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March 2008 trip, led by Fr. David Baumann, rector of Church of the Blessed Sacrament. The ground of the mud caves had been forced up millions of years ago from the bottom of the sea. It is hard baked mud now, until it rains, when it becomes instant slime. It rains very little, but sometimes torrentially, creating new caves where the water finds a way to leak through. A very small leak can become large and long, several hundred yards long, and various sizes and shapes of rooms.
There are several caves in the area, we saw only a few of them.
We ate lunch in Julian on way to Mud Caves For the tourist trade
Julian California on a Sunday...
Campsite 1 (from my "bunk")
Campsite 2 My bunk was
originally just above person at
Campsite 3
right, at foot of valley. At night wind sluiced down valley
onto me, so I moved my bunk to other side of tent.
Campsite 4
Campsite 5 (all 5 are same site)
My "bunk" was moved just to left of upper tent.
Mountain by camp (see campsite 3) Valley road out from back of camp -
left under ridge of next
picture.
Campsite is behind me.
Looking from peak, valley road winds in reverse S curve, back below first ridge just above my shadow sticking up, then into wilderness. Camp is below first ridge, to right and behind, following road in previous picture. Susceptible to flash floods
Cave Door 1a Cave Door 1b
Cave Door 2 Cave entrance from high over campsite
Cave exit Same Cave Exit -- no camera flash
Canyon from top Another Canyon - someone at bottom in the shade
Dan taking pictures of the sedimentary layers Layers turned 90 degrees up
More mud on the floor and layers in the walls Skylite 1
Skylite 2 Skylite 3
Paul taking pictures under another skylite
Funnel at top of cave - where we climb out to top of world Dan, Dan, the Camera Man on top of world.
On Top of the World Yes, there is life at the top of the world
4 on a peak Bottom of the sea at the top of the world
Heading down from the top Winding our way down.... on the outside.
Majestic barrenness Water Sculpture 1
Closer & Closer (no doubt funneling down inside to a cave)
Our motley group about to leave the Mud Caves.
Can't see faces, but I am on the left (wearing 2 pair of glasses), then Fr.
David, Dan in front,
Steve behind, Heather and Joel, Joi, Stephanie in front, and Paul behind.
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