Barf Vader Lives on the MOON!

I forgot to post these on the Yellowstone post so I'll post them here.  I have to say that Wyoming has amazing sunsets!

Beautiful Sunset in Wyoming!

Loving the peek a boo sun!

The day after Yellowstone we traveled to Idaho.  We went to Craters of the Moon State Park! Be prepared it's a picture of.... duh duh duh... another sign!

Love this sign!

 Let me start by saying that driving there was quite possibly the most boring drive (other than the high desert in Nevada and Kansas of course)  Everything was flat farmland until you hit the lava fields.  Then it actually resembles a moon scape except the temperature was more like the surface of the sun than the moon.  HOT! HOT!! HOT!!

Notice the desert like conditions and the stark piles of lava?

It's true.. this tree is looking at me!

We hit the visitor's center first because of course I have to get either a thimble or a magnet from the places I visit:0)  They had some pretty unique pieces to read about and feel, which is great for me because I don't think you've actually visited a place until you have felt something there.
They described how the trees actually twisted and turned to survive as there was a constant wind blowing.  There was but it was still hot and even with sunscreen one of us got fried! 
It was a cool tree to feel and on one side--it was looking at me!

Barf Vader the unsquished version

We went into another part of the display  and I made a startling discovery!  Barf Vader lives on the moon!!!  Okay so it only resembles the moon but still he's there.  I actually saw a squished one (ba bump) on the road but thought the museum display picture would make people a little less sick...

Yummy!  Spiral lava bomb

We also learned about Lava Bombs.  My favorite are the spiral lava bombs. They get their shape as the twist and turn and cool while being hurled in the air.They kind of remind me of an ice cream cone although if you tried to eat one you wouldn't have a face for very long.

Tommy and I at the top of Inferno cone

After the visitor's center we went on the seven mile loop drive.  They had lots of trails but we only did a couple.  We were on a time limit and the temperature there was half past hell and a quarter to the surface of the sun.  Tommy and I climbed up inferno peak.  Looking up I was like okay we'll go to the top snap a couple of pictures and be done.  I got to the top or what I thought was the top only to discover ANOTHER freaking hill that was hidden on top of the first.  Pant ...Pant... I pushed on and Tommy that little weasel was already at the top--- UNFAIR!  Anyways. Got to the top and the view was great!  Stayed up there for just a few minutes and then headed down.  Down is always good!

Mom and Tommy in front of a Castle looking crater fragment

Before Inferno Cone we all went on a nice flat walk and looked at some amazing lava structures. You wouldn't think such stark landscape would be appealing but it has a strange sort of beauty.  Some of the crater fragments even looked like something a human would create!

Tommy climbing to view a volcanic crater.

This crater still had ice in it!

We went on to another crater fragment and looking down in it --- it had ice!  An unbelievable feat for how hot it was!

Either there are ghosts, my aura is pure

 or my mother took this picture....

Mom and Tommy hamming it up in Indian Tunnel

Then we went on to the lava tubes!  Lava tubes are holes in the craters that lava came out of.  After the volcano became extinct the empty lava tubes remained. The cool thing about Craters of the Moon is that you can climb through them.





Mom and Tommy went down into the tunnel with me but after a few yards the tunnel was collapsed and it was unsafe for both Mom with her knees and Tommy with his balance to continue.  Against my mother's wishes, I, of course went and climbed all over the broken pieces and out the other side.  On the map provided it shows that a trail from the end of the tunnel back to the paved path was available so I knew it wouldn't be a problem.

The end of the tunnel.  You climb under the arch and then out through a hole into the heat that is Idaho!

 I went under the small arch and then out through the hole.  You have to literally crawl out onto the sun baked lava and then stand up.  Unless you have really long leg there is no way you could step up.  Incidentally... this is why I had jeans on.  I knew I'd end up crawling/climbing on something.  When I got out I saw a sign that said to follow the markers to the main paved path.  Expecting to see a dirt trail, worn trail etc, I was surprised to see these markers and even more surprised to find myself carefully stepping myself back along the tunnel.

Really?  this is the marker trail?

Along the way I was able to look down into the tunnel where it had collapsed and into the "sun roof" so it was well worth it and now I can cross climbing out a lava tube off my bucket list.