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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 21, 2018 10:27:26 GMT -5
We went on a field trip with the CFMS (California Federation of Mineralogical Societies) to Lavic Siding on 2/17/18. We have been wanting to hit Lavic for some time now, finally a chance to go! We didn't officially decide to go until two days before, so not a lot of time to get ready. The field trip was only on Saturday, a one day event. Driving that far, we would normally have taken the trailer, stayed a couple days and returned Sunday. But the weather was expected to turn windy Sunday (and it did!), and we didn't want to drive home in that. Conversely, we didn't want to get up at o'dark thirty Saturday morning (meet up time was 8 am.), drive 4 1/2 hours up, spend the day hounding, and drive home in one day, either. So we drove up late in the morning on Friday, and found the location using Blue Sky Susan's Bluesky78987 trip report from 2012.
pizzano, in the ZZyzzyx thread thread, you had expressed an interest in rock hounding up that way - North Cady Mtns, Lavic, areas east of Barstow. This would be a great trip for you! Great rocks are plentiful, it's easy to get in and out of, and - most important - you will not have to scratch up your new Jeep. Momma will be happy!
We arrived with enough daylight left to do a little hounding Friday afternoon.
The moment we stepped out of the truck, our eyes were bombarded with lots of colorful Lavic jasper!
These photos don't do the rocks justice. Jasper everywhere!
Looking north towards I-40.
mrrockpicker
Looking towards the south and Lavic Lake (dry). The best hounding area is in the foreground and down the hill a little, and where the field trip was led to on Saturday morning. We camped here Friday night, cooked dinner on a seldom-used Coleman stove, and had a small fire in this fire pit. It got cold! Bottled water inside the cooler in the bed of the truck froze! Despite the cold, someone saw a 3 1/2 foot rattlesnake before 8 am Saturday. Guess the cold don't bother the big 'uns.
Chips of all sizes. Met someone in the group that lived nearby, he came to get tumbler fodder. Lots of that here.
We stopped before going down this hill.
The area was a military training area, and is marked no trespassing. This photo from the internet, I neglected to take a photo of one of the signs. Lavic Lake in mid distance to left of photo, the black stripe to the center and right is lava field. Some people seemed to feel the danger of bodily harm by UXO (unexploded ordnance) was overblown, but if you value your life more than picking up rocks, heed the signs. There is ordnance out there.
After we spent a cold (Did I already mention it was cold?) and uncomfortable night in the truck cab, the rest of the field trip pulls in Saturday morning.
A lot of vehicles! Didn't actually count them, but had to be more than 25.
Once the sun was up for a while, it warmed up nicely. Everyone got out of their vehicles with buckets/rock bags in hand, and scattered to all points of the compass! Still early in this photo, a little after 9 am. But it never got too hot. Had just a slight breeze, never got windy. It was a Goldilock's day, just right!
Lots of smaller pieces, larger chunks you have to walk a little farther for, look a little closer. The largest piece of Lavic Jasper I brought home somewhere just over five pounds.
Looking to the southwest, and the off limits area.
Back up the hill towards the vehicles.
Okay, what you've been waiting for - the haul. This just a small fraction (1/10th?) of it, only went through a couple buckets to this point.
Beautiful colors and patterns.
Tried to only collect the denser, "more-likely-to-take-a-great-shine stuff' but also brought home some leaverites, lol. You know how it is. If you go, be sure to HIGHGRADE! The selection of good rock is nearly limitless, take your time and collect only the best.
Some striped.
Some banded.
Some brecciated.
Some more solid colors. But most has inclusions or patterns of some kind.
Dirt washed off, but still dull outer coloring.
Oops, bad color adjustment.
Some is reminiscent of jasper from Brenda, AZ.
Chalcedony filled vugs.
I'll quit before I totally overload you with rock photos. Have some in the tumbler now, will see how they come out.
If you follow the directions Susan provides in her trip report, like we did, there is just one little thing I'd like to clarify.
Directions say to turn off I-40 at Hector Road, and get on the National Trails Highway (old Route 66) headed east. It seems the road has not been repaved since approximately 1966 either, as it is quite rough, I had to slow down. But passable for all cars. Avoid this road if you're planning to rollerblade! When the road crosses the tracks, you turn east on a dirt road paralelling the tracks on the south side. Little brown BLM "Road Open" stakes were present in abundance, and reassuring.
