot or to investigate some of these sites which could potentially be haunted.

It was getting dark out so I went back to the hotel room to dress up, put the top hat on and stroll the town with my cane. I really wanted to go to the Lassen Ale Works which sits at the site of the Old Pioneer Saloon. When we walked in we did not know where to sit and Tammy was like everybody is staring at you lol. When do folks not stare at me I guess that life up here is a bit more conservative compared to Virginia City where women walk around in corsets and men wear top hats lol. But its all good I just joined the party that is what I went their for ale and good food.

I ordered an ale tray which is something like 7 oz glasses with every type of ale here which included just to name a few a Devils Corral, Bizz Johnson Blonde, Thompson Peak Pilsner and even a Volcanic Ale. I drank all eight beers did not take long they were good and I was going to have me some beers. We sat next to a window where you could see the brewery's machinery with each tank labeled. I been to allot of breweries the past few years Lassen Ale Works as it stands so far is number 1. The girls are cute and people are just enjoying themselves of course you can see why good beer good eats equals good customer lol.

We also ordered some food we had parmesan garlic fries along with beer battered mushrooms. I also ordered a Philly cheese steak which had red peppers and was loaded with flavor. The steak was really good and it just felt right to be there. We nearly stayed to closing time and one of the waitresses offered me a brew that had not even been put out yet. They really are very good to there customers here service was quick and very friendly. I ate and drank good Tammy drove because I was tipsy lol. Then again who cares I was not on the clock this was a birthday trip so it was time to live it on up. Make sure you also check out there site when people are good to our team I am good to them by throwing them some promos at: http://www.lassenaleworks.com/

Tammy and I decided to go for a night drive after both events and we sort of had gotten turned around. We drove all the way around Susanville on this country road. Their really is not much out there you can see the lights of town miles away but its desolate as hell. During our ride I did see a UFO over Susanville it did not last very long. It was in the sky for about 10 minutes a gold light just hovering there I thought about having Tammy stop and me busting out my cam. But the moment I started to discuss it further with her about setting some film up the object blinked out it was the strangest thing. I am not sure what the object was but I can tell you what it was not!

We turned into the hotel late I seem to be over excited when I am doing this type of work so I ended up staying up late charging spare batteries. I generally have to test and prep all the gear even our cameras and all that good stuff. Its hard to sleep not even sure I slept the night before and even if I do catch a few ZZZzzzZZzzs it does not matter because generally while doing our research we leave as soon as the sun is up which is why I have trouble finding actual investigators because people do not want to be out at night and they certainly do not want to get up when the sun comes up to hike. However we do it all the time and an early start means we can get allot more work done. The next morning we would head off to our next locations the Bizz Johnson Trail!

Bizz Johnson Trail
Day 2

The Bizz Johnson Trail is truly heading up into Paul Bunyan territory I did not know that till I started seeing everything Paul Bunyan everywhere lol. The Bizz Johnson today is a thirty mile trail that begins at Susanville and ends at the town of Westwood. Where the rails once laid in its place is now a bike trails which follows the old Fernley and Lassen Branch Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

I would not be able to hike the entire trail and I did not have my bike either or it would have been a consideration. However being that there is over 100 types of bird species especially falcons and hawks its a good wildlife viewing area no matter where you hike here. Although I have to admit I had a difficult time photographing birds here there is allot of trees, foliage and people so they really do not stay still for to long. I seen this red and orange bird tried to get its photo it moved three times so this place is a birding challenge. But their is also various lizards and butterflies here as well so it was totally worthwhile.

The trail itself continues to follow and cross the Susanville River as you cross old trestles and eventually come up on a couple of massive tunnels that go through the mountains found further onto the trail. I would hike nearly seven miles in then seven miles out this is because I had other plans and locations to journey at so our day had just begun.

When you park at the entrance you park at the visitor center that being the old Susanville Depot where the trail begins. The depot was closed and it was a Saturday I was a bit confused because today its more like a museum of what once was and I just could not get any photos of the inside so I am sorry as I had hoped to do. Near the depot is an old beat up Union Pacific Caboose man I love those things my father as a kid use to take me to watch the cabooses on Conrail back in the day now they are almost nonexistent.

The train tracks do traverse for about a half of mile as they go past the depot dead ending and towards Westwood for quite a ways nearing the first trestle you cross which goes over a road. There is also a few small ranches along the way before you really get into this deep canyon which is surrounding on both sides by steep volcanic cliffs or the river on the north or south end depending on where you cross it at. The views are precious but you really cant see anything but at times the narrow canyon walls that creep up on you and one could picture a train coming through here.

