Today we visited Lava Beds National Monument and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Here’s some highs and lows.

Best wildlife: the butterfly that landed on Paula’s hand at lunchtime.

Honorable mentions for the butterfly that landed on my chair, a random dragonfly, and mister lizard, and mister swallow.

Worst signage: a description of the “The End of the Modoc War” which neglected to mention that it wasn’t actually a war it was part of the systematic genocide of the Native Americans in California.

Most chill experience: going down into skull cave. It’s an old lava tube that traps cold air, and gets cooler and cooler as you go down, until there is permanent ice at the lowest level.

Best hotspot: the pool of boiling mud by the side of the road at the Sulfur Works geothermal area.

Best mountain vista: Lassen of course.

Best swimming hole over 7000 feet: Summit Lake

One more picture of Lassen, just because.