One More Otherworldly Stop

A-caving we will go; Photo: Caty Stevens

We had finished our planned activities and we were heading back to Willows, California, where we would spend the night before flying home. I picked Willows when I couldn’t find any hotels with vacancies near the Sacramento Airport and I saw that Willows was near a National Wildlife Refuge where maybe I could do some birding.

It turns out that we didn’t do that much in Willows because we decided to go see another National Monument on our way down: Lava Beds.

Another new one

Lava Beds National Monument

Located in northeastern California just south of the Oregon border, Lava Beds National Monument lies on the northeastern flank of Medicine Lake Volcano and has the largest total area covered by a volcano in the Cascade Range.

A little detour; Map: NPS

Lava Beds has 72 square miles of volcanic formations, including fumaroles, cinder cones, spatter cones, pit craters, hornitos, maars, lava flows, volcanic fields and numerous lava tubes, of which 27 have marked entrances and developed trails for public access and exploration. It has the largest concentration of lava tubes in North America.

A lava tube

The majority of cave-forming basaltic lava flows in the monument originated at Mammoth Crater, covering roughly 60 percent of the surface of the Park. Roughly 90 percent of the lava is basaltic, both smooth, ropy pahoehoe and rough, jagged ʻaʻā. Most of the rest of the lava in the monument is andesitic, an extrusive rock intermediate in composition between rhyolite and basalt. Pumice, a type of rhyolitic lava, rained down on the area around 900 years ago during the eruption of Glass Mountain.

Devil's Homestead Flow; Photo: NPS

The flows from Mammoth and Modoc Craters comprise about two-thirds of the lava in the monument. More than 30 separate lava flows in the park range from 1,110 to 2 million years old.

Lava flows dated to about 30,000 to 40,000 years ago formed most of the lava tubes in the monument. As the hot basaltic lava flowed downhill, the top cooled and crusted over, insulating the rest of the lava and forming tubes. Lavacicles on the ceiling of a lava tube were produced as the level of lava in the tube retreated and the viscous lava on the ceiling dripped as it cooled.

Lavacicles

Lava beds is interesting because it allows unsupervised entry to a wide variety of tubes, which are rated according to difficulty. Some require hardhats. Some require crawling (and knee-pads). Some require squeezing through passageways as small as 12" in diameter. The Rangers at the Visitor Center assist visitors with assessing what equipment is needed. the Park sells, rents and lends equipment, as well.

Cave selfie

Caty and I visited two of the tubes, which are often called caves even though their structure and formation is quite different. Of course, we picked easy, no-crawl tubes. 

Some of the others gave me heebie jeebies just hearing the descriptions.

Located near the Visitor Center, Mushpot has a 770-foot- long paved path, dim electrical lighting and interpretive signs. 

You have to climb down a metal ladder, but it's a very easy, non-scary walk.

The trail through Mushpot Cave

Take a walk here.

Skull Cave was a little more interesting. It has an even constructed trail and a series of metal ladders that take you down to the floor of the cave, which is perpetually covered in ice. I expected more of a skating rink, but the ice, separated from the trail by metal bars, was gray and dirty looking. Not too exciting.

But, going in the cave was a unique experience for us since we had never been in a cave alone without a guide.

Coming out into the light; Photos: Caty Stevens

There is no lighting, so I took my phone, a headlamp and a flashlight. Hey, I wasn’t taking any chances!

Skull Cave is even shorter than Mushpot and is considered good for people who don’t like tight, closed-in spaces. 

Skull Cave

It is wide and high because it is a remnant of three very large lava tubes, one on top of the other, that collapsed together.

You can see the lines between two tubes

It is named for the bones of Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep and two human skeletons discovered inside.

It was hot outside and comfortable but not cold in the tubes. In Skull Cave, the railings on the metal stairs were cold, getting colder and colder as you climbed to the ice bottom. I wish I had had gloves because we had to stop a few times and warm our hands. 

Down to the ice; brrrrrrr

The Park materials describe great diversity in wildlife. We didn’t see much except some Red-tailed Hawks and an American Kestrel (Lava Beds has recorded 24 species of raptors).

We saw this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk on the road to the Park

We saw a few grasshoppers in the Park and thousands on the highway in.

Band-winged Grasshopper

There are Bats and concerns about white nose syndrome. I was wearing different clothes and shoes and Caty disinfected her shoes. They told us that they weren’t too concerned about people coming from Oregon Caves because it hasn’t had white nose issues, but they are trying to protect the caves.