We also passed a hobo camp its even labeled that and along the way you might find some remnants of the railroad left behind. According to what I read their were many small lumber camps along the way some of those camps served like small hamlets and people spent weeks to months living in them. So its important that I also try to focus some of my energy into maybe getting something paranormal on the trail as energy may be present!

I will say one thing it was Spring so the flowers were blooming and I took allot of pictures of them. I am a flower guy what can I say. Its important we as investigators log all life in these locations whether that is bigfoot or some plant species were here to educate others and give them the feeling that they are present with us on our expeditions.

My goal would be to hike on up to the old train tunnel which goes through what appears to be a massive mountain that may have been a volcanic or a part of a volcano at one time. The rocks are all very rigid and today lichen grows on them. On the west side of the tunnel the rocks are very black to dark brown so one could see how this canyon was shaped by the elements over time.

For me it was my first journey into Lassen so this meant new bird life and one big playground for me to explore. I did journey off into the woods beyond the river as on the south side its steep but you can climb out of here and go right up into the national forest. Now with the river nearby and allot of wildlife its possible that bigfoot passed through here at one time when the railroad was operational and tracks lined this trail.

I found an old foundation off in the woods so somebody had a homestead back here probably or lumber business. The thing is you really have to explore but the negative to this all is that by noon the first three miles their is about 50 people walking around and if you go seven in you really will not see anyone which for me is great since I need time alone to do the work that we do here at PGS.

We crossed all together about five to seven trestles/bridges as some were quiet lengthy and traveled right over the river as it meandered is this woodsy canyon. I never felt so serene in my life just to hear the river flowing and to enjoy a stroll in scenic Susanville. Bizz Johnson played a very important role in having these abandoned rail line turned into a trail and now I understand why. Its a world in itself and the gateway to it is through Susanville itself.

The tunnel itself was very dark you could see some small sunlight on the other end but walking through it was cold and dank just like any train tunnel I been in. It was very dark I had a flashlight but decided instead to film and talk to our viewers. The train tunnel itself must had been a massive undertaking its hundreds of feet long, over 25' in height and is made with concrete and massive wood beams to reinforce it. I did take some EVP here nothing to serious but in the past few years I have done some haunted train tunnels out west so their are some based on my research.

I seen a couple lone folks riding there bike but the trek back was brutal as it had gotten quite warm out by the afternoon. Its a bit of a hard hike to do the trees surround the cliff sides and river but not so much the trail because the train use to pass through here. We had a long ways to get back to the jeep but I took my time enjoying all the wildlife. Not sure how many falcons or hawks I seen but one thing is prevalent and that is the fact that these birds spend all day long circling their prey right over the canyon. I even seen an eagles nest in the canyon so they must have those as well here.

This was a fantastic adventure a little bit of urban exploration really nothing more. But then again those that do not go out there journeying will never find the strange or get to see a once in a lifetime event. Were a paranormal adventure group so you get it all the history, beauty and journey as a whole. I cant say this place has activity its quite possible as I am sure at night this place can get quite eerie with the canyon walls closing in on you.

Ash Creek Wildlife Area

When we left Bizz Johnson we had a burger for lunch then hit the road to head out to Ash Creek Wildlife Area. If you really want to go deeper into northern California this place is very offbeat. I had allot of reasons to visit here for one being that Big Valley has some amazing views therefore since this area sits in the heart of it you have mountains on every side of you. Their is wetlands, vernal pools, pronghorn antelope and at least a hundred different birds species where six creeks converge.

Since the wildlife area is split into two different areas we could only chose one so I went with the one that had no people because the other area is for campers which overlooks the meadow below although beautiful again if your more offbeat your going to see more wildlife that's just a fact!

To get to Ash Creek you have to physically climb over the high sierras its very steep and yes their are cliffs. One wrong move and its over so just some key advice for those who may want to head up this way. I pulled over at a safe zone to take my photo above Susanville and wow its very scenic. But you could see off to the west dark clouds coming in and I knew they would eventually catch us!

I had plans to visit Eagle Lake the second largest freshwater lake in California and guess what? The lake is almost completely drive. This is a lake that has over 100 miles of shoreline but today when you stand on its shore you have to hike a few miles just to get to some water its pretty bad nearly a pond. I have seen entire lakes vanish its not new to me since the droughts were losing lakes and reservoirs every single year trust me! No less I would photograph it for the site I was really looking forward to catching Eagle Lake Trout as they can only be found here guess my plans changed real fast! I am sure those who own boats or beach front property are really saddened that this lake will vanish soon completely I know I would be mother nature is not fair!

