October 3, 2019 Lava Beds National Monument, California

We spent the day touring in the park. We only saw about half of what we wanted to see, will have to come back. The monument has 800 lava tube caves. Only 23 have been adapted for touring. 

The entrance coming and going to Valentine Cave.  It is 1635 feet long. It says most people have to duck in some places, duck-walk in some places and crawl if you go through the whole cave. It also has steps down into it. This is a shot of John in the cave. It is lit up with our flashlights. They said to bring at least three , extra batteries and wear a helmet. We stopped at the place where you have to duck-walk. John would have gone to the end, but not me, I am very claustrophobic. Very cool cave. 

The floor of Valentine cave is pahoehoe lava. The molten lava moved slow and formed ropy like formations. It is like walking on top of a huge cow pie. This is the floor illuminated with my flashlight. These cool phacelia seeds were near the entrance. Surface of lava. John is standing by the trees on the lip of this huge round sink hole. It was formed by ceiling of one of the lava tubes collapsing.

The entrance of Big Painted Cave coming and going. There were some pictographs painted on some of the rocks in here. But the natural formations and colors were better.  This cave is 266 feet long. It had stone steps in. It was mostly lit up by the mouth of the cave. No crawling or ducking in this one.

Symbol Bridge cave is 148 feet long, with stone steps in. There was this huge tree growing on the ledge over our heads, looking like is would cave in at any time. It had much better pictographs painted on the rocks. The orange lichen really added to them.  

I liked these guys in Symbol Bridge cave. A red indian paintbrush, flowers on a bush and a little 2 inch long lizard. 

Skull cave is named for the many animal and few human skeletons found inside. It is a very big and deep cave, 580 feet long with an ice lake in the bottom. Much of the wildlife goes in there for water, that is why the skeletons. There is no surface water in the lava beds, the visitors center has to pump it up from 1,000 feet below, so caves with water are a big deal. The pattern on the ceiling near the mouth, called the twilight zone and the beginning of the cave. It had a very nice rock paved path and a million steep steps down. This is one of the skulls in the cave.  

 

Petroglyph point is on this huge rock. In ancient times this whole valley was a lake, the rock was an island. The native americans who made the petroglyphs had to come out in a canoe and carve them. the Corps of Engineers drained the lake to make farmland for the homesteaders. Most of the water is now used for irrigation. The panel is about 300 feet long along the base of the rock. There are about 5,000 symbols are carved in the cliff making it one largest rock art concentrations in North America. This glyph is used on the brochures for the point.  

I like this part of it because I see a palm tree over waves and a sun in the sky. Beach property. This part is a little different style than the rest.  

The CCC built a fence around the panel to protect it from vandals. Outside the fence there is all kinds of graffiti carved right over the petroglyphs. Castle Rock is near  Petroglyph Point. 

A big rainstorm blew up in the afternoon. It rained on us as we viewed the rock art and it rained all evening off and on. Flower buds, a rare lava rock anemone, a historic sign from the Calif State Auto Assn to the Lava Beds and seen at an RV park, Don't forget TV ant, awnings, steps and wife!