It’s less than an hour’s drive from Lone Pine to Fossil Falls, California.
The crew and I are on Highway 395 heading south through Owens Valley. Not far out of Lone Pine the wind increases significantly. By the time we pull over at the rest stop near Coso Junction, it’s a lean-into-the-wind job to cross the parking lot. Spike and Bridget are oblivious and enjoy their walk around, I guess because they’re close to the ground and, well, they’re dogs.
Not long after we’re back on the highway, the sign for Fossil Falls Recreation Area appears.
Good! I don’t want to drive in this wind! We cross the divided highway to get on Cinder Road. Hmm . . . What a poetic name for a road. Soon we pass piles of black volcanic rock.
What can I say . . . “Oh, look at the lava!”
Then we see a lot more black volcanic rock. A huge, red cone looms off to the left.
It’s red. It’s a cone. Okay, let’s go.
The washboard road takes us to the Bureau of Land Management campground.
Barumpity, bumpity. There goes my dental work.
Let me sum up this place right here and now.
You gotta’ love lava to love it here. As for me, I find lava boring. It’s black. It’s old. It’s jagged. It’s in piles. Seen one lava pile, seen ’em all, in my book.
Oh my. Two lava piles next to each other!
Now before all you geology-earth science types get in a snit, I’m talking about campground atmosphere. I’ll let the photo elaborate for me.
Bare bones here. Ground, table, fire ring. Oh, and lava.
The crew and I attempt the hike to see the actual fossil falls, which, by the way, do not involve water.
We don’t get very far. I just can’t drum up the enthusiasm to seek out a black hole, especially when it’s kind of rough for Bridget and Spike.
All in favor of turning around and going back to camp, raise your right paw.
Not to be entirely negative . . .
It only costs us $3 a night with our Senior Pass ($6 regular price). It’s quiet and private. Only one other camper is here, a guy with a tent somewhere over beyond that pile of lava. Or maybe it’s that other pile of lava. Anyway . . . .
And here we are from another angle . . . ho hum.
The campsites are barren, but they do have a fire ring and a picnic table. About five out of the eleven sites are suitable for RVs, three of which are pull-throughs that can accomodate large rigs. The campground road has a lot of pointy rocks so it’s best to take it slow. Fortunately, the ground is okay for paws as the volcanic rock is the consistency of small pebbles.
“Spike, look! Come over here! More lava!”
The internet connection is fantastic!
That’s the primary reason I paid for two nights here. We leave in the morning. Needless to say, I don’t feel compelled to post a tender, goodbye slideshow depicting the crew and me romping among the lava piles.
“Okay, we sniffed the lava. Now what do we do?”
I do recommend Fossil Falls if you’re crazy for lava.
It’s also a convenient place to stop if you get caught in the wind like we did. Sometimes I like a camp because it shortens the next leg of our journey, and that’s what Fossil Falls does for us!
A good place to blog, I do say.
rvsue
Canine Corner: “Aren’t I pretty?” by Bridget and Spike
Miss Bridget
“Hey, Spike! Look at the photo that rvsue took of me. It’s a glamor shot. Don’t I look pretty?”
“Um, yeah, you sure do, Bridge. I think you’re, uh, you’re . . . beautiful.”
“Do you really mean that, Spike? Do you really?”
“Yep, I do, babe. You’re the gal I spend every day with.”
“You’re not putting me on, are you, Spike? This isn’t a trick, is it?”
“Would I trick you, Bridge. Now would I?”
“Me? Play a trick on the Bridge? Bwa-ha-ha!”
rvsue and her canine crew 