vacation: lava tubes

Our vacation near the beginning of July started with a trip to the open house at the camp ground where our daughter is going to be for this coming week. Her first sleep-away summer camp.

The first significant stop on the road-trip vacation was Lava Beds National Park, here in California. The area contains number of lava fields and under the flows are some tubes open to the public. The tubes are formed when the outer layer of the flow cools and hardens, insulating the inside and leaving the lava flowing until it drains to some point.


On the way to the entrance to the easiest tube, which, without cavern gear like a good flashlight, sturdy clothes, and helmets, we thought we would try first, we saw a lizard sunning itself on the lava rocks.


Inside this tube there was a paved walkway and path lighting, but my wife and I both managed to hit our heads on the low ceilings. That's why they recommend helmets.


After that tube we went in a few others, but didn't venture too far because we only had one flashlight and there was no light if that one didn't work, we turned it off to see... nothing. Our daughter hit her head in one of these and that was the last one we tried. We had bumps on our heads for days afterward.