First, let me say we didn't think Old Route 66 was so bad. Either it has been repaved since 2012 when Susan was there, or we are simply used to much worse, lol. Make sure you turn east just as you hit the railroad tracks, not when. Although she said to parallel the tracks on the south side, I misread it, and we turned east on the north side of the tracks. Doh! There was a soft patch of sand on the north side (no problem if you are used to driving soft sand), but the biggest problem is the hounding area is on the south side of the tracks, so you have to cross over at some point. We simply went farther east than we needed to, went through a tunnel underneath the tracks, then turned right (west) on the other side. Probably wasn't more than five miles out of the way. On the drive out, we went back the way we should have come, the dirt road was fine, not soft. Although most people on the field trip were driving trucks and SUVs, a variety of cars made it into the meet spot, including a Prius! A little bit of clearance would be preferable, but quite accessible with a passenger car, as long as take it slow, and don't do anything stupid! Unless it gets muddy, 4 WD not required. Wonder what these current rains are doing to the area?
Thanks for looking! Jean
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zekesman
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2016
Posts: 637
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Post by zekesman on Mar 21, 2018 10:50:34 GMT -5
Nice trip report and great rocks. Thanks. Vic
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 21, 2018 11:08:10 GMT -5
Nice pickin's. Lots of color. Another great trip report. I love how you give such good directions and advice. If I lived out that way, it would be super helpful.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Mar 21, 2018 11:45:15 GMT -5
Cool! Love the pics. Looking forward to seeing how they come out!
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Post by fantastic5 on Mar 21, 2018 11:54:02 GMT -5
Love your trip reports! And beautiful material. I especially like the ones with the filled vugs
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Mar 21, 2018 13:10:43 GMT -5
We went on a field trip with the CFMS (California Federation of Mineralogical Societies) to Lavic Siding on 2/17/18. We have been wanting to hit Lavic for some time now, finally a chance to go! We didn't officially decide to go until two days before, so not a lot of time to get ready. The field trip was only on Saturday, a one day event. Driving that far, we would normally have taken the trailer, stayed a couple days and returned Sunday. But the weather was expected to turn windy Sunday (and it did!), and we didn't want to drive home in that. Conversely, we didn't want to get up at o'dark thirty Saturday morning (meet up time was 8 am.), drive 4 1/2 hours up, spend the day hounding, and drive home in one day, either. So we drove up late in the morning on Friday, and found the location using Blue Sky Susan's Bluesky78987 trip report from 2012.
pizzano , in the ZZyzzyx thread thread, you had expressed an interest in rock hounding up that way - North Cady Mtns, Lavic, areas east of Barstow. This would be a great trip for you! Great rocks are plentiful, it's easy to get in and out of, and - most important - you will not have to scratch up your new Jeep. Momma will be happy!
We arrived with enough daylight left to do a little hounding Friday afternoon.
The moment we stepped out of the truck, our eyes were bombarded with lots of colorful Lavic jasper!
These photos don't do the rocks justice. Jasper everywhere!
Looking north towards I-40.
mrrockpicker
Looking towards the south and Lavic Lake (dry). The best hounding area is in the foreground and down the hill a little, and where the field trip was led to on Saturday morning. We camped here Friday night, cooked dinner on a seldom-used Coleman stove, and had a small fire in this fire pit. It got cold! Bottled water inside the cooler in the bed of the truck froze! Despite the cold, someone saw a 3 1/2 foot rattlesnake before 8 am Saturday. Guess the cold don't bother the big 'uns.
Chips of all sizes. Met someone in the group that lived nearby, he came to get tumbler fodder. Lots of that here.
We stopped before going down this hill.
The area was a military training area, and is marked no trespassing. This photo from the internet, I neglected to take a photo of one of the signs. Lavic Lake in mid distance to left of photo, the black stripe to the center and right is lava field. Some people seemed to feel the danger of bodily harm by UXO (unexploded ordnance) was overblown, but if you value your life more than picking up rocks, heed the signs. There is ordnance out there.
After we spent a cold (Did I already mention it was cold?) and uncomfortable night in the truck cab, the rest of the field trip pulls in Saturday morning.
A lot of vehicles! Didn't actually count them, but had to be more than 25.
Once the sun was up for a while, it warmed up nicely. Everyone got out of their vehicles with buckets/rock bags in hand, and scattered to all points of the compass! Still early in this photo, a little after 9 am. But it never got too hot. Had just a slight breeze, never got windy. It was a Goldilock's day, just right!
Lots of smaller pieces, larger chunks you have to walk a little farther for, look a little closer. The largest piece of Lavic Jasper I brought home somewhere just over five pounds.
Looking to the southwest, and the off limits area.
