Day 18, Craters of the Moon NM

We started the day sleeping in longer than we have in this whole vacation. Hallelujah! We then drove an hour and a half to Craters of the Moon National Monument. The volcanic lava flows and calderas made it seem like we were on another planet. It was neat to see the way the lava had dried, in wavy ripples and sharp rigid chunks. We even got the chance to hike up a giant cinder cone and get a 180-degree view of the volcanic fields around us, which was pretty cool. With all the craters that you find here it’s no wonder why it was named Craters of the Moon.

I was totally at ease until Dad mentioned that the rangers had said, “This place explodes every 1,000 to 2,000 years and it’s been more than 2,000 years, so it’s due to explode at any moment.” Wonderful, another place that can explode in our faces! With spatter cones, which are just miniature volcanoes, all over the place and multiple volcanoes along the Snake River Plain, the desolate beauty of it all makes it worth the trip. Despite the hot temperature of the day, we even found a pile of snow and ice at the bottom of one of the cinder cones.

We then headed to some caves that were formed by the lava which once flowed beneath the surface. When we walked the .8-mile trail to Boy Scout Cave and saw that we needed flashlights, we reluctantly headed back to the car to get our tiny camera flashlight. When we finally got back to the car Dad decided that we would only hike the trail to Indian Cave, because the cave-ins made it possible to navigate without the assistance of flashlights. When we finally got to Indian Cave, the largest cave in the area, we climbed down the stairs and made our way through the giant lava tube. Having to scramble over fallen rock piles at some points made the experience even more fun, and even though I was a little grumpy about having to hike the trail twice, I still enjoyed the cave.

After spending 3+ hours at the Monument, (longer than we had planned) we headed back to our hotel around dinnertime. Hungry for a variety of foods, we decided to eat at a Golden Corral, which we got a discount on thanks to our hotel. The food was delicious and we had no trouble filling both our plates and our stomachs. Towards the end of the meal a balloon artist came over and made a T-rex for me (which I named Rex) and a monkey for Jessie (who sadly remanded nameless). The artist was really funny as he sculpted our creatures, and whether he intended to be amusing or not we still had a good time talking to him. These balloon animals were the coolest things, and I was amazed at this guy’s wicked skills. Once we got back to the hotel, we took pictures outside the lobby with them so we’d still be able to have a souvenir long after they deflated. Later that night, after Dad mentioned that we wouldn’t be able to bring them on the plane, Jessie gave her monkey to a little girl in the hotel pool when she and Dad went swimming.

It was an easy, slow-paced day, but it’s something that we will never forget. Even with our vacation winding down we have still managed to have a blast out here as we continue to explore the Northwest. A lot of the places we’ve visited are locations that I one day hope to bring my children too, so that they have as much fun as I have while they explore and learn about these awesome parks.