big_island  |   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


Click on a thumbnail to see the original.

Move your mouse over a thumbnail to see the picture and the caption.

Owen pretending he\'s He-Man - posing with a large boulder hoisted above his head (ok, they were LIGHT rocks!).

IMG_0315

Here\'s Jen deciding she had enough of the sulfuric air - the burning and coughing caused her to run to the car. It was really bad, Owen soon followed coughing even more.

IMG_0317

This is the Thurston Lava Tube. Named after a Mr. Thurston, a haole (white guy in Hawaiian) who was one of the first to explore and study the area that became Volcano National Park. Mr. Thurston just happened upon this lava tube, a cave-like tube naturally formed from the lava flows. There are many lava tubes underground all over Hawaii.

IMG_0328

Another view of the Thurston Lava Tube.

IMG_0329

Jen posing in the Thurston Lava Tube. It was raining a bit at this point, and water was dripping into the tube, however, (thankfully) much drier than up above!

IMG_0332

This is the path on top of the Thurston Lava Tube- yes, quite rainy at the top of the volcano (approximately 3000 feet above sea level).

IMG_0333

After driving around Crater Rim Drive in Volcano National Park (where we saw the crater, Halema\'uma\'u, and Thurston Lava Tube), we took Chain of Craters Road south towards the lava flows (yes, it\'s normal to drive towards active lava flows). Kilaeau has, for much of recorded history, been erupting more often than not. The current eruption started in 1983, and has been going continuously since then (Owen has dreamed of visiting this volcano since 1983!). Chain of Craters Road has been covered by lava several times, and is often later then dug out and repaved. One of the plusses of all the rain was the several beautiful rainbows like this one that we encountered along our drive. Underneath the rainbow is a lava flow from the late 60s/early 70s.

IMG_0335

More of the lava flows on Chain of Craters Road. We drove through scenery like this for about 20-30 miles.

IMG_0336

The volcanoes of Hawaii have some redeeming qualities: their eruptions give warning before they occur, and the lava that comes out moves quite slowly. It also leads to some very unique rock formations.

IMG_0338

Another rainbow in the rains of Kilaeua over the lava flows.

IMG_0339

The first plants to grow on the lava flows are ferns, grasses, and small bushes, as shown in this shot. These plants begin a process that will reshape the land, and eventually make it similar to the other islands (by eventually we mean a few hundred thousand years). The stark contrast was impressive.

IMG_0341

The lava flows are random, and sometimes leave areas undamaged- such as these trees that survived. Ultimately the trees will reclaim the lava, and create a lush Hawaiian forest.

IMG_0342

This picture shows how Chain of Craters Road is covered over with lava, and then later dug out again. Prior to the 1983 eruption, people lived along this road (further down in our adventure).

IMG_0344

Heading down the steep inclines of Chain of Craters Road, we could just make out the lava flows entering the ocean in the distance. Lava flows have been present since 1983 when the current eruption began. Almost 200 houses were buried (they had plenty of warning- no one expected this eruption to last so long). These are steam plumes as the lava enters the sea. For those so interested, this shows parts of the Campout and PKK flows, and the East Lae\'apuki, Kamokuna and East Ka\'ili\'ili entry points.

IMG_0345

Almost at sea level on Chain of Craters Road, looking back up at the lava flows.

IMG_0347

Another view uphill towards the lava flows, showing the indiscriminte nature of the flows, and the rebirth of life on destruction.

IMG_0348

Looking out towards the lava flows, and where Chain of Craters Road had to dig through the lava flows.

IMG_0350

Another view of the lava flows, and the destruction it brings. Ninety percent of Kilaeau is covered by lava less than 1100 years old. The rest of the Big Island is hundreds of thousands of years old, and the oldest island (Kauai), is 35 million years old. This is like witnessing the birth of the earth.

IMG_0352
Owen pretending he#s He-Man - posing with a large boulder hoisted above his head (ok, they were LIGHT rocks!).

JAlbum 7.0 | saratogateen.com