Historically occupied by the Modoc people, Lava Beds was the site of the Modoc War in 1872-1873. 

Kintpuash; Photo: The Oregon Encyclopedia

A group of families had escaped the Klamath Reservation in Oregon, to which they had been removed so European Americans could take their lands. 

Led by Kintpuash (also known as Captain Jack), they used the lava beds as a defensive stronghold to resist being captured and returned. 

Taking refuge in a natural lava fortress that was later named Captain Jack's Stronghold, a group of 53 men and their families held off U.S. Army forces, amounting to ten times the Modocs' population, for five months.

 Captain Jack's Stronghold; Photo: USGS

In April 1873, at a peace commission meeting, Captain Jack killed General Edward Canby while associates killed one and wounded two other commissioners. The Modoc mistakenly thought the Americans would leave if their leaders were killed. Instead Army reinforcements were brought in and the Modoc were eventually forced to surrender. Kintpuash and his associates were convicted of war crimes for the murders and executed by hanging at Fort Klamath.

Lava Beds was established as a national monument in 1925 and was expanded to include Lava Beds National Wilderness in 1972.

It was enlightening; Caty in Skull Cave

Tule Lake National Monument

As we were leaving to continue on to Willows, we stopped to take a look at Tule Lake National Monument, which is on the highway into Lava Beds. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open, so all we could do is read the interpretive signs and look at the distant buildings. 

It looks like NPS administrative buildings or a dude ranch

It is the site of Tule Lake War Relocation Center, one of ten camps constructed in 1942 by the U.S. government to incarcerate Japanese Americans forcibly removed from their homes on the West Coast. Prisoners reached nearly 120,000 people, more than two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens.

Telling a tragic story

In 1943, the facility was renamed the Tule Lake Segregation Center and used as a maximum-security segregation camp to separate and hold prisoners considered disloyal or disruptive to the operations of other camps. This included draft resisters and people who protested injustices, including by their answers on a loyalty questionnaire. At its peak, Tule Lake Segregation Center had 18,700 inmates and was the largest and most controversial of the ten camps. Almost 30,000 people were held there over the four years it was open.

Make no mistake; it was a concentration camp; Photo: Discover Nikkei

After the war, it became a holding area for Japanese Americans slated for deportation or expatriation to Japan, including some who had renounced U.S. citizenship under duress. Many joined a class action suit because of civil rights abuses; many gained the chance to stay in the country through court hearings but did not regain their citizenship due to opposition by the Department of Justice. The camp was not closed until March 20, 1946, months after the end of the war. Twenty years later, members of the class action suit gained restoration of U.S. citizenship through court rulings.

Starting in 1974, Tule Lake is the site of biannual pilgrimages by activists calling for an official apology from the U.S. government for the injustices to Japanese Americans, both citizens and non-citizens. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, included an official governmental apology for the injustices and payment of compensation to camp survivors. A similar law was passed in 1992 to provide for compensation to additional Japanese Americans.

NPS tour; Photo: Klamath Falls Herald and News

The National Monument consists of three separate units: the Tule Lake Segregation Center near Newell, California, nearby Camp Tulelake (where we stopped) and a rock formation known as the Peninsula/Castle Rock near Newell. The Tule Lake Segregation Center is solely managed by the National Park Service. Camp Tulelake is jointly managed by the NPS and United States Fish and Wildlife Service; the USFWS manages/owns the land and the NPS maintains the buildings and provides interpretive programs. Peninsula/Castle Rock is solely managed by the USFWS.

The End of a Great Trip

Then, we headed down the highway, stopping a few times for some nice birds. 

Juvenile Western Bluebird

After we got to Willows, we decided we wanted to go see the Barbie Movie and were shocked that the closest theater (that we could find) was 30 miles away in Chico. We drove through miles and miles of farms to get there, but the movie was fun. 

The next morning, we got up early, drove the hour to Sacramento and flew back home.

Another fun trip!

Trip date: July 29 - August 5, 2023

Crater Lake and Waterfalls

Crater Lake

After visiting the tide pools, Caty and I headed north for our last stop: Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon. 

As I mentioned, Crater Lake has been a real challenge for Caty. The first time we tried to go, we had to completely change our plans because of severe forest fires. Then, when she went with her friend, Marcie, the smoke was so thick they could barely see the lake. 