We traveled quite far guess I never realized how far north we would traverse but it was worthwhile. I had gotten a little turned around and stopped at the general store in Adin. Thank goodness because we needed fuel bad and we were in the middle of the Modoc National Forest. But in Big Valley its very open as Ash Creek runs through this quaint town and borders the wildlife viewing area. There was a young lady and a tatted up guy inside who gave me directions on how to get to Ash Creek Meadow he tried to explain the lookout but gave me the wrong directions and we were going to run out of daylight so again we just had to pick one place its all we had time for.

I also passed a ranch that had taken a bunch of metal and made human like figures out of them. It was pretty cool they looked like androids standing on the side of the highway. Its little things like this that make a trip very worthwhile believe me. We go out to see strange things they may not always be paranormal but that does not mean they are not odd either.

When I turned off at the Ash Creek Wildlife Viewing area we drove down this dirt road for a couple of miles. There was allot of open plains for miles surrounded by various peaks it was pretty serene here. I am not sure I seen another person let alone another vehicle up here then again 14k acres is allot of area to cover. These little ground squirrels maybe prairie dogs or some other cute rodents were popping their heads out of all sorts of holes as I slowly drove down it to look at me. Even when we arrived at the creek they were all over the picnic area running from one hole to the next. But I was a bit let down that I did not see antelope however our trip would be far from over.

Tammy was pretty spent she and I had a picnic at the bench but I did end up hiking alone for about an hour to go look for bigfoot tracks. You have to understand that their is wetlands and a huge convergence of water here. This is prime real estate for a bigfoot like creature to pass through this region of the valley collect water or food then go right back up into the Modoc National Forest which edges these wetlands.

Ash Creek was very beautiful I drank a beer smoked some herb and well we had some good food we brought for the trip. Sometimes when we do these places its important to take a step back try to absorb the area and that is exactly what I did.

I was a bit disappointed I hiked a couple miles and ended up hitting barbed wired fences everywhere. I must had pushed through tall grass and my shoes got really muddy crossing the wetlands. But I did not find any of the hiking trails there is one a few miles from here that overlooks the meadow but we just did not get to it because the directions were off but its all good I rather push through the bush working for it then to be on the trail with a dozen other people.

Tammy and I had the entire wildlife area to ourselves but their just was not allot of wildlife here. We are not sure why Ash Creek was far from dry and it was flowing quite steady. I tried to follow the creek but ended up on someone's ranch fence. You see allot of ranches and farms out here in Big Valley I can imagine its because the land hair is very fertile. The grass was tall here and very green but it appeared that Spring had not fully hit here so maybe we were just here at the wrong time of year. I did see an eagle here though and they are prevalent here!

Their was a little pool of water next to the stream and I must had scared some big bass because two to three fish flopped out of the water as they made waves. These were some bass you could have mounted on the wall so we know their is fish in the creek and well bigfoot likes fish lets just leave it at that. Not to far from where the big fish were I did find a track it was very wide, deep and muddy. Two possibly three of the toes were visible cannot say for sure it was bigfoot but it was by itself and it just does not add up for where I found it at.

I watched some of the sunset here while relaxing even smoked a cigar I mean really all of us should relax and be comfortable in our own work zone. I do not get paid to do this I do it for my friends that is what it comes down to so that everybody can enjoy the same things I did during our journey.

The picnic bench had a checkers table built into it but we had no checkers or chess sorry lol. I did get a bit distracted hiked up on a hill and even along the creek to find a waterfalls with some ducks playing in the water. Its just a really quiet place you can hear yourself think and Big Valley is a truly magnificent region with rolling hills as well as large volcanic peaks off in the distance.

I left this location feeling quite complete for the day sure our day revolved around two locations but they were two very beautiful ones. Bizz Johnson and Ash Creek both were great places to hike around at and view nature. The track I found up at Ash Creek really makes me all the more curious to do more work eventually out this way.

By the time we reached Susanville we hit a massive rain storm could barely even see out my windows. We ended up eating lunch at the Kopper Kettle which recently replaced the old 50's diner. I was a bit disappointed the diner closed down I love diners they have good pie and food. But the Kopper Kettle is like Boston Market so they have allot of good meals perfect for the outdoorsman lol. I hiked in the Lassen and Modoc National Forest all within one day that is pretty awesome!

At the Kopper Kettle we had mozzarella sticks, chef salad, gourmet soup, mashed potatoes, roast beef all smothered in gravy while Tammy had their chicken tenders. All in all it was a great meal and I was starving. We were not to sure about the weather though it was coming down hard. What I like about Susanville is how chill everyone is people dont get attitudes with you or judge you based on your looks. I mean service was really nice there and they were good to us so they get a raving review just like any location I visit that I feel was adequate.

