mmm4444bot
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Had time to rent a car and drive into CA to visit the lava tubes, yesterday, while in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on a layover. There are over 500 known lava tubes within the Lava Beds National Monument. I had only tennis shoes and a lame flashlight, so I didn't venture more than 200 feet into any of the five tubes that I entered. The last two images are stock. The tubes are pitch black, so I could only photograph near the access points -- not good enough to visualize the tube formations; those ferns are located in a tube that contains native remains, thus access without prior arrangements is limited to Modoc tribal members. The nicely-developed tube (with lighted path) was removed from the others far enough that I could not drive there (it started snowing, and I didn't want to get stuck). I only had a few hours; I'd like to return -- with better lights!
The peak in the background (Schonchin Butte) is what's left of the Medicine Lake volcano, associated with the tubes.
This is the entrance to the Golden Dome tube, so named because algae on the walls resembles gold when illuminated. I could not hike to its dome "chamber" -- to see the gold -- because the tube floor was way rough for casual footwear.
The peak in the background (Schonchin Butte) is what's left of the Medicine Lake volcano, associated with the tubes.
This is the entrance to the Golden Dome tube, so named because algae on the walls resembles gold when illuminated. I could not hike to its dome "chamber" -- to see the gold -- because the tube floor was way rough for casual footwear.
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