This time, we were hoping for clearer skies. I have already blogged about Crater Lake National Park, so I will spare you an overview of the Park and the Lake, except to say that Crater Lake is a remnant of a destroyed volcano, Mount Mazama, and is the deepest lake in the United States, the second-deepest in North America and the ninth-deepest in the world. 

The deepest part is 1,949 feet

We planned this trip on relatively short notice, so we were not able to stay in the Park (that turned out later to be a blessing). But, we found a cute little lodge, Union Creek Resort, about 35 minutes away. Yeah, 35 minutes seems far (and it is), but there is very little close to the Park. 

Pleasant and (kind of) near; Photos: Tripadvisor

The Lodge was old and quaint, but comfy. And, the restaurant across the street, Beckie’s, was really good.

Go for breakfast, but get there when the doors open! Photo: Union Creek Resort

Crater Lake National Park

We were happy when we arrived Crater Lake to find that the sky was relatively clear. There was a little haziness, but it was minor compared to what we had seen before. 

It was fairly warm with very little remaining snow

So, we drove Rim Drive one way and then the other way to take photos. The road is normally a circle, but a small section on the far side was under construction, so we had to do one side, loop back, drive the other and then loop back again.

Vidae Falls on the south part of Rim Drive that pulls away from the lake

When we planned the trip, we discussed taking a boat tour of the lake. I had done it in 2019 and loved it. 

On a boat you get closer to the Phantom Ship

But, every time we tried to book a tour, the website said, “Yes, we are opening this summer, check back to book.” In May, that made sense. In June, it made sense because summer comes late at Crater Lake, with Rim Drive not even opening until mid-July. So, OK, July. But, by August 1, opening for the summer seemed unlikely.

When we were by the Visitor Center, we saw a Ranger sitting on the rim and we asked him what the deal was. He seemed a bit annoyed that we asked (maybe he was off duty, but he was in full uniform, flat hat and all) and he took a loooong time to explain.

The short story is that they had gotten new boats, airlifted them down to the lake and fully trained the crews. All that remained to be done is to get Coast Guard Certification and the Coast Guard was taking its sweet time. So, no boats for us. It appears that they did finally open after we had left.

The water is snow melt and rain; there are no streams in or out

There’s not a lot to do at Crater Lake. Most of the hikes near the lake have no shade, so we really didn’t want to do that. Others are away from the lake and what’s the point of that? So, we drove and took pictures ...

Wizard Island and beyond

... and then took more pictures ...

The red formation is called Pumice Castle

We went briefly to the Visitor Center, which was actually temporarily combined with the store while the real VC was being renovated. It was way too crowded to stay more than a minute. In fact, the whole area near the Lodge was crazy crowded. Then, the farther you got along the Rim Drive, the better the crowds got.

We had made reservations to eat at the Crater Lake Lodge restaurant because, from time to time, we like to eat at those classic National Park facilities. 

The room is beautiful and the food was good; Photo: National Trust for Historic Preservation

The service was a little wonky. I got the impression that our server was inexperienced and his English wasn’t very good. He was pleasant, just a bit distracted.

After dinner, we tried to do some nighttime photos over the lake as the Moon rose.

The Moon was so bright that it just wasn’t working

The drive back was dark, dark, dark. But, we made it.

Oooops

Our plan the next morning was to drive into the Park and stop at Mazama Village, which is just inside the south entrance, to get gasoline. We knew that there were not any other close gas stations. Then, we’d explore some more and wing it.

Gas in the Park is a nice plus; Photo: Bipper Travel

When we arrived, the pumps were shut down with just a small “out-of-order” sign. Uh Oh!

We couldn't tell what the problem was or how long the pumps would be out of service (we had gas, just not enough to travel far and back), so we walked over to the camp store to ask. It was closed. Hmmmm. 

Then, over to the restaurant. Dark and empty!

Around front, we saw a sign, “Closed due to Power Outage.” Then, we saw a Crater Lake Hospitality truck and we asked the guys in it what was happening. Well, apparently, some Park workers had severed the main electrical cable while doing road work. The power was out everywhere in the Park and perhaps beyond it and would probably be out all day. We were so glad we weren’t staying at the Lodge (no showers, no food, no lights …).

Crater Lake Lodge; Photo: NPS

Our only issue was gasoline. Since we didn’t know how bad the power issue was and we did know there was power on at the Union Creek Resort, we headed back that way and well beyond to the closest gas station, which was in the town of Prospect, almost an hour away. 

