The snow was gone in the morning, at least at our elevation, but all around us the black mountains were covered in a fresh layer of white. Not deterred we continued south of F88 slowly gaining a little altitude so that by about 10:00 am we were high enough to be back in the white so we stopped (on the road) for breakfast and to take in the surreal scene. Within a few minutes of getting underway again we met a lady ranger (going the other way) and got the now standard lecture about "no off road driving" but also some advice and a pamphlet about a recent lava flow (2014).

We traveled for an hour or so more, before finally arriving at the outpost of Drekagil. A small collection of buildings at the base of a volcanic cone. It was like a winter scene with a white carpet at the feet of the buildings. We stretched our legs by taking a short hike into a nearby canyon and were rewarded for efforts by some breaks of blue sky and sun (followed by snow showers).

From Drekagil we continued south hoping to find the new lava flow the lady ranger told us about. Initially the track was really rough but soon turned into a pair of wheel ruts through a sea of black sand. Some additional directions from a young range guy who was out racking up wheel marks of those that did not "stay on the roads" and we were at one end of the lava flow from that 2014 eruption.

We learned from the pamphlet that the lava is still hot underneath, and indeed we could see steam rising from the lava in the distance, but at our access point we could not feel any heat.

It was then time to start the long drive back to the main road. Miles of black sand, bumpy lava beds, a few rivers to ford, a couple of gated bridges brought us to a small parking area beside a shallow river ford. We called that home for the night.