Monday, May 18th, Big Island>>>Oahu

Kilauea

Recipe for an awesome volcano experience:

1. Wake up at 2:45 am. Regret going to bed at 11:30pm. Drag self out of bed.
2. Leave B&B at 3 am. Drive on never ending winding roads.
3. Meet guide at little "Painted Church" at 3:50 am. Said guide must be a local Hawaiian with express permission to access areas closed to others.
4. Walk in the dark through lava fields with only a headlamp, somehow avoiding twisting an ankle, falling on "glass" lava shards, or succumbing to poisonous gas emitted from the occasional steaming vent.
5. Arrive at destination, still in the dark, in total awe of the fiery red glow only 20 yards from where you stand.



The lava was flowing from one major river and many small streams around it the morning we went. Our guide said he had never seen it like this before (he goes to the site daily). Also, the wind was going in a slightly different direction than normal, so the smoke was blowing out and we were able to see more than usual. Sweet.

The wind constantly blew the smoke in different directions, so the view was always changing. And the lava constantly changed, too. One minute an area would be gushing, the next, it had stopped and a new area around it would start to flow.

As the lava would hit the water, big chunks would cool down and break off, forming lava rocks that would then float around in the surf. They would continue to glow slightly and let off lots of smoke and steam. There were probably a couple hundred or so of these at any given time floating nearby. There are volcano boat tours that come out this early in the morning as well. It's too bad, because the people on the boats can't really see much, since the smoke clouds cover the view from their direction. We felt sorry for those that had paid to take the boat tours. Not only could they not see much of the volcanic activity, they were also put at serious risk from the hydrochloric acid gases produced as the lava hit the water. Of course, the boat operators weren't going to tell them that. The gas in the air was congruent with the acid in the water--not really good for the boat itself. Oy. Also, we watched one of the boats go right into the middle of all the floating lava rocks. There was a very loud bang as it's propeller hit one of the rocks. We could hear one of their guides trying to distract the people on the boat with some "volcano facts" as we watched two of the boat crew frantically trying to look out the back to see how bad the boat had been damaged. Oh boy. They were able to leave, so it must not have crippled it too badly.

One of our favorite pictures. This was around 4:30 am, just after we arrived on site.


And here is the culmination of the entire experience...totally unexpected and very real.

I need to add a note here on our guide. He was very knowledgeable, very cautious, and had our safety in mind at all times. This was just part of the whole volcano experience, unexpected dangers and all!

The rest of our day was a bit more calm. We took our island hop from Hilo to Honolulu in the afternoon, checked in to our hotel, and just walked around until dinner. We met up with one of the Trustees (of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists) and his lovely wife for a heavenly dinner at a restaurant on site, then returned to our room to relax and crash for the night. All in all, a fabulous day.