Like a dazzling patch of Pahoehoe in a sea full of ‘a’a

We stopped in Craters of the Moon National Monument after leaving Stanley and Sun Valley, ID.

We stayed two nights in the campground (10 bucks a night, cheap!) and this is really a nice little, hidden jewel of a park.

The rangers tell me the campground rarely fills up and the park is never very busy. Nice.

The monument is a huge, ancient lava flow with examples of lava usually only seen in a couple of places like Hawaii. Lava called Pahoehoe and ‘a’a (Hawaiian words) are found all over this park.  Pahoehoe is the prettier, more graceful, twisted rope/pulled taffy looking lava and the ‘A’a is the ugly, chunky blocks of lava (eye of the beholder I suppose).

There is virtually no cell service here, i.e. no phone, no internet, a technological dead-zone!  You may not believe this and some of you may be too young to know what I’m talking about, but Tina had to use, wait for it…  a Pay Telephone to setup our next campsite reservations!  A Pay Telephone!  Didn’t know they still existed. It’s kind of like reading a Paper Newspaper… nobody does that any more! Fortunately the Info center has a pay phone (or maybe that was their museum).

Day 1:

Arrived and got a campsite.

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Grilled some hot-dogs on the grill then relaxed in the shade of my fine RV, patio awning for a while.

As the sun set we went for a drive around the scenic loop to watch the moon rise and get a quick look at the area.

Right off the bat we caught the attention of a cute little fox.  He was fascinated with our Jeep…  see the video

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The next image is a little blurry, but we saw the famous Winnie the Pooh lava formation!  Can you see him too?

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We also walked along the Volcanic Spatter Cone trail under a romantic blue moon…  There’s nothing quite like a volcanic spatter cone under moonlight to melt your wife’s heart.

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As we drove back to camp we saw bats, owls and deer starting to get out and begin their nocturnal roamings.

Day 2:

Get out early (Yep, 7:00am) and drive the loop road again and this time take the Broken Top loop trail and then drive to the caves and visit the Indian cave (lava tube).  Guess who used to live there? Yup, Indians.  The Indian cave hike (800 ft long and 50 ft deep) is a must!  Way cool.

Broken Top Loop Trail

IMG_20150731_072328181    IMG_20150731_072256063_HDR                    IMG_20150731_073600514  The shorts were hard to keep up because instead of bringing a day pack I stuffed my water, flashlight, sunflower seeds and other essentials in my shorts’ pockets… Cargo shorts are so cool and still hip (Especially when filled with cargo)!

It’s amazing all the vegetation that can grow up out of volcanic rock.

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There were a couple of large caves along this trail. And you are allowed to climb in them!

“I’m goin’ in!”

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It’s spooky down here!

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“Come on down Honey!  It’s fine!” (There she is at the entrance).

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Aaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!  What touched me???!!!!!!

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“It was just me!!  Hehehehe”

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“I hope that volcanic bridge doesn’t collapse under your weight!”

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But the coolest cave was Indian Tunnel.  Here’s where my cell phone battery died! No more Pictures!  Fortunately I brought my GoPro knock-off that I bought from my buddy Miguel.  Thanks Miguel!  (Note to self: Fix date/time stamp on camera)

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Here we gooooooooo…..

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Ladies first.

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Made it out!!!  Yeah!!

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Now the Video.

Action! Adventure!  You’ll be on the edge of your sea!.  This video may be too exhilarating and hair-raising for children or persons with weak hearts.   You must see the end to know if they make it out ALIVE!  These are not actors.  This video captures actual events as they happened.  You’ve been warned.

Craters of the Moon Monument is definitely worth a visit.  Though the lava flow fields are huge and extend for miles, the park itself is not that large.  You can see the whole park in a full day, or you can take a bit more time and hike some of the longer trails (even overnight backpacking).  If you just want to relax and take it easy this is a very quiet park and campground (at least it was while we were here).

Next we’re heading towards Jackson Wyoming… or somewhere…??

Could this trip get any better?

E-

 

2 thoughts on “Like a dazzling patch of Pahoehoe in a sea full of ‘a’a

  1. Eric sounds like you are still having a blast… you could write a book… but wait… that’s what you doing isn’t it? Enjoy your travels…cheers

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