• Mike and Kimberly2026 Leepin’ Across AmericaTraveler
    Bristle cone pine tree, usually thousands of years old1Neat lava ribbonsLava formationsBeautiful wild flowersBristle cone pine treeLava rockCinder HillView from the top of the Cinder hillNeat lava formationThis is lava cool as it formed ribbonsLots of different colors of lichen1Roof of the lava tubeLava tube or bat caveFrom on top of the cinder hill

    Crators of the moon national monument

    May 26 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Today we went to craters of the Moon national monument. This whole area was formed by a volcanic eruption about 2000 years ago.

    So much of the landscape reminded us of the short time we were able to spend on the big island in Hawaii.

    We did several short walks along the boardwalks and one really short hike of the Cinder Hill. There was only 1 “real” hiking trail there and we decided to skip it.

    We also went into what they called a Batcave although it really was a lava tube. The scary thing was that big sections of the ceiling of the lava tube had collapsed. It wasn’t completely dark, there was lots of natural light, but it was scary, knowing that those parts of the ceiling had collapsed at some point in time. It was a cold and rainy day, but we had a lots of fun exploring, even though it is kind of a smaller park. It was also amazing to see all of the wildflowers that are growing in the cinders.    Read more