There are times when we may want to go out and simply stare up into the skies -- to regenerate, and marvel at the heavens. The universe is a pretty big place, but looking skyward from a city is sometimes a little disheartening. Too many city lights often block out the millions of stars staring back at us.
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| There's lots of action going on up there |
A dark sky locale is generally called for. No distractions from artificial lights - just out there in the peace and quiet of the night. Oh, and did I mention really dark?
Such a place is Pisgah Crater.
Pisgah Crater is located in the Basin and Range Province, in the Lavic Lake volcanic field – which means, there’s a lot of ancient lava flows covering the desert floor near the crater. These flows span for many square miles, and in fact, can be easily seen from Interstate 40 or historic Route 66, at about the halfway point between the city of Needles (hometown of Spike, cousin of Snoopy), and Victorville, California, not far from where we make our home.
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| Pisgah crater - viewed from the north |
Geologists believe Pisgah may have last erupted somewhere between 20,000 to 50,000 years ago, but there are disagreements about the exact date, even among the experts. Some argue that it may have erupted as little as 2,000 years ago. But, since the Amboy Crater, 54 miles to the east of Pisgah, last erupted about 18,000 years ago, it would make sense that Pisgah probably emptied its magma holdings around the same time. It’s much like how one earthquake can trigger a nearby fault causing a neighboring quake – one close volcanic eruption, can begin another volcanic eruption.
The Pisgah cone once stood at 2,638 feet, but now measures 93 feet shorter, at 2,545 feet. This reduction in height was caused in part by some natural weathering, but also by the impact of mining. It is privately owned by the Can-Cal Resources Limited, a Canadian company which mined the crater for railroad ballast for the Santa Fe Railroad. It appears that mining has not occurred for a few years from the lack of any structures or mining equipment on site.
Though it is private property, easy access proves a boon to many colleges and universities for weekend geology classes. Also, it seems the area has been used in films, music videos, commercials and much more.
The point being: when traveling, always expect the unexpected.
Approaching the almost totally black volcanic cone one late afternoon, I noticed a number of semi-trucks and trailers parked on a large flat section on the west side of the cone. Suddenly, a helicopter buzzed above and made a daring swoop to the ground and then simply posed in mid-air. Hanging like a hummingbird looking for a feeder.
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| Why are these trailers on 'my' crater? |
“What is going on?” I asked.
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| Truly, what is going on here? |
“A helicopter is hovering,” Paul Bakas replied, my old friend who travels with me when my lovely spouse, Laureen, can’t make the trip. “Now, I think it’s backing up.”
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| The pilot was outstanding - swooping here and there - feet above the crowds |
As we drove up the winding road to the flat surface of Pisgah, we knew instantly that this night was not going to be one of the dark nights, so desired for stargazing.
On the west side of the crater, dozens and dozens of people were milling around, dressed perhaps as aliens, or natives from another time. Skin colored body suits with black stripes over their arms and faces. Some wore outlandishly colored masks.
One woman we met named Lola, informed us she was an extra in a Latin rock video and her job was to walk toward the band as they were playing near the precipice of the volcano. As if the extras were being drawn to the sound like magic.
That sounded very musicesque (I made that term up). The band was there, performing on stage, but no music could be heard. Perhaps, a huge helicopter swooping here and there over the set filming, may have been the reason.
When asked the name of the band, Lola simply replied “I don’t know,” as she walked away in her body suit and painted face, towards the other extras.
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| Lola - the photo was posed - those actors! |
Paul wandered around. He tried asking a limo driver, a food truck owner, anyone who could find, if they knew the band’s name.
“All I got was a Latin rock band,” he told me. “Weird, I asked twelve people.”
“A non-disclosure agreement for everyone?” I asked.
“I’m not a lawyer,” he responded. “But I think you just made that up.”
We watched, after setting up camp, as the actors marched down the hill toward the band and then back up the hill for another take.
Well, not only was the music blacked out, but so was the sky from the stage lighting. Not what we expected for a dark sky night looking at stars. But sitting in camping chairs and watching the action was pretty entertaining.
Always have a plan ‘B’, when plan ‘A’ doesn’t work out. No star gazing perhaps, but the next morning, hiking around the crater proved to be an almost surreal experience. Black sand beneath our boots seemed as though we were walking on another planet.
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| When time allows, send home a message to a loved one - that would be Laureen |
Lava tubes opened up in front of us to be explored (note of caution though, these ancient tunnels where lava once flowed can be dangerous – extreme attention must be stressed).
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| Lava tubes, deep and long - caution is desired for falling rocks |
Pisgah crater is a place to be visited – it’s even a great area to fly a kite. I did, why not?
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| Go fly a kite! Really, just fly a kite - it's fun. |
