April 3rd and 4th - Lava Fields

When Harold and Joyce told us we were going to drive 425 miles in one day to get to a special campground, well ... (even though I know they are going to read this!!!!) ... we thought they were crazy. But, we have travelled MANY miles with them, so we just figured we would go along with it! After all, it was only one day, and the days ARE getting longer now, so we wouldn't likely be driving in the dark. Of course, it didn't help that we were so awe struck by the Salt River Canyon that we spent an hour there!

Now, as I mentioned before, we have travelled many miles with H & J, and as such, are very familiar with their driving habits. However, Harold DOES now have his beautiful new diesel unit, so....... maybe those driving habits have changed. But, does he REALLY think he's driving a grand am racing car?????????? hmmmmmm We did make it to that "special" campground (alive, I might add) and indeed it WAS special. It was in the Valley of Fires Recreation Area in New Mexico. Special wasn't just the only word you could apply to it. Spectacular, incredible, awesome, staggering.... all are apt words to describe this park. We took a short hike before dark, and then were up bright and early the next morning to take in the whole trail.

The harsh and beautiful Carrizozo Lava Flow developed from extrusions in the earth's relatively thin crust in the area. Lava vents extruded lava which flowed on the earth's surface about 1,500 to 5.000 years ago, making this one of the youngest lava flows in the Continental US. Mount St. Helen's (we've been there too) erupted in the early 1980's, but it did not create a lava flow. The Craters of the Moon National Monument (which we have also visited) also had it's last activity about 1,800 years ago. Similar to the Carrizozo Field, CoftheM was created by lava bubbling up from lava vents.

The lava flowed south down the Tularosa basin, burying everything in its path except for the lnd where the campground is situated and a few other similar islands called Kipukas. The flow is 2 to 5 miles wide and 44 miles long. In places the lava is 165 feet thick and has a surface area of 127 sq. miles. The lava is olivine basalt, similar to Hawaiian lava flows. The lava basically filled the floor of an ancient seabed from 130 to 140 million years ago. Little Black Peak far to the north of the campground, is said to be the last vent that opened in the area and is higher than the rest of the lava flow.

Unlike Craters of the Moon, the Carrizozo Lava Flow is abundant with plants, birds and animals. We saw a few birds, including a turkey buzzard, and a couple of accommodating little squirrels who graciously posed long enough for me to get some photos of them. An interesting thing about the animals on the lava flow....their coloring is darker than their non-lava cousins. On the opposite side of the scale, the little creatures in the nearby White Sands area are lighter colored than normal. Nature has a way of taking care of her little creatures by allowing them to adapt to their environment for their own protection.

Also unlike the Craters of the Moon, most of the flow that you are allowed to see consists of pressure ridges, gas bubbles that have collapsed and a few small collapsed lava tubes. The bigger tubes are up around Little Black Peak, but we didn't go up there. There are basically two types of lava, both of which have Hawaiian names. The ropey-looking lava is called Pahoehoe; and the blocky, jagged lava is called aa (pronounced ah-ah).

After completing our hike, we packed up to hit the road again. Driving in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma is, to say the least, exciting. The darn wind never stops blowing!!!! One of the worst driving conditions for a motorhome is heavy cross winds. We haven't been able to figure it out yet that no matter what direction we are heading in, nature throws either a direct cross wind, or a head/cross wind at us!!! Has it NEVER heard of a T A I L W I N D???!?!?!?!?

We spent a restless night in a truck stop (I never do these well as I imagine every bad thing in the world that can happen to us and stay awake most of the night waiting for one disaster or another!!!) and were up again early the next morning heading for a real RV park in Oklahoma City. One thing about being an insomniac in a truck stop is that you get to view the parade of trucks and their drivers and watch in awe as they whip in and out of parking spots as if they were driving a Smart Car!!!! Some of those trucks are fancier than our motorhome inside! Amazing things.

We started out in the dark, as the winds build during the day, so if we hit the road early enough, we can also get off the road early enough!!!! Chico assumed his usual position.... sleeping in his bed on the dash!!!!