Lava Beds National Monument

Team Kettle made a quick trip this weekend to Lava Beds National Monument along with our friend Emilie. Lava Beds National Monument is in Northern California and Southern Oregon. It is about two and a half hours from I-5, just about an hour outside of Klamath Falls in Southern Oregon.
The first stop in our trip was at Petroglyph Point. This is where the Modoc Indians, that once inhabited the land, paddled out in boats on the lake that used to exist to a volcanic tuff island, and carved symbols into the soft rock.



We also stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this area.

Next we arrived at our camp site. For only $10 a night this place is a steal, and has a truly incredible view.


Finally we got to explore the caves. The caves vary greatly in difficulty, from a cave with a lighted path to those where you must duck and crawl.



This was a fantastic overnight trip for Team Kettle. The geology is stunning. The history is fascinating. The views are breathtaking. We strongly recommend this trip. And we strongly endorse enhancing the trip with a bag of Death Valley Chipotle chips!

sustainable |səˈstānəbəl|

Team Kettle wants to be more like Kettle Foods: sustainable (and awesome, but we’ll get to that later). Kettle Foods is all about conserving our natural resources by using renewable energy and putting the less-than-perfect potato chips and potatoes back to work on farms. We thought it would be great if we tried just a little harder to be a more sustainable ourselves.
Our first step in this quest was to start using a clothesline. This cuts way back on energy used by a regular tumble dryer. It is also probably one of the easiest ways to conserve energy and dramatically reduce your electricity bill (or save your laundromat quarters). Plus your laundry will smell like “spring breeze”.
Our next step was to start a compost. We just happened to have this wonderful compost bin in our yard, but you can build your own or use numerous other recycled materials for your container. Like us, you will quickly be amazed at how much food waste your household produces, and eventually, what beautiful soil all that waste produces. There are many online guides to help get your compost going, and many more friendly people at your local grange or growers market that would be more than happy to help.

Team Kettle’s next and most important step in our tiny mission to help save the planet was to plant a mini garden. Dan and Travis built 3 small (about 2’ x 2’) raised beds. Verelle added the soil and plants. Herbs, flowers and veggies were planted. Starters were bought at the weekly growers market and more starters and soil were purchased from the local grange co-op. We were all surprised at how simple and fun the whole process has been so far.


Growing your own food is one of the best things that we all can do for the planet, no matter how small of a space you have. Lots of food can be grown even in the smallest containers. Just imagine if everybody grew their own tomatoes. Think of all the fuel that would be saved transporting the tomatoes from the farm to the grocery store to your home! More importantly, think of the tasty bags of Backyard Barbeque chips that you could eat while working in the yard!

This is what happens when you grow catnip.

If anyone figures out how to grow a bag of Kettle Chips, please contact us IMMEDIATELY! We have a generous cash reward awaiting you.
This is our now-more-sustainable little urban yard.