Camping in California Part I

Don't ever go to Yosemite. This is at least as much for Yosemite's sake as it is for yours. That's really all I'm going to say about it.

Our first stop of this trip was Lava Beds National Volcanic Monument, which is just south of the Oregon border in California. This was the site of both a huge shield volcano and lake Modoc, home of the native Americans of the same name. Of course the Euro-American settlers killed the Indians and drained the lake to sustain the farms that the settlers came to claim. Along with the fields of lava, there is a battlefield where the American cavalry was held off by a handful of outnumbered Modoc, petroglyphs from the Modoc, and amazing lava tube caves, many of which are hikable. So there's a great combination of historical/cultural and natural. We also saw a buck mule deer walk right next to our campsite early one morning, as well as many pretty birds that we don't see at home.

The most amazing thing we did there was take a trip down an ice cave. Most of the lava tubes were meandering and large, but not very deep. This particular cave, called Skull Cave, was straight down on a twisting, narrow metal staircase. With each step the air got cooler and the metal handrail was soon so cold my hand, which was gripping it for dear life was numb. At the end of the terrifying stairwell there was a metal gate to prevent anyone from going further. We were about to be really disappointed when we noticed that the floor was not actually the floor. Right in front of us the ice was so clear that it was several feet deep, which is why we didn't notice it at first. On the left side of this ice block were a bunch of teeth from something about the size of a dog. Apparently, in drought years both animals and people would come down here to get water. How on earth animals or people made it down without a stairwell is beyond me, but the evidence shows that a lot of the animals at least didn't make it back up. On our way out we noticed that in the sunny entrance there was a carving. Howard, one of the original Euro-American explorers signed his name and date in the rock: 1920!

Campsite, parents and sis in the orange tent, me and the dog in the blue. Notice the brooding clouds in the background.

My messy tent getting aired out.

Harper looks nonplussed as he and I wait for the rest of the family to come back from a hike. I didn't feel well and spent a few hours in camp hydrating and hanging out with the dog.

Ahh, lava rock and sage brush, the landscape east of the Cascades.

The cliff walls that the petroglyphs were carved into. The weren't as high back when the carvings took place, as the lake, now miles away, was a least a few feet deep here.

Some petroglyphs. I took a bunch of photos here, but decided to only post one. It was pretty neat and not something we generally see on our camping trips.

Fields of lava! This place is called Devil's Homestead, which everyone thought was pretty amusing.

Ceiling of Skull Cave.

Dad and youngest sister in the opening of Skull Cave. Couldn't get any shots inside the cave due to the darkness, but I thought this one was pretty neat.