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.