Knot My Line

Tulelake is a small town just across the border from Oregon that has more than it’s share of sights and stories.  If you are looking for a unique sightseeing experience, I encourage you to visit this area of the State of Jefferson.

You can drive here using any of three excellent highways.  Highway 97 runs from the city of Weed California north all the way to Washington just south of Yakima; Highway 395 extends from Interstate 15 near Victorville California to Pendelton in northern Oregon; and Interstate 5 spans the United States all the way from Mexico to Canada.   From each of these it is a scenic drive to Tulelake using local access roads.

Lava Beds National Monument

Lava Beds National Monument is just a few miles southwest of Tulelake.  Here are the remains of years of eruptions from the Medicine Lake volcano.  There are about 30 separate lava flows in the area.   Looking at the satellite map you can see the area devastated by these flows.   The extreme contrast between the farmland to the north and the lava flows seem to leap from the page.

Seeing all this from the ground heightens the drama of the rapid change in scenery.  It was autumn when I drove through the monument and while the farm land was still somewhat green, the terrain of the monument seemed extremely harsh.  In the car I was comfortable, but even a short hike is a little daunting.   I admire anyone with the ability to hike across it.

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge

This Wildlife Refuge is a great place for young and old alike.   I have been here a half dozen times and have always enjoyed myself.  Every time I have company from back east, I bring them here for a day trip.   Even people that are not avid wildlife enthusiasts tell me they enjoy the day.   It pays to get here at daybreak, while the birds are still on the water.

One great memory is of my very first visit.  We arrived when dawn was just breaking and there perched on the welcome sign at the entrance was a Great White Owl.    Just as we were getting the camera out, the Park Ranger pulled up and the owl took off.   Later that day we had a young Bald Eagle standing along side the road only 3 feet from the car guarding her dinner.

Captain Jack and the Modoc Indian War

The story of the very expensive and the last Indian War on the Pacific Coast is a sad part of the history of this area.   Many people believe the war could have been avoided.  It is amazing that so few individuals could have held off the U.S. Army for so long.

The Japanese Internment Camp

American citizens deprived of their rights, removed from their homes, incarcerated in concentration camps surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards; that it couldn’t happen here, could it?   Sadly it did and the issue remains with us even in the American politics of the 21st century.   To me the internment of Americans of Japanese descent highlights the extremes that government officials will go to “prove” their patriotism and keep their exalted positions.   It is a sick part of society and I believe that it must be condemned whenever and wherever it arises.    Much like we are seeing in the “War on Terror” the “War Relocation Center” at Tulelake was nothing more than a fancy name for a Segregation Center or a Concentration Camp.

For more about the State Of Jefferson see The Mythical State