I was totally wrong about the lava flows here! They aren't the result of an erupting volcano (as previously posted), but rather lava coming up through holes in the ground called "vents." The swath of black rock extends for 44 miles, with widths ranging between 2 and 6 miles. At the deepest part, it is 165 feet deep! The campground is right on the edge of the flow area, and there is a short, accessible nature trail that takes you through part of the area. Today the wind is forecast to be about 30 mph, with gusts up to 65! Fortunately, we hiked the trail before the winds really got going! It's also really cold here; we had to dig out the knitted sweaters!
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| Interesting shapes, cliffs, holes, and ridges abound |
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| Flowers will bloom, even in this barren landscape |
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| This view is towards the campground - that's our Chinook on the ridge |
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| Weird, ripple-y lava flow |
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| More ripples |
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| Some cracks |
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| A 400 year old juniper tree |
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| Can't have a blog post without cactus blossoms, can I? |
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| A long view |
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| Cracks and ripples |
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| Ripples and cracks |
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| The indomitable flower spirit |
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| More oddly-textured rocks |
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| This is the view away from the lava beds, from our campsite. Those distant mountains were completely obscured by dust yesterday; the wind changed direction this morning, blew the dust away, and there they were! |
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