Lava Butte!

I see what appears to be another Lava Beds place, but decide to take a quick look since my legs needed a stretch.  To my surprise, this was very different from the Lava Beds, no  caves here, just domes and a nice lava flow field below.
First order of business was to drive to the top of a several hundred foot high cone, luckily, my rig was one foot under the maximum allowed to drive up top!  Only a few vehicles are allotted a time window every 30 minutes to make the trip as parking is limited at the top.  The views from up here are spectacular!  Especially out west is Bachelor Mountain.
The lookout tower is not only a tourist attraction, but also doubles as an official NFS lookout during fire season. 
There is a nice trail around the cone’s crater, giving one a different perspective than the tower.
While walking to the Visitor’s Center (back at “ground level” I spy and elusive Red Crossbill, a beautiful creature for sure!

A short walk through the actual lava field provides nice views of the cone I had just driven up, while proving that there is some life that can live in such a harsh, barren environment.

Another great stop along the way!