Lava Beds National Monument

In the extreme northern part of CA is a very interesting national monument.  Thename implies something more along the lines of the El Malpais  lava beds of NM, so I almost blew past this spectacular spot.  I got into the Park late one evening to find a very crowded campground. In fact, I got the last space, good thing I was in the truck camper - I don't believe our 21ft trailer would have fit with room for the truck also.  There was a bus-load of college kids there with their geology teacher doing a field trip.

So, what I thought was going to be just another rumble through lava beds turned out to be a totally different experience.  Yes many, many lava tube caves!  About 20 of which are open to the public.

The first "recommended" cave was the Mushpot, because it is the only one that is lighted.  Yes, that's right all the rest you're own your own and you'd better have at least two sources of light.  It's pitch black in there once you get a few tens of yards from any opening.  So, can you tell why it's named Mushpot by looking at
the formation at the entrance to the cave.

It was nice to have the first one lighted, to give one a feel for what's to come, although the rest were "rough" paths, no nice smooth trails.

Coming out of Mushpot, I was shocked that it was snowing fairly heavily.  I had walked the mile up from the campground and did bring a wind breaker.  Right outside on the path was a big hunk of local obsidian.

By the time I walked another half mile to the entrance of the next cave the snow was starting to build up a bit.  But nice to be in the caves where it was much warmer, and protection from the wet snow.

This one was recommended because you enter one end, go about 3/4mile underground, then pop out at the "Upper Entrance",

The trip through got pretty tight in places, many you have to duck down pretty far, but none where so low as to force a crawl.  Interestingly in the four caves I did, I never saw another person.  I did cut my headlight off a couple of times, pretty spooky in there, plenty black.  It would be impossible to crawl out, some of the "holes" were down rather than ahead!

The exit point is marked by an opening to the light and a lava arch.

The most interesting cave was this one, named for the golden color of the growths on the ceilings.

The entry was very steep and tight.  You have to duck your head way down while descending the ladder. 

There were a couple of fellows coming out as I went in, we exchanged pictures.

As I got farther in, the golden color became more apparent.  Pretty neat place.

Along the Way!

 

Always interesting to see what folks come up with out here on the road!

MONO LAKE, CA

When Kim & I were in Yosemite a few years back, I wanted to visit this place, but the passes from west to east were still closed, so we moved on south to Death Valley. 

Nestled at the edge of the arid Great Basin and the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains in California, Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake that covers over 70 square miles and supports a unique and productive ecosystem. The lake has no fish; instead it is home to trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies. Freshwater streams feed Mono Lake, supporting lush riparian forests of cottonwood and willow along their banks. Along the lakeshore, scenic limestone formations known as tufa towers rise from the water's surface. Millions of migratory birds visit the lake each year.

I came in from the south and east through a great high pass loaded with big fir and remnants of the logging era. Several interpretive plaques explained the role of the lake area in early wood production. Although all the "big" trees are long gone, there were a few older ones that were impressive.

Further along the Tufa area appeared, a very interesting trail near the shore through all the formations!

I found a nice quiet County park on the north end of the lake, great place to boondock for the evening.

A three mile walk the next morning led me to a high plateau overlooking the lake, with a small community graveyard.  Most headstones were either modest or "hand-made".

I did some birding that morning, predominantly robins & cowbirds, along with a few Wilson's warblers.

Nearer the shore, I saw a few of those birds the lake is well known for:

Later that morning, I drove back along the highway and enjoyed even more the backdrop of the Sierras in the morning light!

FIRST SNOW!

Decided to jump over to Hwy 395 which parallels the east side of the Sierras, great choice, probably one of the most scenic highways in the west.

Yosemite is just over the mountains!

Along the Road - Up Hwy 95 from Vegas

Just a few interesting sights:

An artist decided the outdoors must be graced with a nice place to sit, so this beautiful mosaic was the result!

MOre!

Rhyolite Ghost Town

 

Very interesting stop along the way, just east of Death Valley NP about 30 miles is this old ghost town that flourished between 1904 & 1908 then was abandoned after the short-lived gold was gone.

As one first enters town, you can't help but notice an interesting, more modern structure off to the right.  Since Kim & I had done some bottle wall construction both at Mike Reynold's Earthship community, and on the Mermaid Cottage we worked on in Del Norte, CO, I had to take a closer look!

 

 

Walking up towards what appeared to be the main part of town the place was absolutely deserted!

 

It felt strange walking up what apparently was "Main St." with so little left now compared to the town at it's peak!