Our family grew up, learned to ride motorcycles and drive cars
at our
”
cabin
”
at Twenty-nine Palms. The five acres and dwelling has been in
the family for almost 60 years. And, our family loves it. A few
years ago, we brought in a water line from almost a mile away and
modernized the cabin with a bathroom, service porch for washer and
dryer as well as a kitchen. And, we fenced the property.
Our family grew up, learned to ride motorcycles and drive cars at our “cabin” at Twenty-nine Palms. The five acres and dwelling has been in the family for almost 60 years. And, our family loves it. A few years ago, we brought in a water line from almost a mile away and modernized the cabin with a bathroom, service porch for washer and dryer as well as a kitchen. And, we fenced the property.
Nevertheless, it had been years since the family had experienced Thanksgiving at the “cabin.” And, all agreed, this year was the time to do it.
Friday, after Thanksgiving, our family of 10, our children and grandchildren, stepped up into a rented 15 passenger Ford van and headed northeast some 50 miles to the old Amboy Crater.
Pondering lava, one thinks of volcanoes, Vesuvius, Mount St. Helens or even famous Krakatoa. One thinks of great mountains exploding; however, lava can extrude from the flat desert floor to form a crater with many extrusions flowing up and out, breaking the earth’s crust and the desert floor.
Such is the Amboy Crater on old Highway 66 as the highway curves down from Highway 40 to Essex, Chambless, and Amboy, before curving back up to Ludlow, Highway 40 and Barstow.
The crater is an excellent example of a recent volcanic cinder cone with an usually flat crater floor. The lava field surrounding the cone is from lava that formed a hummocky terrain. The eruption occurred some 10,000 years ago with some activity around 500 years ago. The cinder cone is some 250 ft. high above the desert floor with a diameter of almost 1500 ft. The path from the picnic area to the top of the crater takes approximately 3 hours, round trip.
Our family wanted to see this odd igneous area.
We were surprised to find this crater jutting up with extrusions of lava spreading out for some distance. However, a nice picnic area, with covered tables against the desert sun as well as cement floored restrooms, greeted us.
Realizing time did not allow a three hour walk to the crater and back, we had our picnic. Then, everyone became active and wanted to explore.
As the family set out in various directions, I sat in the shade of the picnic awning and watched as my family sought out adventure and exploration. In my purview were three ridges or more of lava. And, this is where the family explored.
As I sat there, philosophically, I recalled my friend, Ross, whose funeral in Oklahoma had been two days before.
We had grown up together. We had gone to high school and college, together. In 1950, we had joined the U.S. Marine Corps and survived “boot camp.” together. Later, on the same ship, we landed in Korea in 1951. We became Marine “machine gunners.”
I remember sitting on a hill, when we were in reserve, and reading a letter from my mother. It said that Ross was a father. We looked at each other in surprise, since Mother had not mentioned whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
I remember, we both named a son for each other.
I remember the last time we met in July for two days in Las Vegas. I remember the last time we talked on the phone, a week before he was hospitalized and two weeks before he died. I remember his laugh, his reality, no phoniness, and his friendship. This was my life-long best buddy. And, he had just died.
I looked out from under the covered picnic table at several long, high, lava extrusions and my family. Over to my right were my daughter, son and his wife, chatting at the almost top of an extrusion. My gaze moved to the left.
Back in a defile between two extrusions, was my wife and our unmarried son, who had come from Michigan, in intimate discussions of some sort. My gaze moved left to a third extrusion. There his twin, gathered the two grandchildren in play and spied on the other family members.
I observed it all. And, while pondering on my best buddy’s death, wondered if death is like that. Observing all venues from a distant aspect.
Pondering lava, one thinks of those things.
