Thursday, June 13 Today marks the start of our 2ndweek traveling! We left Lava Hot Springs before 8:00 with only a bit over 100 miles to travel to Craters of the Moon. We left the beautiful low peaks and grassy slopes behind for a flatter plain with some crops (potatoes?) – all irrigated. Traveling on a state route the facilities were 60 miles apart, and the homesteads (ranches) were few and far between. We passed large solitary mountains (called Buttes) in the distance, and in the last 20 miles we saw a continuous string of mountain ranges covering 180 degrees of our horizon. Closer to our destination, out in the middle of nowhere, we crossed the Big Lost River. That says it all! As we approached our destination, turning off towards the Visitor Center and campground, the scenery changed dramatically as we met up with the lava fields. It was like entering another world; there were a few illustrated turn-outs to introduce us to this new landscape concept. The campground at Craters of the Moon is first-come-first-serve, and we were happy to see that there were plenty of places to choose from; there are no hook-ups.Most of the campsites are pull through sites that tuck the camper away in-between black, rocky, cinder/ boulders. There are nice asphalt roads and camping pads but everything else is rugged rocks and black cinder/soil/dirt. There is a scenic 7-mile loop road that winds over, under, and around the various volcanic features, and has stop-off points for several trails. We drove the loop first to scout out the trails that we wanted to tackle, then; Tom dropped me off at the camper while he went out to explore the cave area. CAVE is still a dirty word to me following my accident last year. There is a scenic 7-mile loop road that winds over, under, and around the various volcanic features, and has stop-off points for several trails. We drove the loop first to scout out the trails that we wanted to tackle, then; Tom dropped me off at the camper while he went out to explore the cave area. CAVE is still a dirty word to me following my accident last year. Here are pictures of Tom's cave visits. When Tom returned we headed out for some of the walks . . . dogs not allowed. We did the Devils Orchard Nature Trail, the Snow Cone, the Spatter Cones, and the Lava Cascades. Also on display were wildflowers that bloom right on the cinder/dirt -- called Cinder Gardens. Tom wanted me to see the start of the hike back to the caves, but a storm moved in and hurried us back to our campsite. There we sat out 20 minutes of hard rain, 5 minutes of pea-sized hail, and a 10 degree drop in temperature. The sun finally came out, the asphalt steamed for a while, and the temperature climbed! After dinner we took a ranger-led hike from the campground up a steep series of inclines to a marvelous overlook of the area. From high up we could see the campground . . . and the Silvermine. Neither of us was up for the ranger program at 9:30! Craters of the Moon is like no other land features we have ever seen. The park is clean, beautifully paved and well-marked. But, more than any other park we have been to, everything preaches about conservation. Admonishments are included in every overlook and trail-path sign. Even the ranger on our evening hike preached and admonished our presence in the area. It was all a bit much, and left us with guilty and negative feelings about even visiting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |