2 Backpacks, 2 Bikes, a Van and a plan..: In the Shadow of Volcanoes

It seems like we have been traveling in the shadow of volcanoes for months now (which we have), and yet we are still amazed at the foreign landscapes and geological wonders along the "Ring of Fire". No, not Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire (although that, too is pretty impressive), I'm talking about the Pacific Ring of Fire. The term generally refers to the ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean, including those in the cascade range that dot the landscape of California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. If you have followed our blog these past summer months, you know we have visited numerous volcanic sites in central and northern California, many along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Well this past week, we added two more amazing volcanic lands to our repertoire. Lava Beds National Monuments, and Crater Lake National Park.

Lava Beds National Monument is a strange land formed by a half-million years of surface lava flows from one massive volcano, Medicine Lake Volcano whose many eruptions over thousand of years spewing lava, gases, rock and cinders have left in it's wake an odd environment that seems more like the surface of the moon than northern California. One of the main features of this National Park are the caves created by lava tubes that once flowed hot and fast through the land, leaving behind hollow tubular caves as they emptied and hardened. Some of these caves have been developed by the Park Service, including the installation of lights and walkways, while others are available for exploring in their original state (providing you wear appropriate gear and adhere to park rules).

While I will admit to being a bit of a "fraidy cat" about going too deeply into the many more challenging caves (some were a mile long and required hands and knees exploration, including crawling through spaces less than 12" high at places), we did explore some of the easier ones and traveled a short way into some of the more seriously challenging ones. I suspect Andre would have been willing to go further into the caves than I was willing to go - but as we do everything as a team, my half of the team said No Way! And he respected that. None the less, what we did do was pretty amazing.

One of the more developed caves, fully lit and amazing

No lighting in this one, except the natural light at the entrance

Schonchin Butte, a cinder cone in the park with a fire lookout atop

Cave entrances like this were all over the park enticing visitors below

These volcanic ash and rock fields covered much of the land along the roadsides

Next up was Crater Lake National Park, a completely different but no less stunning landscape, further up the ring of fire in southern Oregon. Formed by a massive volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago of the once mighty Mount Mazama, Crater lake was formed when the violent release of gas and magma from deep under the mountain literally blew away the top half of the mountain. The mountain then literally collapsed around itself creating a deep crater that eventually filled with rain and snowmelt, creating the Nation's deepest lake (1,943 foot deep at its deepest point). There are no rivers that flow in or out of the lake, it's water is solely comprised of thousands of years of rain and snowmelt giving it a clarity and purity like no other body of water on earth. As you will see from the photos to follow, Crater lake is stunningly beautiful - one of the most peaceful and beautiful places we've ever been.