Back up the hill towards the vehicles.
Okay, what you've been waiting for - the haul. This just a small fraction (1/10th?) of it, only went through a couple buckets to this point.
Beautiful colors and patterns.
Tried to only collect the denser, "more-likely-to-take-a-great-shine stuff' but also brought home some leaverites, lol. You know how it is. If you go, be sure to HIGHGRADE! The selection of good rock is nearly limitless, take your time and collect only the best.
Some striped.
Some banded.
Some brecciated.
Some more solid colors. But most has inclusions or patterns of some kind.
Dirt washed off, but still dull outer coloring.
Oops, bad color adjustment.
Some is reminiscent of jasper from Brenda, AZ.
Chalcedony filled vugs.
I'll quit before I totally overload you with rock photos. Have some in the tumbler now, will see how they come out.
If you follow the directions Susan provides in her trip report, like we did, there is just one little thing I'd like to clarify.
Directions say to turn off I-40 at Hector Road, and get on the National Trails Highway (old Route 66) headed east. It seems the road has not been repaved since approximately 1966 either, as it is quite rough, I had to slow down. But passable for all cars. Avoid this road if you're planning to rollerblade! When the road crosses the tracks, you turn east on a dirt road paralelling the tracks on the south side. Little brown BLM "Road Open" stakes were present in abundance, and reassuring.
First, let me say we didn't think Old Route 66 was so bad. Either it has been repaved since 2012 when Susan was there, or we are simply used to much worse, lol. Make sure you turn east just as you hit the railroad tracks, not when. Although she said to parallel the tracks on the south side, I misread it, and we turned east on the north side of the tracks. Doh! There was a soft patch of sand on the north side (no problem if you are used to driving soft sand), but the biggest problem is the hounding area is on the south side of the tracks, so you have to cross over at some point. We simply went farther east than we needed to, went through a tunnel underneath the tracks, then turned right (west) on the other side. Probably wasn't more than five miles out of the way. On the drive out, we went back the way we should have come, the dirt road was fine, not soft. Although most people on the field trip were driving trucks and SUVs, a variety of cars made it into the meet spot, including a Prius! A little bit of clearance would be preferable, but quite accessible with a passenger car, as long as take it slow, and don't do anything stupid! Unless it gets muddy, 4 WD not required. Wonder what these current rains are doing to the area?
Thanks for looking! Jean
Thank you so much Jean ...........sorry about adding your "quote" here.
We look forward to the trip....more now than ever.........Momma was really glad to here her Jeep won't suffer....lol
I'll post a separate thread after we harvest.....from the looks of your trip, we'll bring "two" 5gal buckets this time.......!
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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 21, 2018 13:25:16 GMT -5
You are most welcome, pizzano. Everyone here is willing to share and enlighten. We brought home about ten 3 gallon buckets (all we brought!) full of Lavic goodness. Where is it you are located? A lot of club's in SoCal have field trips on a regular basis. While most probably would like you to be a member to participate, it is not always necessary. The field trip to Lavic was sponsored by one of the big umbrella club, CFMS. If you belong to any club in SoCal, these are the guys that oversee them. FYI - You can edit quoted material before you post to remove the photos. Easiest to do on a desktop computer (with actual "keys" lol), but maybe possible from a phone or tablet. To remove just photos, select and delete each one. Sorry, had 29 pics in this thread. What Susan said in her thread (about being selective) definitely applies. Walk a half mile with your eyes closed so that you are not picking anything up, then pick rocks up on the way back to your vehicle, lol. It is permissible to camp at the Lavic location. Next time we go, we'll definitely bring the trailer (wall heater!) and spend several days there. If you are in a tent, make sure you have warm sleeping bags, a big dog or two, or a heater. In case you hadn't already figured it out, rocks are addictive!
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Post by MsAli on Mar 21, 2018 13:42:35 GMT -5
Great trip report Jean and nice haul!