Driving two hours round trip is better than running out of gas, so, we did it

When we got back to Crater Lake, the smoke in the air from distant fires had gotten worse. 

Before and after some PhotoShop and Topaz photo processing

We looked a bit …

Nice reflection

Took some photos …

Wizard Island

Admired some Clark’s Nutcrackers …

The adult, right, was feeding the youngster, left

Pretty Waterfalls

And, then, decided to go investigate some waterfalls in Umpqua National Forest north of the Park. We drove out of Crater Lake's south entrance and up a highway through forest, some burned out from past forest fires. We were hungry and drove and drove and drove looking for a picnic area. Finally, we gave up and stopped in an empty campground. Not five minutes later, we found the first of the waterfalls we were looking for (and it had picnic tables!). 

Clearwater Falls

The first falls we visited was Clearwater Falls, a small cascade that flows out of some dense old growth forest and tumbles over moss-covered fallen logs. 

Marcie and Caty

Because the falls are fed by a spring not too far upstream, they have a consistent year-round flow unlike other falls that swell with snow melt and disappear by late summer (or are affected by dams). 

Clearwater Falls is shaded and spring fed, making the air around the falls delightfully cool, even on a hot day. Caty and Marcie had picnicked at there when they visited (and it was even hotter).

The best way to view the waterfall is to take a short ADA-accessible path to a wooden observation deck.

Then, we headed on to Whitehorse Falls, where the river sluices through a narrow trough in rhyolitic bedrock and falls 14 feet over a wall into a punchbowl pool below. 

Whitehorse Falls

There is a viewing platform that is reached via a short walk from the parking area. There is a campground and picnic area (yeah, another one), as well.

Watson Falls

Then, we headed down the road a little further to Watson Falls.

We had only stopped and looked at Clearwater and Whitehorse Falls because they were easily accessible, but Watson was farther. 

So, we decided to walk up the “easy” path to see Watson up closer.

I am such an idiot. I believed the easy designation (I mean, it was less than a half mile to the top!). I had on open-toed shoes. I didn’t take a walking stick. I had heavy two cameras.

It was a lovely hike and would have probably been fine in hiking boots and with a stick. As it was, it was steep and a bit treacherous. The pay-off at the top was good, but there were a few scary moments. I don’t know why I can’t learn! 

Ok, maybe worth it!

Watson Falls flows from Watson Creek, a tributary of the Cleawater River. With a 294-foot drop over a basalt lava flow, it is the highest waterfall in southwest Oregon and the third highest in the state. 

The trail climbs through a lush, green understory of bushy plants and lots of ferns ... 

The canopy

... with an overstory of tall, shady Douglas-fir and hemlock trees. 

A wooden bridge crosses Watson Creek and offers some good views of the falls, but it isn't appreciably closer than the start of the trail. 

We could have stopped there, but we were already part of the way up, so we kept going.

Then, the path started a pretty steep zig-zig climb. There are some places with nice fence wooden railings, so, except for scree getting in my shoes, it wasn't too bad.

Caty's shot

We pressed on to the base of the falls, which is obscured by boulders. 

Back down the trail a little way, you can climb over some rocks for a better view, but I had already decided I had on stupid shoes and I hate rock scrambling. I was fine staying on the trail.

Caty climbed part of the way and said it wasn't too difficult, except getting back down while trying to juggle a camera. Her efforts paid off with a photo of the complete waterfall, something you can't get from any of the sanctioned viewpoints.

Here's a video of the falls ...

Still, I got some nice photos.

From the top

Coming down without a stick and those shoes was not as easy. Luckily, the trail splits part of the way down and there was a less steep option back to the bottom.

Done!

A long drive

There were more waterfalls down the road, but it was getting late and we were tired. We were told that Toketee Falls is gorgeous, but, honestly, we were done.

So we drove the long trek back to Union Creek (going through the Park so we could see the northern part). We had a yummy dinner (and delicious pie) at Beckie’s. 

We were thankful that we had one clear day at Crater Lake and one day that was OK after being able to Photoshop the pictures.

 

It cleaned up good

We were happy we didn’t stay at a Lodge with no power or services. We were relieved that we didn’t run out of gas. And, we were happy we had visited the Umpqua waterfalls. 

A good day

Tomorrow, we would drive almost all the way back to Sacramento before heading home the next day.

Trip date: July 29 - August 5, 2023