Lavabeds 2 - 01

Desert / Ghost Town Trek #16a

Lava Beds National Monument 2, August 2008
Lavabeds 2 - 01

Lavabeds 2 - 01

19 Aug 2008 41
We spent a day at Lava Beds National Monument on our 2004 Northeastern California desert trip, and returned in 2008 for a three day stay to camp and visit all the caves.
Lavabeds 2 - 02

Lavabeds 2 - 02

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The caves are a series of lava flow tubes that form a myriad of rooms, shafts, blowholes, and collapsed trenches.
Lavabeds 2 - 03

Lavabeds 2 - 03

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Lavabeds 2 - 04

Lavabeds 2 - 04

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Close up of some of the drippy lava at the cooling stages.
Lavabeds 2 - 05

Lavabeds 2 - 05

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Lavabeds 2 - 06

Lavabeds 2 - 06

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This is the Valentine Cave, with a large circular room at the entrance.
Lavabeds 2 - 07

Lavabeds 2 - 07

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Lavabeds 2 - 08

Lavabeds 2 - 08

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After checking out Valentine Cave on the way in, we learned there was a substantial fire in progress in the park. The campground was closed, and whether the park would be open the next day was in question.
Lavabeds 2 - 09

Lavabeds 2 - 09

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Closed campground was not a problem, as it prompted us to check out some public lands west of Tionesta, CA. This is not quite a true desert trek, but this area is arid, just a few miles from the end of the great basin, with sandy volcanic soil, so it has the feel of one.
Lavabeds 2 - 10

Lavabeds 2 - 10

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Lavabeds 2 - 11

Lavabeds 2 - 11

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Thankfully the park was open the next day and we got to caving.
Lavabeds 2 - 12

Lavabeds 2 - 12

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Labyrinth Cave.
Lavabeds 2 - 13

Lavabeds 2 - 13

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Lavabeds 2 - 14

Lavabeds 2 - 14

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Lavabeds 2 - 15

Lavabeds 2 - 15

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Lava Brook Cave.
Lavabeds 2 - 16

Lavabeds 2 - 16

20 Aug 2008 45
As the sign says, here is the Lava Brook. A small trench that cooled after the larger main tube we are walking in.
Lavabeds 2 - 17

Lavabeds 2 - 17

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Crawling into a more unusual elevated mini-shaft.
Lavabeds 2 - 18

Lavabeds 2 - 18

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It leads to a chamber I can then stand up inside. Cool!
97 items in total