California - 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide and Travel Planner - (Page 24) will lead travelers right through it and back to the freeway again 90 miles north. Starting in Red Bluff, visitors can follow Highway 36 east for 45 miles before turning north onto Highway 89 and meandering through the park and onward along a 100-mile northwestward bend— part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. The drive is among the most unexpectedly gorgeous in the state, and the California Welcome CenterSM in Anderson carries every map, lodging and dining guide, and attraction and informational pamphlet one may need. (Expect construction delays on the main park road through October 2008.) Explore Lassen Park licia and I wind up entirely skipping our picnic lunch and settling for coffee at the cafe directly under the summit of Mt. Lassen L climb Lassen]. In the parking lot [ we meet Greg and Heather Jensen of Redmond, Washington, standing outside their camper and admiring the snowcapped craggy mountain above. Driving north from Tahoe on the last leg of a two-month road trip, they’d seen the park on their map. “We’d never even heard of it before,” Greg tells us. “We thought we’d just drive through in one hour, but it’s been all morning. We’ve pretty much stopped everywhere we can the last 10 miles to take pictures.” The alpine scenery seems to have that effect on everyone we meet. Curiosity draws us to the obscure northeast corner of the park off Highway 44, where, on a gravel road, we find a bizarre volcanic landscape centerpieced by a perfect black cinder cone named, well, Cinder Cone. It rises 750 feet from its base and is pocked by a deep crater in the middle. A 20-minute scramble brings us to the circular rim on top, where we gape downward at martian-red dunes of volcanic gravel that roll outward before terminating at a massive, violent sprawl of hardened lava 3 miles in length. In other parts of the park, like Sulphur A iting. as never been so exc Serenity h Whether you’re seeking a hideaway from the world, a place to reunite with family or the perfect location for a successful corporate retreat, discover the tranquility of Asilomar, Monterey Peninsula’s renowned refuge by the sea. You’ll find 107 acres of natural beauty from forests to sand dunes, 313 historic and contemporary guestrooms, a heated pool and beach boardwalk, 28 private meeting rooms, superb cuisine and panoramic ocean views that go on forever. Asilomar Conference Grounds CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS 800 Asilomar Ave. • Pacific Grove, CA 93950 VisitAsilomar.com • (866) 380-6771 Hospitality by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts © 2007 DNC Parks & Resorts at Asilomar Conference Grounds, Inc. 24 Enter L keyword in Search box at visitcalifornia.com http://VisitAsilomar.com http://VisitAsilomar.com http://www.visitcalifornia.com
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