We would get back to the hotel once again I had to prep all the gear, shower, ready my clothes, power all our batteries for everything and then try to get a few things done. I really did not get allot of sleep the second hotel room was not what we were promised as a matter in fact the bed was so small I ended up kicking my feet up on the recliner and watching the news. I am not sure if I even slept for a full hour to be honest with you. That is nearly three nights I stayed up so I was starting to feel some exhaustion between hiking miles earlier then getting ready to do it all over again Sunday for our final day but I would not give up! I was just an hour or two away from journeying in my first lava tube called Subway Cave! What is there not to love?

Subway Cave
Day 3

It was Sunday we woke up to a fairly dark sky with allot of fog around. We had a busy day this is where we would head up near Shasta and definitely get a feel for the Lassen Volcanic National Monument. I must say this is a beautiful national park its as good as any of them the only difference is that in the center of the park is a massive dormant volcano and you can only imagine that if it ever blew that places like Susanville may no longer exist on the map!

Tammy and I would head north through the heart of the Lassen National Forest that is when down a country road I seen in an open field at least five antelope running. I whipped out the cam filmed and then I photographed them. Like I said nature to me is important you cant prove Bigfoot if you cannot show that he can survive in this habitat. One of those antelope may end up as lunch no less between the water up here and healthy supply of food its very possible that this creature has made a home here.

Tammy and I wanted to purchase a national park pass so we could enjoy Lassen. The problem was that it was so early in the year only one of the pass centers was open which really took us 45 minutes out of the way prior to us traversing the caverns. So that took time out of our trip because even the Kiosk was down but five rangers at the same time helped us so we were golden later on before visiting the lava tubes.

Their was this fog looming over many of the meadows it almost looked like hot steam but it was not. We would make our way up to the Hat Creek look out area which has views of Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, Chaos Crags and Burney Peak. I did not get the best photo of Shasta its so massive that it was covered in snow and its peak was maybe 1000' above the cloud cover while Lassen Peak was fully visible covered in snow top to bottom. I took some killer photograph from the vista point its a must if your going to put the Volcanic National Monument into perspective!!

This area not to far from Subway Cave was hit bad by three different forest fires and today many of the mountains below the vista point are burnt trees still standing and that is it!!! Its a rather scary and yet dreadful site to see but beyond the hard hit areas by fire is some really precious views of Lassen and some of the other major peaks found in Northern California. Shasta is the first mountain that starts off the Cascade Mountain Range so in a way I really had gotten to experience both in one day. Its hard to believe I was so close to Redding as some of you know that is near the Bigfoot Museum which I still have plans on someday visiting!!

We would eventually reach Lassen Volcanic National Monument I kind of was in shock when I stood on a bridge that went over the river in front of one of the worlds largest plug volcanoes. According to my friend she told me it was a super volcano she even drew what it use to look like based on the caldera today. Its a very intimidating volcano very steep cliffs, volcanic rock, allot of snow and just simply massive!

It was very cold at the park entrance there is a couple lakes but keep in mind it would have to be because their is also multiple peaks surrounding Lassen Peak also covered in snow this time of year top to bottom. So hiking in this area was kind of off limits for the time being but were thinking about getting a yearly pass so I can eventually do most of Lassen and enjoy it to the fullest including Hells Kitchen which is still very hot. Its must cooler up here it seems the further you travel north the more pristine it seems to get here.

After we had gotten our pass we took on off for the Subway Caves its definitely a good introduction to the Lassen area. I wanted to do a research project on the caves because that way people know what I am talking about when we discuss lava tubes. The region is full of them caused by volcanic activity for thousands of years and some of those hidden tubes are big enough to house an entire civilization of Bigfoot like creatures believe me when I say that!

Many of the caves found out west are lava tubes some might go for a hundred or more miles crisscrossing and going deep down into the earths crust. In this case Subway Cave really is a loop inside and was revealed when the caves ceiling collapsed. Its one of the best preserved Lava Tubes in the country and so its worth an addition on our website it truly is!

You start off by hiking through the forest and along some rugged brush more or less this area seems to be more high desert then alpine. Eventually a stairwell takes you down a staircase to the entrance of the lava tube which by the way looks like a giant underground snake. They call it Subway Cave because it officially looks like a Subway train tunnel and honestly it probably could fit one based on how large the tube gets in certain given locations. These lava tubes get so large that sometimes a truck could drive inside of them I have seen photos of this before so that just gives you an idea how large they are.

