5-28-17

This happened a lot this last season--the ground got soaked and softened to the point that the wind pushed trees over, pulling the root crown right out of the ground. I've seen some places where several trees are lying parallel on the ground--no pix, however. By Houseman Camp reservoir, near Eagle Lake, California, off the Champs Flat road. Jack, our black tri Aussie shepherd, is in the pic to the left of the tree.

Lassen Peak (10,457 ft/3187 m) as seen looking roughly west from Champs Flat, California. This is the southernmost active Cascade volcano, last erupting in 1914. Its snowpack this year is why Pine Creek is still flowing! The mountain is also the centerpiece of the eponymous national park.

Ruins of a barn in Champs Flat, California. According to the USGS 7.5' topo, this was "South Cow Camp." There are still what look to be functioning cattle pens and loading chutes here, but all the buildings have fallen into ruin. I suspect their heyday was in the latter 19th-early 20th century, after the country had been settled but before the automobile, when people still had to stay out for extended periods. Nowadays the ranchers just show up with trucks to load the stock.