Bumpass and Buz's Crab - Day 93

Bumpass and Buz's Crab. It's all completely innocent and G Rated (unless SWZA posts a comment).

I've continued eating great meals, but have neglected writing about all of them because there is so much to write about the places I've been that I run out of steam. Thus, I'll start where I ended the day, at Buz's Crab.

Buz's Crab bills itself as Redding, CA's Fisherman's Wharf. Half the place is a Fish Market, the other half a diner style restaurant. You order at the counter and then pick a table and they deliver your food when it's ready. They have about a million options, all seafood, and it seems like you cant go wrong.

I asked for a recommendation and I was pretty much read the menu. 20 minutes later, I ordered the small clam chowder (excellent and meaty), and the special of the day - a teriaki mahi mahi and mako shark combination, with "chips", veggies and cole slaw. For 4 bucks I added a half liter of Burgundy that came served ice cold, and fit the meal well. If I remember correctly, mahi mahi means strong strong in Hawian. And it was just a little tough. But the shark was tender and tasty. In the light teriaki sauce, both tasted great. The chips were circular cut fries that I couldn't stop eating, and unless I'm mistaken the cole slaw was infused with a bit of crab meat (I should have asked to make sure).



I found Buz's in the Stern's Road Food book, which continues to be a great source of excellent food. Everybody should go out and get this book, just in case they are travelling anywhere in the USA. It is a list of the best 5 star dumpy restaurants, each worth the many inches they will add to your waist.

As for the rest of the day, I spent it tooling around Lassen Volcanic National Park. My first volcano on this road trip, and quite a unique place.

Just inside the park, I stopped at the Sulphur Works and was immediately inundated with the rank smell of sour eggs. The source of this putrid smell was coming from a gurgling, sputtering pot hole. Standing just a few feet from it was pretty scary. The low rumble of the cauldron was a hint of the extreme heat and power far below the surface. This place had a devastating eruption in 1915 and could go again at any time.

From there, I went to Bumpass Hell. This is a trail named after a Mr. Bumpass (no joke), who discovered it. He accidentally broke through a weak spot in the surface and dipped his whole leg into boiling sulfur 100 degrees hotter than boiling water. The leg had to be amputated.

The 3 mile hike winds for over a mile along a crescent that allows for viewing across the crevice of your car. I took a series of pictures of the Prius from further and further distances as I progressed. When Pre was finally out of view, I ascended a ridge and then descended into Bumpass Hell.

B Hell contained a multitude of caustic areas where this planet seems like it just isn't quite done working on itself. The soil bubbles and blisters. Steam hisses constantly. The spoiled egg smell envelops you. I was awed. But I was also scared, irked, grossed out and bordering on nauseous. They have a boardwalk that leads you across and into the tip of the area getting you up-close and personal with the powers below. After the hike, the rest of the ride consisted of beautiful scenery.

You might be getting bored of all the scenic photos I take. I'm not bored of taking them. Each picture is worth 1K words, but being in these places is priceless. A picture is just a partial glimpse of the whole majesty.

I skipped the 5 mile hike to the top of Lassen Peak. It has been getting a bit disappointing to keep getting so close to these amazing places and not being able to see the additional jewels because they're all not accessible in one day.

So I need to spend two days - and one night. I bought a pop-up tent and a sleeping bag. Unless something goes wrong (or if for some reason Verizon has access in the wilderness) I won't be posting tomorrow. I hope to be camping out for the first time at an even more dramatic volcano. There's a drive and a hike, and both can't be done in just one day from here.

I hear there are aggressive bears and Bigfoot in the area, so wish me luck.