The cave itself was very cold as a matter in fact bone chilling cold to a point that I was not comfortable walking around even though I had some warmer clothes on. Their is not an ounce of heat down here and I been in much warmer caves. So I noted that Lava Tubes are very cold but their probably is many of them hidden deep in the high sierras which may serve some monster or cryptid of legend very well as the entire area is full of such hidden cave systems only difference is this ones roof collapsed revealing an external tube. .

This cave system has multiple locations starting off at the Lava River, Stubtoe Hall, Lucifer's Cul-De-Sac which is this cavern that dead ends, The Wind Tunnel, Sanctum, Lavacicle Lane, Lava Bubbles and even a few major ceiling collapses. Each area has a plaque this is a public place but it really connects hand in hand with our bigfoot theories about how maybe some of these creatures are using these tubes to traverse the sierras and well if they know how to come n go its free game!

There are some very large caverns in here but their were other areas the tunnel became rather small and I hit my head because I was to tall. I tend to at least hit my head once every investigation or expedition we do lol. While other areas are large some seem to continue but you can see where the tube ends or appears as if it continues. Its very easy to get turned around here as the cave snakes back n forth so their is allot of little alcoves and its pitch dark so you have to have a life or you will feel blind.

Their is an area that you can see where the lava reached two different levels inside during different time periods. Their is also another area that has this massive crack on the caves flooring. The plaque states that their could be many stories of caverns and lava tubes below the crevice and well they know this because of technology. So this is one of the reasons why its so cool inside the tube because you probably have another twenty tubes below this cave and those tubes may traverse for tens of miles all under Lassen. Lava may not flow inside them anymore but its quite possible that something cryptid could live in tubes mankind has not found in this region.

To really understand Lassen you have to understand lava tubes and caves so we will put out a very scientific orientated addition on our website so others can learn more about these geological formations. This may be the only well known lava tube in Northern California but it does not mean its the only one either.

Although the cave seemed dry their was lichens growing at the entrances on the rocks and another section of it is full of pumice some of its soft other areas have jagged rocks which without proper footwear could end up causing some grief. One of the most fascinating areas of the cave is the Lavacicles which are basically fine lava droplets that cool on the caves ceiling thus forming these icicle like formations. Keep in mind that the lava flowed through the tubes of an already cool cave that is why the tube is so smooth on the sides and ceiling because it basically only served as a giant straw for the lava.

When we came out the lava tube we went up the stairs then followed the trail along it. The tube is sort of visible even from the outside you see this snake like series of rocks that follows the trail the entire way almost to the parking area. I did not see anybody we were up there alone everyone else cleared out or went somewhere else so we had the entire cavern system to ourselves so it was sweet.

Surprisingly at this location I did not see hardly any flowers or wildlife. The underbrush is very harsh hair not allot of tree cover nor flowers or birds. I am not sure why this is but its just another side to Lassen that I did not expect to see. The landscape varies here all the way from high desert to alpine forest to lava tubes and even volcanoes. Its still very hot underneath the forest steam does rise and hot springs do flow! We would move onto to our next location noted at Burney Falls a very sacred ancient site definitely worth the road trip!

McArthur-Burney Falls

When we arrived here we did not have to pay to get in as they were hosting a public outdoor party to christen the new visitors center. They also had some native American tribesman playing drums and chanting. I wish I had time to celebrate but we had to complete our loop hike around the falls then finish off the day up at Cinder Cone which is this massive volcano I climbed as my expedition finisher.

Burney falls is the site where the McArthur family settled but its also an ancient site for the natives. Many rituals and gatherings took place here so its a very sacred site. Today its rated to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the golden state and it might just be at least I think so. Today its a state park and I am glad it is because that means its being maintained preservation is one of our main goals with any site. afterall Teddy Roosevelt felt this location was one of the eight wonders of the world!!

On site is an old historic cabin its not very large but its near the parking area definitely worth a gander. Tammy and I would start at the vista point which looks down at the pool of water below and the falls. Now these falls are not just creek fed but also spring fed so their is no signs of them drying up anytime soon. As a matter in fact their is probably about 10 separate water flows rushing down the side of the cliff.

An older lady took our picture at the vista point sad to say she tried but really failed at capturing the waterfall therefore I just decided to take Tammy to the bottom put it on a tripod capture the moment. I talked awhile with this lady she was very cool and chill for being a much older woman. I even stood on this bench and took the photo of her at the vista point she was lets just say one happy camper. I know what its like to be alone and have to take selfies at times but I do it all the time just to show others I was there lol.

Tammy and I would work our way down this switchback trail which took us to the pool of water below the falls. I have to say that the 20' to 32' pool of water was crystal clear blue like something you would see in a pirate movie. They do not recommend you swim here because the water is extremely cold but one thing is for sure you can fish at the base of the falls.

