Little Sand Butte
Camp Review
We wanted a camping spot near Lava Beds National Monument, so we found a dispersed site in the Modoc National Forest through freecampsites.net.
This spot we found was perfectly level and totally private from the main road.
There was no one that we could see in all directions, until 9 pm, when we heard a car drive down the dirt trail that brought us here. They found another campsite 1/2 a mile down the road.
There was an illegal fire ring, which was frustrating to see as this part of the forest was burned down a few years ago due to a massive fire.
The site is a bit exposed to the elements as there is only a grove of burned-down trees on one side, but we got lucky with the weather—only a little bit of wind once we turned in for the night.
At a certain point, the wind died down and it became the quietest campsite I’ve ever been to.
What Happened?
After a short stay in Oregon, we found ourselves with an option to spend a day near Lava Beds National Monument, so we found a campsite just a few miles from the visitor center.
We drove in just a few minutes before sunset and got to cooking our dinner--Mac and Cheese with Broccoli. We ended up adding some aged cheddar and Sriracha in there and it ended up being delicious.
Afterward, we closed up shop as there were lots of insects (tiny day flies) around and we wanted to minimize the amount of the getting in the camper.We spent the time processing pictures, journaling, writing postcards, and getting good rest after an exciting but tiring day. We then went to bed ready to recharge.
During the night I woke up a few times and it was then I realized that it was the quietest and darkest place I’ve ever camped at. Regardless of whether my eyes were open or not, I couldn’t see anything. And I could not hear anything at all, except for my own movement.
In the morning, we woke up and identified 10 birds through the Merlin Bird ID app: European Starling, Greater White-fronted Goose, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker, Violet-green Swallow, American Goldfinch, Northern Flicker, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, and White-crowned Sparrow. Hearing their calls was a delicious symphony for our ears.
We cooked ourselves a quick breakfast and then headed off to Lava Beds National Monument to try our hands at self-guided caving!