Today was a 'hot' day.
Because we will surely have only continental breakfast the next days we used our chance again at the breakfast buffet...
Then we started our trip towards California. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and we had pleasant temperatures. But what was that? Barely that we had left Reno it became very hazy. Where this fog came from? A short time later we knew, because the fog was supplemented by a smell of log fire: wild fires...
The fog zone stretched nearly up to Lassen Volcanic National Park which was the first target for today. Parts of the park were closed due to another big wildfire, but this wasn't an issue for us because the most beautiful trails and views were still accessible.
After reaching the park we stopped at the Visitor Center before exploring the wilderness. A really appealing tour lay before us, along rocks, small creeks, meadows and woods. At Summit Lake the road was finally closed, so we had to turn. After some more short stops we decided for a hike to Bumpass Hell, hot springs in the middle of the National Park. This meant actually to just follow your nose, because the smell of sulfur became really pungent... But the vista was enough compensation for the strains of that hike.
Back at the car, and towards Red Bluff. But somehow we had the fire on our side... After a few miles a pilot car directed us alongside fire trucks in action. Helicopters transported firefighting water around this area, the haze was back and abided us till Red Bluff.
When approaching the motel we saw lots of fire trucks parking, even from other counties. Ronny did a quick online search for some information, and so we got to know about the number and size of the wild fires roaring throughout California. But fortunately none was too near to our remaining route.
Dinner we had at Denny's again because we didn't feel like searching for a longer time after that extended trip. And so we had an easy evening at the motel.