Mother's Day Mini-Vacation, No.19 - Trail of the Molten Land, No. 3

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Ridges and valleys of lava. Yes, indeed. At the top left of this sign, the breach is mentioned as the weak spot in the butte through which the lava flowed southward.
 

The huge orange fiery lava flow on the sign is labeled one of the main gutters. It formed as lava continued to flow from the breach. Lava buried miles of pine forests (equal to 5,000 football fields) as large pulses of it formed the lava levees. The levees are on each side of this photo. Please follow the curving path from left to right. (This part of the trail is that which had been identified as having grades and surfaces that might be challenging without assistance. I didn't walk down there--my goal is to go back and walk there someday, with my sons, of course.) As the path turns right, I hope you can see the tiny informative sign just at the edge of the narrower light gray path. Actually it is the back of the sign--it's black, rectangular and has two skinny little legs. The tiny size of that sign lets you know how far away it is from where I'm standing and how deep this gutter really is. At least I hope that's how you're able to see it in this photo.
 

Maybe you can see the size and distance in this image. Let me know what you think, please. Thanks! The black sign is near the left side of the photo, just below center.
 

While walking through this vast lava flow, I came across an astonishing sight . . .
 

. . . with its own sign.
 

Close-up #1
 

Close-up #2
 

Close-up #3



After we looked around this part of the lava flow, we turned around and headed back towards the visitor center. This is the view along the edge of the lava flow. It just stops. Stops. Amazing.
 

As the trail continued on its way to the visitor center, I took this photo which also gives you an idea of the height of the lava flow.
 

I think the mountain on the left, through the pines, is Mt. Bachelor. Here's a photo that I took of it when I was out on the Trail of the Molten Land. We soon left this all behind and headed for the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. Lamont and Leland wanted me to see some lakes, some mountains, and some snow.

Mother's Day Mini-Vacation, No.18 - Trail of the Molten Land, No. 2

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On yesterday's post, someone commented, describing the trail thusly: "For being universally accessible, the trail looks very unobtrusive." I agree as I walked and enjoyed each sight, including every informative sign.




Step into another world, after you read the first two signs, left to right. Then you come to the top sign just as you're about to set foot onto the trail. Later on you come to turn-offs which would take you onto a different trail, thus the "Beyond This Point" sign. I want to get into better walking shape and visit the Trail of the Molten Land again so that I can turn off onto those other trails and see what I missed this time. For starters, I noticed that they slope downward quite a bit, so I imagine that the view is vastly different.



It began with a bang . . . The formation of Lave Butte. I hope you're able to read some of the sign. My favorite part is What's in a color? It goes like this: Lava Butte is not a solid structure, it's a big pile of gas-charged basaltic rocks known as cinders. Depending on factors such as mineral distribution within the rock and atmospheric conditions, cinders (scoria) can be found in shades of red, black, and even iridescent colors. The twisted tree trunk reminded me immediately of the Loch Ness Monster. Do you agree? Leland likes to take photos from a unique perspective.
 



Great Balls of Fire. I tell you what, when I stopped at this sign and read it, then looked up at the "snowballs" of lava, I was truly amazed. And very excited to be right there, near two "snowballs" formed 7,000 years ago. And there you can see Lamont and Leland on the trail just around a curve from where I'm standing. Once again, you get an idea of the height of these piles of lava.

Mother's Day Mini-Vacation, No.17 - Trail of the Molten Land, No. 1

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Lava Butte Cinder Cone, seen from the trail. I'm very happy that the folks did this: One third of the trail is a newly reconstructed section that is Universally Accessible, and the rangers did a super job on the recent trail construction.
 

Leland's walking beside the lava flow, not too far around the curve to the left--the curve in the trail shown in the first photo. Although I took this photo as we were headed back to the start of the trail, I put it here so that you could get the idea of just how tall that lava flow stands. Leland is right at 6 feet tall.
 

The single tree stands atop the lava flow.

Mother's Day Mini-Vacation, No.16 - I think I can, I think I can . . . walk the Trail of the Molten Land!

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After we left the Lava Butte Cinder Cone, we drove back to the parking lot near the visitor center. The guys assured me that I could walk the Trail of the Molten Land just fine. Am I ever happy to have done that! Come back tomorrow for lots of photos that I hope you will enjoy. And some informative signs.
 

First, though, I couldn't believe my luck when Leland pointed out this little critter on the stump. It he/she a chipmunk?

Here's what I found on the Internet about the trail: Trail of the Molten Land

• This is a great little hike if volcanoes are something that interests you. From Lava Lands Visitor Center in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, this trail meanders out across the basalt lava flow for just a little over a mile to its source at the base of Lava Butte.
• One third of the trail is a newly reconstructed section that is Universally Accessible, and the rangers did a super job on the recent trail construction. Older sections of the trail have grades and surfaces that may be challenging without assistance.
• There are also several new full color interpretive signs that tell the story of the eruption of Lava Butte and the life that now makes the lava their home.