Before getting to this weeks desktop, there's a couple of things I wanted to remind you about.  First, expect the next update to be on time.   Second, the previous weeks wallpaper is always still available by clicking the preview to the left found on this page.  Enjoy!

Above is this weeks free desktop. Traveling back for a second visit to a truly interesting place, welcome once again to Craters of the Moon National Monument. Located on the Snake River Plain in south-central Idaho, Craters of the Moon showcases the effects of volcanism on the rugged, very scenic landscape here. This isolated wonder is filled the normal features associated with past volcanic activity: cinder cones, spatter cones, lava tubes, along with several types of lava flows, plus it has a weird contrast with the sagebrush, wildflowers and the junipers growing here makes it quite different and interesting. This weeks shot sort highlights this fact. Taken in August 2006 while walking on the Broken Top Loop Trail, it's clear here to see the junipers and brush vegetation along with the different soil makeups. To give you a heads up on what you' re viewing here, the first thing straight out is a section called Big Sink. Further out to the right is a big hump. this is Inferno Cone. To the left and across the park road are several smaller cones, these are Snow Cone, Small Spatter and Big Spatter Cone (I think that's right on the last two, they are just shown as Spatter Cones on the park map, but I'm pretty sure thay were labeled differently on site (; ). Just behind these is a rather large hump, this is the begiining of the section called Big Craters. Craters of the Moon offers several miles of hiking trails, none of which seemed very hard, and allow for some nice exploration experiences. This a very interesting place to visit, but some might find it's "out of the way" location a negative. Personally, I enjoyed the time and drive to get there (it's about 5 miles past nowhere, but I like that), the couple of hours we spent there, and consider Craters of the Moon worth a look if you're in the area. Check the links section for more info on Craters of the Moon National Monument.