We have LOVED visiting Volcano! This is one stop we will definitely make again. We love the rainforest, the cooler temperatures, and the amazing flora. There's a ton of hiking to do, and there is nothing else I can think of to compare to seeing a volcano and the devastation it can create.
Where we stayed it was only 5 minutes away from
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
Jagger Museum is a great pace to learn about the volcano and view the crater.
Kilauea Volcano by day....
And night...
Not since Tsay Keh Dene, have I seen stars like this!
Well, minus the volcano cloud also known as VOG.
Aaron is talking with the ranger to get the scoop on the
Halema'uma'u Crater hike we would be doing the following day. (Pictures of the hike are below)
I was very taken with Pele, the goddess of fire. If she commands your attention like she did for me check out
The Legend of Pele,
How Pele Came to Hawaii, or
Mutli-Cultural Education.
Our first stop after the visitor's center was the fissure. This is where NASA did their training for their mission to the moon. Pretty cool!
Even where it seems nothing would survive, there is life in Hawai'i.
We really enjoyed checking out the
Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs. There is a such a pull to be in places with a deep sense of history with connection to those before and the stories the land can tell...
I took a moment to give thanks and show respect for the land of the Kanaka Maoli. To those who are unfamiliar with Coast Salish traditions, we raise our hands as a expression of our gratitude.
The lava flows are pretty amazing, & there are so many different textures and forms the lava takes.
The drive along Chain or Craters Road ends abruptly where the road was taken over by the lava flows from Pu'u 'O'o vent that occurred between 1986 & 1996.
The following day we did the Halema'uma'u Crater hike...
Looking down on where we will be hiking... Aaron, are you sure about this?
The cone
Making the final decent to the bottom of the crater.
Aaron? Aaron? Where'd he go?
*Please note, no actual Aarons were harmed in the making of this blog;)
Looking back across the crater at the path we just experienced...
The Thurston Lava Tube
WE DID IT!
On our way to the Hilo airport to fly from The Big Island to Maui we did a side trip down to Pahoa. This was the last day, and the first time we really saw the affects of the recent hurricane. There was no power and hydro crews were working furiously. Ice was being given to people at community centers which were also open for showers. There were numerous places with countless trees down and it made me think of when Stanley Park had been decimated by the windstorm in 2006. Both the
Lava Tree State Park and the Malama-Ki Forest Reserve were pummeled. I didn't get many pictures, because there wasn't much opportunity to pull over with the repair crews working away, and I was just so taken-back by it, and felt a real sense of sadness for the trees.
And yet there are still some pockets completely untouched...
Next stop... Haiku, Maui!
