Fossil Falls (August 31, 2021)

Ramzi recommended that we stop at Fossil Falls on our way to LA and we're glad we did. The spectacular lava flow was sculpted by rushing water and wind late in the Ice Ages--a "fossil" of nature's handiwork. 

Bands of Native Americans lived here as early as 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, camping along the now dry river. They harvested resources and hunted the large animals which lived there at the time. By 6000 BCE, however, these early inhabitants were forced by increasingly arid conditions to partially abandon the region. As conditions began to switch back to a relatively moderate climate at around 4000 BCE, Native Americans started to return to the area. They practiced a new culture, which emphasized using the resources available to them in the desert. The way of life that these people practiced survived until the 19th century, when the native tribe called the Little Lake Shoshone first made contact with Europeans.

Fossil Falls is off US 395 on a mile-long washboard dirt road.

The otherworldly site was formed by the interaction of rushing water from the Owens River (which in wetter prehistoric times flowed at a much higher rate) with lava that poured from nearby volcanoes as recently as 20,000 years ago. 

Rock climbers left caribiners behind.

Looking down 60-70 feet into the chasm.

The car keys are in Tom's pocket.  I told him that if he fell, I'd have to walk back at least a mile and hitchhike for help as there was no phone service. Whoever is least likely to fall should always have the keys!  Or a satellite phone.

The red cinder cone behind me is called Red Hill. A cinder cone is a steep conical hill of loose pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic clinkers, volcanic ash, or cinder that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are formed by explosive eruptions or lava fountains from a single, typically cylindrical vent.