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Mar 21, 2018 14:55:00 GMT -5
You are most welcome, pizzano . Everyone here is willing to share and enlighten. We brought home about ten 3 gallon buckets (all we brought!) full of Lavic goodness. Where is it you are located? A lot of club's in SoCal have field trips on a regular basis. While most probably would like you to be a member to participate, it is not always necessary. The field trip to Lavic was sponsored by one of the big umbrella club, CFMS. If you belong to any club in SoCal, these are the guys that oversee them. FYI - You can edit quoted material before you post to remove the photos. Easiest to do on a desktop computer (with actual "keys" lol), but maybe possible from a phone or tablet. To remove just photos, select and delete each one. Sorry, had 29 pics in this thread. What Susan said in her thread (about being selective) definitely applies. Walk a half mile with your eyes closed so that you are not picking anything up, then pick rocks up on the way back to your vehicle, lol. It is permissible to camp at the Lavic location. Next time we go, we'll definitely bring the trailer (wall heater!) and spend several days there. If you are in a tent, make sure you have warm sleeping bags, a big dog or two, or a heater. In case you hadn't already figured it out, rocks are addictive! We are in Yucaipa CA..........we have the Yucaipa Gem and Mineral Society here........they are a "pay to play" club and have trips every couple of months....wasn't aware that CFMS provides oversight........I have visited their museum a few times, seems they are more interested in renting out there "equipment" shop rather than hosting or "giving out" info related to local hounding locations.
I spent time with a couple of folks over there a couple of weeks ago. It was like pulling teeth getting any info on the Crafton Hills material.....even after I had "diplomatically" stated I was a casual rock hound and had no intentions of searching for "gold" or any "valued" material.......lol Both "older" individuals I spoke just tried to sell me books, memberships and rent cab equipment..........didn't even bother to tell them I'm a local land surveyor/civil engineer type interested in "rocks".........Guess I looked to "professional" or educated........next time I'll go dressed like a miner and see how they respond......lol
Ya, I knew after I posted that I could "modify" your quote......was in a hurry....I'm baby-sitting my 4yr old grandson, he wanted to spend time with me before I head-out to my son's place in Utah tomorrow.......If that doesn't keep me young or kill me, I'll be rock hounding a few more years longer....lol
I'll keep in mind the "picking" selection aspects.......my wife has a real good eye and is very picky......so that shouldn't be a problem. Since we live only a couple of hours from Lavic........day trips won't require overnight stays.......we have a big dog who may like getting out and stretching his legs......lol
Thanks again......I may have referenced you as "Pat" in another thread......sorry for that......you're the rockpickerforever I was eluding to previously related to as the "honest and straight-forward" resource I was hoping to find here at RTH..........you're a blessing to us and a great source of info I might add....!
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vwfence
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2013
Posts: 557
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Post by vwfence on Mar 21, 2018 14:59:06 GMT -5
The is an area right where 66 crosses over I 40 on the south between I 40 and the railroad tracks where lots of folks camp and you can litterly collect right there with some nice stuff . there is also a place by the Hector exit that you can camp at that is not so close to the trains
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Mar 21, 2018 15:05:54 GMT -5
The is an area right where 66 crosses over I 40 on the south between I 40 and the railroad tracks where lots of folks camp and you can litterly collect right there with some nice stuff . there is also a place by the Hector exit that you can camp at that is not so close to the trains Thanks for that.....we'll keep I eyes wide and open........never realized how much "good" stuff could be found outside of Barstow........Opal Mtn. only opened a can of worms for us......now we're gonna go fishing even more......lol
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vwfence
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2013
Posts: 557
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Post by vwfence on Mar 21, 2018 15:44:01 GMT -5
There s more collecting north of 40 , but you should have 4 wheel drive
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Post by aDave on Mar 21, 2018 18:52:21 GMT -5
Nice report Jean rockpickerforever and nice material. FWIW, I get the least amount of pitting when tumbling the striped and banded stuff, although the other material turns out quite nicely with some minor flaws. I wondered about the effect of rain myself. I drove by the area the other day on the way back from AZ but didn't stop. It was tough since I love going out there, but we didn't have any room in our two buckets as they were filled at Dobell's. Shoot, gotta work on the trip report. Thanks for sharing. vwfence, do you access the north side via the powerline road off 66? If you are willing to share info, please drop me a PM. No issues if it's a secret. Thanks.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,598
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Post by Mark K on Mar 21, 2018 19:32:37 GMT -5
I love my 20 pound boulder of premium quality Lavic. A good friend walked right by it seconds before I picked it up out of the dirt.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 21, 2018 19:54:46 GMT -5
Excellent trip report, Jean! Lots of great pictures, too. Thank you.
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Post by aDave on Mar 21, 2018 20:24:24 GMT -5
I love my 20 pound boulder of premium quality Lavic. A good friend walked right by it seconds before I picked it up out of the dirt. How did Scott miss it?
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,598
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Post by Mark K on Mar 21, 2018 23:15:31 GMT -5
He was looking for stuff that was so supreme that the queen wouldn't be able afford it.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 22, 2018 3:53:10 GMT -5
Always love your trip reports, Jean. I may never get to hound Lavic, but doing it vicariously through you ain't so bad. Some nice material you picked up, too!
