Heading for the lava beds we had a very scenic drive with Mount Shasta (pictured below) in view for most of the trip!

We explored cold, damp, dark caves created by lava tubes at Lava Beds National Monument. The park counts more than 300 caves of which we explored four! The visitor’s center provided us with flashlights and safety information and we were on our way! We were grateful we had our hiking boots, as lava is very sharp!

Lava Tube with collapsed roof creating natural lava bridge and garden.

Mushpot, the first cave, was part of the visitor’s center. It had lighting installed as well as informational plaques. Other caves included, Golden Dome, named for the color a bacteria within the cave appears when lights are shined on it, Hopkins Chocolate, named for the similarity of the cave’s walls and chocolate, and Catacombs, a cave where multiple lava tubes intertwine and separate are the remaining caves we had time to explore. Each one sharing similar qualities yet unique in their creation. Flashlights were due by 5:30 so sadly we returned them and moved on to explore sites from the Modoc Indian War.

2500 - 4500 year old Petroglyphs at Petroglyph Point Lave Beds National Monument

This turbulent rugged landscape was home to the Modoc Indians for centuries. Their way of life changed forever with the arrival of settlers in the 1850’s and the forced relocation to reservations. The Modocs under the leadership of "Capt. Jack" held off a growing army, nearly 20 times larger, for five months. It was quite evident to us how the landscape, lava beds, and vegetation offered a great stronghold for the Modocs. Our last stop was Petroglyph Point. Over 5000 symbols are visible, making it one of the largest rock art concentrations in North America. These creative carvings are from a people who inhabited the area from an estimate of 4500-2500 years ago. Unfortunately these irreplaceable glimpses into the minds and spirits of those who have gone before us are vulnerable to vandalism and wind erosion. Shotgun marks are evident on one of the pictures above. We’ve left enough of our own "mark" on this great planet… let us "walk lightly" among those left before us.

[San Francisco] [Napa Valley] [Lassen Volcanic National Park] 

[Lava Beds National Monument] [Crater Lake National Forest]