"Beam me up, Scotty!"

Fossil Falls is pretty darn amazing, but you do need to like rocks A LOT.  This landscape is volcano country formed 400,000 years ago.  Just a mere 12,000 years ago, this spot was an oasis of lakes filled with glacier-fed water.  Native people thrived here until 3,000 years ago, as evidenced by the many grinding holes and obsidian artifacts.

For me to thrive here requires morning coffee and a down bag.  The sunrise was worth the chill.

A morning stroll brings us to the Fossil Falls, a moon-like landscape that had to be the perfect set for some Star Trek episode, where Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are transported to a rocky planet.  "Beam me up, Scotty!", just as alien forces round the bend.

Or perhaps Planet Krypton in a Superman remake. The black rocks are water-polished and carved into smooth, strange shapes.

We peer over the steep rock divides and John tries to figure out a path to the bottom.  He has no followers.

Our last morning on our desert odyssey.  It is time to head west, wind again through Arvin, stop for Mexican food and pastries, and head back to SLO.  We are four people without showers in five days, a dusty, dirty van, and stories to tell.  We feel blessed by the companionship and adventure and glad we are not yet too old or tied-down to venture out into the California wilderness!