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Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 22, 2018 9:22:36 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your comments, glad you enjoyed the report.
Let's see if I can address any questions.
Nice pickin's. Lots of color. Another great trip report. I love how you give such good directions and advice. If I lived out that way, it would be super helpful.
Thanks, Tela. Have a bunch of smalls rolling in the tumbler. Need to clear off the patio and uncover the saw. Although not all of the larger rocks are saw worthy, I think a lot of them will make some nice slabs/cabs.
Cool! Love the pics. Looking forward to seeing how they come out! Susan, I totally credit your trip report from 2012 for making me want to go! The chance to partake of the fieldtrip was just the final shove. I loved your trip report, and all your colorful photos. I'm also looking forward to the tumbles, but may take a while. If I had a stacked saw blade grinder, a little pre-grinding would speed things up a bit. Thank you.
One thing I noticed on the trip, that unless one has been there before, one might not understand. There is a huge lava flow to the west, indeed, this is where the Pisgah Crater is located. Even when the sun is shining brightly, to look upon that lava field you experience an optical illusion of sorts. The dark color of the lava makes it look as if the lava field is in the shade of a huge cloud, even when it is not. Just a weird observation...
Love your trip reports! And beautiful material. I especially like the ones with the filled vugs
Thank you, Anne. The one with the red filled vugs is one that reminds me of the Brenda jasper. Have collected some of that from field trips with the RTH gang on several trips out to Q. Have to wonder if there are any fossil fish in the jasper out at Lavic?
Nice report Jean rockpickerforever and nice material. FWIW, I get the least amount of pitting when tumbling the striped and banded stuff, although the other material turns out quite nicely with some minor flaws. I wondered about the effect of rain myself. I drove by the area the other day on the way back from AZ but didn't stop. It was tough since I love going out there, but we didn't have any room in our two buckets as they were filled at Dobell's. Shoot, gotta work on the trip report. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Dave. So far, I've only tumbled Lavic that I did not personally collect. There is certainly a learning curve to picking out the better material, brought many "leaverites" home, lol. I think what is currently in the tumbler is pretty hard and fracture free. Will open both barrels today to check on them, it sounds like the slurry is a little thick again.
Although one thinks of deserts as being dry, rain and subsequent flowing water is the biggest shaper of desert landscapes. If as much rain falls as expected, you can bet that more rocks, especially in the washes, will be exposed. I also like to rockhound in the rain, as the water wets the rocks and cleans them off for a better view. But I have seen flash floods in the desert, so know to stay out of washes during inclement weather. Some of the dirt/clay in our usual haunt, out at Ocotillo Wells, can turn to quagmires! The best mud tires in the world are put to the test to keep one from getting stuck! Over all the years we have been going there, have only seen water flowing (slowly) in Tarantula wash a time or two.
I love my 20 pound boulder of premium quality Lavic. A good friend walked right by it seconds before I picked it up out of the dirt.
Mark, been there, done that. Sometimes I am the lucky finder of the rock, sometimes I have been the one that walked past it, lol. Sometimes have seen a rattlesnake sitting just off a trail, seconds after two people right in front of me walked past it. Good eyesight helpful for rockhounding, both for safety's sake, and for getting the goods.
Always love your trip reports, Jean. I may never get to hound Lavic, but doing it vicariously through you ain't so bad. Some nice material you picked up, too!
Thanks Randy. I try to make them interesting! Who wants to read a boring story? Lol. Hoping the tumbles come out awesome.
Now that I have a little free time, I was going to post photos of the last tumbler batch. I already have photos uploaded to Flickr (a long time ago), I had put them in an album entitled "Batch Three Tumbles" uploaded last August. But it appears I have already posted a thread on them. Will have to look at my tumbler records, and see if I have done a batch since then. If so, I need to take photos yet. Since I do that outside, and the weather is a little dark and wet, will have to wait for another day. IF there are new ones, that is. Will have to take a look.
Jean
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Mar 22, 2018 10:14:04 GMT -5
"One thing I noticed on the trip, that unless one has been there before, one might not understand. There is a huge lava flow to the west, indeed, this is where the Pisgah Crater is located. Even when the sun is shining brightly, to look upon that lava field you experience an optical illusion of sorts. The dark color of the lava makes it look as if the lava field is in the shade of a huge cloud, even when it is not. Just a weird observation..."
EXACTLY! It looks soooo much like the shadow of a cloud, your mind keeps looking for the cloud!
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