Big Butte
I-20 in Idaho is a long and empty road with little to look at. Partway through the state, I came upon three large buttes sticking up on the landscape - finally something to break up the flat country! I was on my way to Craters of the Moon National Monument - described by President Calvin Coolidge as "a wierd and scenic landscape peculiar to itself" when he established it as a National Monument in 1924. The astronauts trained here before heading to the moon in 1969 because it was thought this terrain resembled the surface of the moon (they were wrong).
I drove through the park and climbed to the top of North Crater. The view from there is great. The trail is a bit steep, so not too many people were up there.
North Crater trail
And it was really windy up there. I drove the loop and stopped to hike the Caves Trail. I wanted to explore some of the lava tube caves, but I didn't have much of a flashlight with me. I hiked out to Boy Scout Cave and didn't pass anyone on the trail. I was by myself and realized that if something happened to me, it might be a while before someone came along. It would be so easy to get lost out there. Black lava extends as far as the eye can see. And it is deceiving - it looks flat, but up close, there are many bumps and ridges along the way. I popped in Boy Scout Cave and didn't even make it to where I couldn't see light from the entrence. It was a little scary. All alone, very dark, rocks everywhere, loose rocks, water dripping, did I mention all alone? I climbed down a short drop and after almost hitting my head, I decided it was too dangerous to be in there alone and went back out.
So back outside, I finished driving through the park and took off. I was going to camp there, but I decided to see how much further I could drive. Off to Oregon!
