Memorial at Courthouse

This memorial to Deputy Sheriff Larry Griffith stands in front of the Lassen County Courthouse. The memorial plaque reads:

Lassen County Deputy Sheriff

Larry Griffith

was killed in the line of duty

March 2, 1995

On that date, Deputies Larry Griffith, Henry Mahan, William Freitas, and Wayne Aldridge were on duty on the Madeline Plains and were ambushed by a gunman.

The community honors those who go in harm's way to serve and protect us, and mourns the loss of one of our own.

Placed by

Rotary Club of Susanville

Lassen County Peace Officers Assoc.

The Old Jail

The old Lassen County jail is located next to the county courthouse. This jail hasn't been used in decades. I believe it is still used as storage, but I could be wrong.

City of Susanville Recreation and Park District

The City of Susanville Recreation and Park District sits one block off Main Street. The former home houses the office. The dark brown building on the left of the photo is the recreation center.

As someone that used to work for a few large park districts in Sacramento County, its sad to see no recreation programs going on in the city. There is City Care, a daycare for after school and school vacations. But there is nothing else in terms of special events, kids programs, teen programs, etc. The recreation supervisor job was eliminated a few years ago. I guess if the residents don't know what they are missing, then there is no incentive to speak up at city council meetings.

Lassen County Courthouse

Happy Easter!!!! I hope everyone had nice day, we did.

Here is a photo of the Lassen County Courthouse. I peaked inside the window and was shocked to see a metal detector by the front door. Its been awhile since I have been to the courthouse, so it was interesting to see that in place. I posted a photo of the detail work above the front entrance a few weeks ago. You can see that here:

http://susanvilledailyphoto.blogspot.com/2008/03/details-on-county-courthouse.html

Another new church........

The Community Evangelical Free Church down the road from us is nearly complete. My son (he is 5) debated that this could not be a church because its a steel building and not a 'traditional' Church design. He was hoping it would be a home depot, because what 5 year old doesn't love a home improvement store!?

Not saying a thing!

This sign is outside of town along Leavitt Lane. Its right next to a bridge that keeps getting washed out every winter or every other winter. I stopped to take some photos of birds, and stumbled across this. At first I thought that maybe the sign was old and had faded. But up close it didn't look like that at all. So who knows what it is for.

Rooster

I saw this Rooster outside of town last year. He was not happy that I was near him to take this photo.

Public Library

Our little library is located in the middle of town. Its in a strip mall alongside Grocery Outlet, All The Best Video, and a few other shops and offices. My kids enjoy the weekly story times and summer programs. I am happy to see the library has been busier the past year. There were times we would go to the library and it was just us and the librarians.

The Sage Hen

Susanville's newest eating establishment is located in front of the High Country Inn. The owner and chef, Serge Marchale, has international experience. While I haven't eaten there yet, I have heard great things about the restaurant. The menu changes alot (something unheard of in Susanville!) and has a variety of items. This place was the Apple Peddler and before that the Country Kitchen.

Douglas County Bus

One of the drawbacks to living in a rural area are travel time for kids athletics. This Douglas County, NV bus is parked in the High Country Inn parking lot while the kids are playing sports. These kids probably drove 3 hours to get here. The drive home tonight might be longer, we have had heavy snow flurries today.

The High Country Inn is the newest hotel/motel in Susanville. The other motels are pretty old, most are from the 50s and 60s and look a bit dated.

http://www.high-country-inn.com/

Junk car on California/Nevada state line....

This old car is across the road from that shot up California State Line sign I posted a few days ago. As you can see, this car has been used for target practice too.

California State Line

I am behind on my to do list this week. Well, to be truthful I am weeks behind.

So until I can get out and get some new photos, I will post some oldies (new to SusanvilleDailyPhoto).

This is a sign in Lassen County along the Nevada border. Its a very rural area road, its not even paved. Part of it is gravel, but the Nevada side is dirt. Its located behind the Herlong Army Base and Herlong Federal Prison.

2008 Lassen County Science Fair

Today kicked off the Lassen County Science Fair. My kids set up their entries this afternoon. We should know by Wednesday if either of them placed. They both are very proud of themselves, but not as proud as their mom! I will post more science fair photos later this week.

I didn't get a chance to run by the courthouse today. I will try to get there in the morning and post a new photo here.

Details on County Courthouse

The Lassen County Courthouse is a great old building. There is some controversy surrounding the courthouse these days. The state has ordered Lassen County to build a new courthouse. This old courthouse is too small, has security flaws, etc.

The unfolding drama is whether the county must return the courthouse to the family that donated the land. The family contends that if this parcel of land is not used as a county courthouse, it is to be returned to them. The county of course wants to hold onto the land.

I think this building would make for an amazing library, or museum, or both. We will see what happens in the coming months. I will post a photo of the entire building tomorrow.

For more info on the matter, check out this article:

http://lassennews.com/News_Story.edi?sid=4414

Sacramento River Headwaters

On Saturday we visited the small town of Mt. Shasta, CA. The City park has a spring coming out of the base of a mountain that many consider to be the start of the Sacramento River. Others feel that two rivers downstream that merge are the official start of the Sacramento River. No matter how you feel, the Sacramento Headwaters at the Mt. Shasta City Park is a great place to visit. It was still cold and there were snow flurries. But, by May this area will be beautiful with flowers and plant growth.

Black Butte

On Saturday we stopped to take a photo of Black Butte, an extinct volcano near Mt. Shasta. It looms over I-5 as you pass Weed, CA. Northern California is home to many volcano's in the Cascade Mountain Range, most are extinct. The Cascades start in Canada and wind their way through Washington, Oregon, and into California.

-- Geographic Setting, Geologic and Eruptive History - Two of the main eruptive centers at Mount Shasta, the Shastina and Hotlum cones were constructed during Holocene time, which includes about the last 10,000 years. Holocene eruptions also occurred at Black Butte, a group of overlapping dacite domes about 13 kilometers west of Mount Shasta. ... The extrusion of the domes about 9,500 years ago was accompanied by the formation of pyroclastic flows which extended more than 10 kilometers south and 5 kilometers north of the domes. -- Excerpt from: Miller, 1980, USGS Bulletin 1503

I found that excerpt at:

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/BlackButte/Locale/framework.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Butte_(California)

For information on scenic volcano drives in California, check here:

http://www.summitpost.org/area/range/334003/california-cascades.html

Weed, California

Yesterday we spent the day letterboxing near Mt. Shasta, California. For those of you that have never heard of letterboxing (it's similar to geocaching), you should check it out. Its a treasure hunting type activity. You get the clues for boxes hidden in your area online at the letterboxing sites. Then you set out with a stamp, ink pad, and a journal to find the letterboxes. Each person has their own stamp, its like your own signature. Once you find the letterbox, you use the stamp inside the letterbox (usually a plastic container with a logbook and stamp), you stamp your book with their stamp. Then you stamp their logbook with your stamp. I am not good at explanations so I hope that made sense. Its a fun family activity.

http://letterboxing.org/

We were near Weed, CA and stopped to take some photos of Mt. Shasta at the Weed rest stop. It was very cloudy, so most of the volcano was covered. Maybe next time we will get some good photos. Weed is a little city set in the Cascade Mountains with Mt. Shasta just outside the city.

http://www.weedchamber.com/