Day 2, Part A - The Lava Tube Adventure

On Nevada State Route 164 headed toward
I-15 and the preserve.

As with any other day trip, we started with a good breakfast.  We got the flat bread sandwiches from Subway, inside the Aquarius Resort, and prepared ourselves for a great day of driving, taking in the glorious sights of nature, and a hike to a lava tube.  Of course, we weren't thinking about any of that with breakfast, we were just enjoying each other's company, as we always do.

Once done, we headed out to the car and got ready for the drive.  Jodi was the driver for the first half of the day so that made Alan the navigator.  He's always really good at that and his thorough research, done just days before the trip, paid big dividends in terms of good directions and awesome views!

Before getting to the Mojave Desert National Preserve, we had about a 2-hour drive ahead of this and we were definitely looking forward to it.  We worked our way north and west, with the goal of getting to I-15 in California that would lead us to Baker, CA, and the start of our day in the preserve.  Everywhere we looked, we saw mountains and in some spots, we were inundated with Joshua Trees and enjoyed every second of it.  You really have to see these beauties in person to realize their size and to see all the amazing details of each branch and the interesting configuration of leaves.  We've got some good pictures of them but they don't do it any justice.  So, next time you're in the area (or when you're out visiting us - hint, hint), you'll have to check them out for yourselves.

Now, let me side step here for a minute.  What do we all instinctively think of when someone says "California"?  That's right, beaches and palm trees.  Okay, some of you probably were thinking about the Beach Boys and all the girls in bikinis; we know who you are.  But what I didn't know about California is that the further inland you go and the closer to Nevada and Arizona you get, you are surrounded by mountains.  Huge, rocky, desert mountains!!!  Seriously, in California!!!  That is one thing that I still can't fully wrap my head around even though I've seen them with my own eyes.  It's a great reminder at how diverse this country is and that we should take more time to explore.  I love traveling to other countries but love traveling throughout this country just as much.  Okay, back to our day trip.  Thank you for indulging me.  I know, you didn't really have a choice; sorry about that.

So finally, after about 2 hours of driving in the mountains, we arrived at Baker, CA.  This is the starting point for our day in the Mojave Desert National Preserve.  First on our agenda was to find the road leading to the trailhead for the lava tube hike.  Well, it wasn't exactly easy.  On their website, the National Park Service describes the preserve as "Desert solitude in Southern California" and they aren't joking about that.  There is no one and nothing around you for miles.  No street signs to guide you down the right road, no friendly local to offer you directions, and the nearest park ranger was about an hour south in Kelso, CA.  So, we had to rely on our directions from the website, our keen sense of direction, and a little guidance from the Ultimate Tour Guide.

With that said, it took us a little work to find the road that we were looking for and, finally, after a little backtracking, we found the "road".  It looked more like a wash, really.  The entrance was wide and bare, nothing to indicate it as a road other than an orange cone sitting by a pothole.  We transversed it with caution, willing to turn back if it got too dangerous.  Thankfully, that caution flew out the window when we came upon our first lava rock wall.  It was taller than our vehicle, about 40 feet high, and went on for what seemed like miles.  I was enjoying it from the comfort (and warmth) of the car while Alan decided to venture out closer to it.  Little did I know that he was going to climb that thing but, thankfully, I had the camera.  He's always so much fun to photograph.  Here are some great shots of the lava tube and Alan, the adventurer.

Looking up the lava wall.

Comforts of the car and the awesome views.

Alan, the adventurer, near the top of the lava wall.

Besides, being the photographer keeps me out of the pictures.  Wait, what?  How did that get in there???

After Alan decided to make sure that my presence on this trip was record for all of history, he took some gorgeous views from on top of the lava wall.

Proof that Alan was on the lava wall.

View of the lava field looking back from the edge.

View of the road from the lava wall.

Now all of this beautiful terrain and exciting adventure was BEFORE we even made it to the trailhead for the lava tube hike, which was supposed to be the day's main attraction.  We're glad that we saw this first, however, because it just got us more pumped and excited for the hike.  After about another 3 miles of driving over washboard jitters, sand trap valleys, and washed out roadways, we arrived at the trailhead and geared up for the hike.  We had to put on our warmer clothes and don our windbreakers because it was cold out, about the mid 40s, and super windy.  I'm so glad that I brought my gloves with me and Alan wished that he had.

The start of our hike.

The captain of Team Aljofred, ready to lead the expedition.

The rear admiral, ready to well...bring up the rear of course.

The hike was a little harder for me than I'd expected but it was also my first since my back injury last March and the first hike in about 4 years; I was definitely out of shape.  So many times I was ready to give up and head back to the car but Alan kept pushing me on and encouraging me.  With that love and support I made it to the lava tube!  I was victorious and reinvigorated for hiking more.  For me, sadly, the lava tube opening only brought anxiety with it but for Alan, it brought more adventure and excitement.  So off he went into the lava tube and here's some of the amazing shots that he took from inside the lava tube, which is essentially a cave.

The ladder leading to the entrance of the lava tube.

At the base of the ladder looking into the entrance.

About half-way back . . .

The inside of the tube was lit by natural skylights.

Looking above ground through one of the skylights.

Another look up; Alan could actually see me through one of these.

Alan looking back from where he had just been.
There was plenty of light to see by once his eyes adjusted.

Sun peeking through a skylight gave Alan an Indiana Jones moment
on his adventure below the earth's surface.

While Alan adventured below the surface of the earth, I adventured above it.  I took in the silence of the solitude accompanied with the brisk cold winds.  I took in the vastness of creation and the craftiness of creatures.  I gained a new appreciation for being prepared, realizing that I really should have had some tissue on me because I'd forgotten how the cold winds tend to make your nose run.  Only a year out of Michigan and I've lost my old ways; dang city slicker.

Headed back to the car for some much-needed warmth.

Once we were thoroughly frozen and had gotten our fill of all things lava, we headed back to the car to warm up, rehydrate, and get a snack before we headed on to our next adventure in the national preserve.  That will be our next entry so stay tuned.