Pinnacles National Monument, CA

Pinnacles National Monument, CA
Rock spires, ramparts and crags that bear no resemblance to the nearby foothills dominate the landscape. Massive monoliths, shear walled canyons and boulder covered caves define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement.
This area was formed when the plates that fit together like pieces of puzzles moved, shifted along fault zones. The San Andreas Fault Zone slices through 600 miles of CA.
Along it, the Pacific and North American plates crush pass each other, one headed north and the other west. The off shore Mendocino fracture zone is the northern most extent of the San Andreas Fault System. The San Andreas Fault is part of the ring of fire, a zone of earthquake and volcanic activity, partly in circling the Pacific Ocean. The activity has formed the Pinnacles.
Someday when we are passing through the area we will camp at the National Monument and Bob will do some hiking. For this trip we just took in the beautiful views, especially the wild flowers.