We could feel the cool mist beading off our skin it was getting quite warm out and the skies were actually clearing up. I seen a few of these stick bugs my damn camera was giving me issues so they did not come out but I never seen stick bugs of this size. Maybe they like the moist cool air its hard telling but then again their is over 140 bird species found here and a man who put a scope on a nest of Ospreys let me look at them magnified that was so cool. The Ospreys have a huge nest that overhangs above the falls that way they can dive down to the pool grab a fish and take it back to the freshly hatched birds. The gentlemen told me that right before I came their was an eagle trying to snatch the food from the Osprey. Once I knew where they were I did take a really good photo of momma standing on her nest good thing for my awesome zoom lens.

Burney Creek flows above the falls but it also flows at the bottom of the pool as well and you can take a trail along it. The trail will take you over rainbow and fisherman's bridge. However once you follow the creek you can stay straight hike out to Britton Lake which we just did not have the time or you can take the loop climbing along the cliffs up the trail till you reach the top of the falls. Standing over Rainbow Bridge you get to overlook the tributary that rushes out from the pool of water and yes the current is very fast be careful of not falling in.

Along the way Tammy and I seen quite a few flowers, butterflies and birds it was very pleasant. But I think if their was less wildlife due to the heavy amount of people hiking here. However I will say this on the loop trail I never ran into anyone once I began to ascent up to the top of the falls and make our way to fisherman's bridge. When you stand on this bridge you can see where the falls drops off and at the same time stand in the middle of Burney Creek but here it flows more like a river the current is fast and it their are rapids. The falls drop off to 129' below so you definitely do not want to get anywhere near the edge of the upper creek.

I happened to get closer to the Osprey nest also as I was now level with the tree the nest was sitting on. I decided to film one of them and of course like Murphy's law a second adult popped its head up to check me out. I tried so fast to turn the cam on and that little bastard tucked its head back in the nest. These birds ill tell you are quite smart its like they have cameradar lol!

This area is considered to be a part of where the Cascade Mountains meet and the Modoc Plateau. Its in the southern most portion of the Shasta National Forest and like I said if I had more time id love to explore that area. I have caves, ghost towns, historic sites and beautiful outdoor wilderness areas just like these falls but another trip another time folks! I will say the waterfall has allot of life left in it do not expect these falls to run dry but lakes in the area are!

I really had gotten to experience the falls the way it should be enjoying wildlife and the outdoors. I wish it was not as packed as it was but apparently folks from all over the state come here just to see these falls and they are a force of nature. The water is so blue and its nice that its designated towards nature. I did see something strange though when I was backing out to leave a car parked next to me with six kids and five adults. A very small car a clown car not sure how they fit everyone into it but I am glad I own a jeep and I am proud to boast that my vehicle is not loaded so tight that I have ass in my face lol.

Our next destination would be the final one of this expedition which would be Cinder Cone and Butte Lake which is deep within the Lassen Volcanic National Monument! It would certainly be an adventure of the ages and I honestly did not spend to much time at Burney because I was to excited to get my hands into Lassen can you blame a guy? Its not cheap to buy a pass and after the way that older woman boasted about it I was even more excited to break a leg!

Cinder Cone & Butte Lake
Lassen Volcanic National Monument

Much like other national parks I live by you cant see all of Lassen in one day let alone a lifetime. But what you can do is hit all the major sites and some of the best kept secrets. Honestly in my opinion Cinder Cone is one of the best kept secrets within the national park which ill get into later. Do not mistaken this as Red Cinder Cone next time ill go to Hells Kitchen which is very hot underground and will climb the Red Cone. However Cinder Cone would be a great first introduction into the Volcanic Park because it is a volcano and does have a caldera!

We would park up near Butte Lake which btw is rather low so this drought does appear to be starting to effect northern California as well as other parts of the state. Tammy finally had gotten to use the new backpack I bought her and I was excited for her but its going to take her time to get use to it because its designed to take a mat, sleeping bag, tent and food that way we can hike and camp in the future.

I found not to far from the lake a possible mountain lion track so we know their are animals that live here besides some of the birds I seen earlier and flowers in the forest outskirts. But not as many tracks as you usually see on a sierras lake. I hardly seen any tracks unfortunately with the lake getting drier the animals may have moved onto a much more lush environment.

Sadly when we begin our hike it started to thunder which turned eventually into rain and even hail. The weather was getting really bad here and we were up here in the middle of Lassen alone not a soul to hear us even if we wanted to shout.

The trail follows the old Noble's emigrant road which in the 1850's and 1860's thousands of emigrants traversed it from the Applegate trails in NV to the Sacramento Valley. Today not much would have changed many of the trees are well over two centuries old some of them are massive and in the 1800's the early pioneers would have seen many of the sites we seen such as the lava beds for example.

