The Caves at Lava Beds National Monument

Ben, Grant, and I drove up here on Sunday of Labor Day weekend (we were staying with Dolores in McArthur) to explore the caves and lava beds.  There's a lot of history about this place.  Stories tell of a band of 60 natives holding off a large group of cavalry, which is understandable what with all the places to hide and hold ambushes.  I imagine it must be like this in Afghanistan, where guerrilla warfare is the way of life.

Grant and Ben explored deeper in the caves than I did.  None had any artificial light source other than the flashlights we carried with us.  I braved a couple of the ones that had handrails and walkways that took us deep into the earth to where ice is constant.  Where the floor was bedrock and uneven, I stayed within sight of the entrance.  If we go back, I want to bring a bigger flashlight.

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One of the few remaining petroglyphs

Grant's "art" - I love this shot!

A view of the ceiling

A collapsed lava tube

This is how steep the stairs were going down into this ice cave

We visited 6 caves and there are still more to explore!  We'd love to introduce others to this marvelous place, so if you're in the area, give us a call!