These photos may be viewed as a slide show or an indexed list.

Most people are unaware of the extensive volcanic region which comprises the north eastern porion of California. Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak are the prominent peaks in the area, and these are surrounded by other lesser known features. This is truly a geologist's delight, with ample evidence of the cataclysmic events which took place.

I was privileged to visit the area in September 1976, as a student in a Field Geology course from Sonoma State University. Our professor was Dr. Walt Vennum, who treated us to an intensive, fast-paced car-camping field experience. We visited Lassen National Park, Lake Britton, Medicine Lake Highlands, Cougar Butte, and the Modoc Plateau. We climbed Lassen Peak, ascended cinder cones, examined road cuts, and descended into lava tubes. I shot several rolls of 35 mm ASA 100 film, using a borrowed camera.

My wife and I visited the same area in July 1989, camping out of our pickup truck. We didn't climb Lassen, but did just about everything else. It was remarkably cold, especially at Medicine Lake. Not what you'd expect in the first week of July. On this trip, I shot several rolls of ASA 100 film with my Canon AE-1P SLR.

The Modoc Plateau area, with Lava Beds National Monument and Tule Lake, is the scene of human history as well as dramatic geologic events. This region witnessed a protracted bloody conflict and persecution involving Native Americans at the end of the 19th Century. It was also the site of a Japanese American internment camp in World War II.

Enjoy the photos! You can view them as a slide show or an indexed list. (Note: If you haven't guessed already, I am not a geologist. If you spot any factual errors, please let me know.)

Best Regards,

Frank R. Farmer

ffarmer