Indeed and in celebration I went and saw parts of it I hadn't seen before.
Evidence of a 4th of July well spent, as defined by me.
Lava Beds National Monument was new to me, but when I was a kid our primary camping destination were the lava beds in southeast Oregon so the environment was very familiar and nostalgic.
The other new part of that route was using CA-89 and CA-4 to cross back over the Sierra's through
Ebbetts Pass. Fun driving and some great views.
Spoiler:
Mt. Shasta as seen from the town of Mt. Shasta. Because in America we are ok with redundancy. This is why every building in Chicago with a view of Wrigley Field is called Wrigley Field.
An American White Pelican in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. We know this because on its migratory return from central America it passed through Arizona and had to show papers.
Exposed raw lava bed. Surprisingly, not the title of a Paris Hilton sex tape.
A tribute to our armed forces. May you be ever vigilant, not get surprised by a red-tailed hawk, and eventually notice the bastard sneaking up behind you.
A tribute to the most American of Americans. It was touching that on this American holiday at least half the people visiting this perhaps sacred place were Indian. The meaning of that is rendered murky by the fact that they were India Indian not "what the **** to you mean we half to move again?! We had a treaty!" Indian.
And the best part? So far I have not yet seen a single firework, whether personal or municipal. I haven't even seen news footage of one. Also, not one note of Lee Greenwood and the most annoyingly cloying song of all time.