Along for the ride: Lava Beds National Monument

The next morning we pack up early to explore Lava Beds National Monument before the day gets too hot. A warming trend/heat wave is moving into the area and the days are getting progressively warmer.

South entrance in to Lava Beds

First we check out the Visitor Center and find out one of the main activities is exploring the park's lava tube caves. The park is home to over 500 caves of which 20 - 30 are open to the public in different difficulty ranges from easy to most challenging. I immediately decide to stick to only the easy ones.

View of the Tule Lake valley from Lava Beds Visitors' Center

The first cave Peter wants to explore is Valentine's which was discovered on Valentine's Day in the 1930's. The cave has a large entrance cavern with both a left and right tunnels splitting off.

Peter at the entrance to Valentine's

Left tunnel

Right tunnel

Peter chooses the right tunnel and I follow slowly behind as my headlamp isn't as bright as I would have liked it to be. All of a sudden Peter starts waving his hands and retreats back to the entrance. Apparently, a few bats had taken up residence in this cave.

Looking back at entrance from right tunnel

Ack! Bats! I'm out of here

After the experience with the bats, we decide to try out the very easiest of the caves - Mushpot - which is right behind the Visitors' Center. It has a paved lighted pathway with kiosks along the way pointing out various features of the cave and how they were formed.

Mushpot by entrance gives the cave it's name

Lighted pathway with info kiosk

Melted walls from the hot lava
that once flowed through the cave

Collapsed lava tube at the end of the cave

Peter going through a narrow passage

The caves are surprisingly cool once you get just even a few feet into them. In fact, several of the caves have frozen lakes and unusual ice formations in them. We figure the air pockets in the hardened lava provides particularly good insulation from the hot summer temperatures above ground.

Air pockets in a lava rock

Obsidian - volcanic glass - is also abundant in the area
and much valued by the native people for tools and weapons

Back at the Visitor's Center we meet Jim who's walking from Glendale, AZ to Seattle, WA pushing his camping supplies in a small cart. We had seen him resting in the shade the day before alongside the road.

He's a really interesting guy... to find out more about his quest, see:

www.facebook.com/jimwalkstoseattle

Since Alaska calls to us, we decide it's time to saddle up and head north. On our way out of the park, we pass a large cinder cone with a forest lookout tower on top. Although it would be fun to hike the trail to the top to see the view, we don't stop. We do stop at the overlook for Devil's Homestead an 'A'a lava flow.

Cinder cone

Devil's Homestead

We take the road out of the park and come to Captain Jack's Stronghold. During the late 1800's the Modoc Tribe rebelled against being forced on to the same reservation with their sworn enemies the Klamath Tribe. A small band of only 60 Modocs warriors held off the US Calvary for many months and in fact inflicted heavy casualties on the US Troops while only suffering a few losses themselves. Finally the Modoc War ended, when they were forced to surrender after the US Calvary cut off their water supply.

Road leaving Lava Beds from the North Entrance

Captain Jack's Stronghold

When we first come up to the Stronghold, it doesn't look like much, only a pile of lava rock on a small hill. It's hard to imagine as a famous stronghold... but then as we hike into it, we discover a series of narrow passages much like we imagine the trench warfare was like in World War II.

Entering the Stronghold

Passages get narrow

Lichen covered lava

After awhile it becomes obvious why the Modocs were able to hold the Calvary at bay for so long.

Peter demos Captain Jack's Command Post

Narrow trench like passages

Captain Jack's family cave

The Stronghold still has a magic despite the tragedy that took place here.

Mount Shasta is visible from many points

Medicine Pole

A butterfly feasts on wildflowers

Sadly, the majesty of Tule Lake has been much diminished by farmers draining over half of the lake to make fields. The lake once lapped the edges of the Stronghold and what is now the dry cliffs at Petroglyph Point were once part of a separate island in the vast shallow lake.