Place: Pinnicles National Monument, Paicines, California, United States

Description

Looking like a Star Trek alien planet set, Pinnacles rises up out of the salinas valley. It is the remains of a volcano that straddles a faultline leaving the other half of the volcano in souther california near death valley. The area is full of talus caves, caves formed by rocks falling against each other. It is quite a popular place for rock climing, and while we were there there were base jumpers jumping from one of the peaks. Pinnacles is also one of the California Condor release sites so there is a colony of about 20 of these massive endangered birds.