Alder Spring Trail

A face like a smacked bottom!

Calvatia Sculpta

We see this large puffball mushroom in the same spot in spring every year. Supposedly edible.

Boyd Cave

Finally got back to exploring this cave, after the abortive attempt last year due to Carmyn's cave-aphobia. This is a 2000-foot + lava tube, with several tricky to negotiate sections.

This is the 'claustrophobia' crawl-thru, a tight section that requires worm-wriggling techniques for adults.

Hole in The Ground

Today we explored some interesting geological phenomena in the open high desert SouthEast of Bend.

First off was 'Hole in the Ground', which is a huge crater-like depression in the middle of fairly flat terrain. It was created from an old volcano that spewed tons of ash out which landed in a circular pattern around the center and built up over the years.

Jackrabbit carcass. Lots of questions about this :)

Next was 'Fort Rock', a massive rock monolith rising out of the desert. I forget the creation story, but something to do with harder igneous rock that wasn't worn down like the surrounding terrain.