Journal

Stories and pictures about our travels, our photography and the outdoors.

 

Into the Ground

In the wilds of eastern Oregon there exists a mysterious feature. A place where walls of basalt have been riven apart by mysterious and powerful forces. With seemingly no warning, the traveler is lead down, and down, into a place with little resemblance to the world of sage and juniper that exists above. Journey with us into Crack In The Ground.

It begins with what appears to be an innocuous path. A place between some rocks.

As we enter we soon notice large pieces of rock thrown in precarious positions. Might a rock fall at any time smashing us between rock and more rock? Is this some sort of troglodyte trap?

But being the intrepid explorers that we are, we forge on.

Past mysterious slits in the wall. Are these sealed doors from whence Orcs might spring behind us?

What horrific forces have been at work here that caused rock to run and bubble?

As we continue our descent, red streaks and strange patches grow on some surfaces. Remnants of the surface winter accumulate on the occasional flat surface.

As our descent continues, more red streaks are seen. Are these the embedded stains from the bloody event that created this rip in the solid rock? What horrific clash of forces occurred here?

Deeper we trudge into the chasm. The footing becomes ever more treacherous and slippery. The light ever more dim.

The texture of the walls becomes rough. With the treacherous footing, a fall here could lead to horrific avulsions of our lightly protected integument. But onward we trudge.

The light begins to fail completely.

I hear a voice. Is it calling my name?

Boyd

Boyd!

Boyd!!!

Boyd I think we need to cut back on our Netflix streaming. Your prose is getting a little out of hand.

Maybe you are right Kathy. But it is a Crack in the Ground.

Boyd TurnerComment