The entire trail is a fairly steady climb trust me the Cinder Cone starts at the lake then continues to rise gradually. The last half mile is an intense very steep climb almost straight up to the caldera of this volcano. This forest differs then other parts of Lassen I was in. For example Bizz Johnson near Susanville was flourishing with life but here in the national park its cooler so Spring has not full grasped the area. Not to mention all the recent precipitation and a couple snowfalls the area just did not have allot of nature as I expected it to but it does have one thing you wont be able to deny do you know what that is? Great views!

When you get so far along the trail to your left are lava beds, black glass like rock and crystals spread out over a couple miles wide. The lava beds were formed when Cinder Cone erupted as it slowly moving down the mountain and across the landscape. The wall of cooled lava today looks like a fortress for the devil and is at least 15' high and can be seen better when you start to ascend the final climb up Cinder Cone.

Once you pass the lava fields to your left their is an opening to your left as well which reveals an area known as the painted dunes. These are a series of painted rocks, sand and dunes that give off a rainbow color effect. I really wanted to photograph them from on top but weather just was not permitting as with each step our situation just became worst and well as an outdoorsman things can go from bad to worst real fast out here trust me. Some woman was hiking stepped through a piece of thin crust off the trail and she lost her foot in a scalding hot steam pocket.

When we arrived for our final climb Tammy was having allot of issues so we turned on our radios and I did the final climb for her. It was NOT easy not because it was steep but because at this time we were in the middle of one of the worst storms I ever been in as far as hiking in the sierras. It was thundering, fog was setting in, hailing, snowing, icy rain and even lightening. It just was very bad timing and were not even sure how the weather changes so fast afterall Burney Falls it was up in the high 70's but by the time we reached Cinder Cone we could see our own breath!

Tammy set up base camp below Cinder Cone I made my way up the top and when you stand in front of it the thing is that it looks like its straight up. Perhaps its steep angle may intimidate some but I was not leaving till I reached the caldera storm or no storm. The winds were picking up the ice particles hitting me in the face felt like pins and needles. The trail to the top follows the edge of the volcano which looks down onto a bunch of trees so its very high up. The entire cinder cone is comprised of lava rock its sharp, rolls around with each step you take and its a huge pain in the ass to work through.

I was tested working my way to the top during a storm with no tree cover is not easy. Pretty soon I could not even see Tammy below as I ascended around a bend heading to the top. To my right you could see a series of snowcapped peaks including Lassen Peak, Chaos Crags and a few other volcanoes completely covered in snow. I had less then seconds to get a photo of the mountains because the moment I seen all of the national park from up on the Cinder Cone was the moment high winds came in so swift that the entire area became consumed with fog. I could not see the lava beds on the northface, painted dunes, Tammy below or Lassen and all its snowy sisters. Hell I could barely even see the caldera the fog creep over it and it looked like the volcano was erupting.

Surprisingly the caldera is another world there are some trees that grow inside the crater as when you reach the rim of the volcano their is this massive deep bowl shaped feature that descends over a 100' to the bottom. The bowl is this reddish brown color I could not even see the bottom because as I started to go down the hole I started to slide and the weather was so bad I could not even see lol fun stuff. But I will say this standing on that volcanoes rim really made me feel small I mean come on who does not want to roll around on a caldera for a few as a birthday gift? But seriously the rim was real dominant then in the middle you just had this huge hole very eerie and surreal at the same time!

Although the volcano is no longer active the storm was getting so bad that my cam had to be wiped ever 15 seconds I used it to film video from on top. So expect to allot of wicked storm pictures on top of a volcano its pretty cool but it was so terrible that I could not even hold the cam. I had gloves but not enough time to even put them on my fingers were iced over especially when some snow began to precipitate. Then I remember oh great I left them back with Tammy because of the weather I had to leave my pack to triple my climb time. I was having trouble breathing the winds were very strong and you could hear the wind gusts. I could not even see Lassen Peak and that mountain can be seen a 100 miles away seriously!

I took a panorama of the entire Caldera on top but since the visibility was so poor I did not get to take photos of what the east side of it looks like. Off to the east below cinder cone is the lava fields and the painted dunes. It was a really difficult situation to contend with after their was zero visibility I ended up coming down and radioing it into Tammy. But I know one thing she has that not many do and that is a piece of red oxidized volcanic rock I gave to her as a birthday gift from my climb. It was worth going up there just to find that special piece just for her because I really felt bad she could not make the climb up and I honestly had to come up with a Lord Rick hat trick or I would have never made it. The fog was so intense and thick it was almost eerie it felt like freezing fog lost all feeling in my hands while trying to film a documentary on top.

Strangely when I was on top of Cinder Cone I looked down into the forest floor below and I seen something big, dark furred with long hair running on two legs. I cant say what it was but man this thing was moving really fast so either it was watching me from below or it was trying to seek shelter from this storm. By the time I reached Tammy and we hiked back to the jeep I was soaked head to toe. I had to change all of my clothes and we ate our dinner in the jeep. I was pretty much bummed because we probably would have done so much more and here we had a seven day pass. But I assure you ill be back I am looking at climbing Red Cinder Cone also doing some bigfoot expeditions in some of the national parks strangest areas so state tuned.

My cam had gotten waterlogged so it stopped working at the jeep. I was eating my dinner relaxing for a bit before the drive home when I seen two small does walking in the lake playing with one another. I had no cam and Tammy's camera also stopped working so I recorded my final video at Cinder Cone of the deer with my cell which actually did not come out to bad so it worked at that moment. Which gives me some hope to at least say that not all the wildlife left the area. Sometimes when a volcano is about to blow or some major earth change the birds and wildlife will clear out but this is not the case. When you visit the welcome center at Lassen Peak they have a seismic recorder in one of the structures which monitors the volcano for any activity. Keep in mind the last time Lassen blew was in the 1600's that really is not that long ago and if that erupts I can imagine other ones in the area might to or at least more geological features like Cinder Cone would develop.

The drive home was so so it rained here and there but as always my drives home are just as scenic as heading on in to a location. For us on the road will stop order a sandwich and good coffee. Honestly this trip did not have allot of paranormal activity or oddities. Not to say that once I study my video and photographs as well as audio we will not get anything because we just might but its under review like any of our finds.

Like I told Tammy I drank good, ate good, climbed a volcano, drove through a national park, visited some cool sites and even seen Shasta. I smoked the best herb as a gift from my friend and we really enjoyed Susanville to the max. I have a few friends there and really did not have time to set up hanging out so I am sorry maybe next time. More or less this was just a long overdue getaway for me to check out northern California and celebrate life. What better to do that with then being out in nature and visiting some of the most beautiful places in California? The hotels were not so great and I had wished I seen more of Lassen but for now I had gotten a taste of things to come and you the viewer will also trust me!

My birthday was a good one not only did I take a three day trip out to Northern California but magically I won jackpot at the casino with birthday money they gave me which was cool because it basically paid for our hotel stays and dinner costs. But I also had an awesome shrimp and sirloin dinner in town and an awesome peanut butter chocolate cake. I was even more surprised to have gotten a PS4, subscription of game informer, horror gothic game called Bloodborne, Camo PS4 pad, membership to game stop, wicked shirt, wallet and a few other really cool things so definitely this year I was spoiled LMAO. From May 15th all the way to the 28th I lived it not much more I could want or ask for then to be with others I care about. Strangely ever since our trip up to Lassen its rained most of the days I just wish we had somewhat a little better of weather but we did all we could do.

With that in mind as you can see after journey to Susanville Cemetery, Lassen Ale Works/Pioneer Saloon, Bizz Johnson Rail Trail, Ash Creek, Kopper Kettle, Lassen National Forest, Shasta National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Monument, Subway Cave, Burney Falls, Cinder Cone Volcano & Butte Lake everything came to full circle and I look forward to seeing more of this pristine land. I would love also north of Lassen to hike at the Lava National Park because I like to bring our followers something new to the table regularly so that you get a diverse amount of adventures, cases, research, pictures and videos all compiled together.

These places were all really a 10 out of 10 and I cannot wait to go back to Susanville and perhaps get some of my friends to come out journey with our group! I cannot wait to see more out here the views are grand and its vast. I mean when you spend a weekend visiting multiple wildlife areas, offroading, traversing national parks and national forest it really is a wonderful feeling to have that freedom to be able to just explore. The need to explore will never change with me it is what I do and who I am. Just wait till you see all these locations on our site we think you will be wowed these places are sweet enough to make you want to relocate out here guaranteed!! Their truly is enough to keep you busy in this lifetime and probably a thousand more if these locations continue to exist and thrive in our future!
Peace,
Lord Rick
PGS Founder

PS This is a rough draft the final copy will be posted to our website along with data, research, videos, recordings, photos, history, reports and anything else that goes attached with the current projects completed in the future. PGS is a nonprofit para adventure group that does real research into the strange, weird, paranormal and is designed to educate the public about the locations we tend to.

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Love is like a ghost sometimes you cannot see it but it is There


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