Monday
after a leisurely breakfast we started out on another long day and
once again should have started earlier. Kona is on the west side of
the island and the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is on the south
east side. We headed north for a scenic tour around the island...
lots
of lava fields with pale tufts of grass taking hold since 2 of it's 6
volcanoes are considered active...Moana Loa which last erupted in
1984 and Kileaua which has been erupting continuously since 1983.
And
older lava beds thinly covered
and
into the interior across the northern end
back
to the coast on the east side
my
scofflaw granddaughter
where
we stopped at Akaka Falls State Park and took the short hike to the
falls
and
continued on to Hilo for lunch and
then driving to the Volcanoes National Park. We got there right
about 4 PM and the map at the visitor center listed two routes...one
if you had 1 – 2 hours which took you past steam vents to an
observation point where you could see the erupting Kilauea in the
caldera and the other if you had 3 – 4 hours which took you down
the Chain of Craters Road all the way to the coast. Since we had
wasted a lot of time going the long way around and it was already
late afternoon, we took the short route to the steam vents
and
then to the observation point for the shield volcano Kilauea, about
4,200' of elevation and downright chilly, where we saw three points
of lava erupting. We were about a mile away and those small crests
of fire you see are in reality spewing 80' – 100' high.
Jade
took these pictures with her camera through the telescope at the
observation point.
Since
it had taken us less than an hour we ventured down the road that led
to the Chain of Craters Rd. to another lava tube in the middle of a
gorgeous rain forest (and it was actively raining lightly off and
on). It was a very steep descent and an equally steep ascent so we
waited at the top while the girls walked through
and
then drove another short distance to the walking path Devastation
Trail which we walked down until the girls had seen enough
and
were back on the road to Kona by 6 PM which took us down through the
lava fields
and around the southern point and back up the west coast and from the looks of the road on the admittedly not detailed map it should have been an easy drive. And it was until we turned north along the west coastal road and it became a very twisty turny road reminiscent of the road to Hana with almost equally slow speeds and were behind a very timid driver nearly the whole way so it was after dark before we got back to the hotel and then dinner at one of the close restaurants with a view of the water and the wharf.
and around the southern point and back up the west coast and from the looks of the road on the admittedly not detailed map it should have been an easy drive. And it was until we turned north along the west coastal road and it became a very twisty turny road reminiscent of the road to Hana with almost equally slow speeds and were behind a very timid driver nearly the whole way so it was after dark before we got back to the hotel and then dinner at one of the close restaurants with a view of the water and the wharf.
next:
our last day and the journey home
links
to previous posts in this series:
It's like another planet filled with wonders and fire and water. Just amazing.
ReplyDeleteI had to buy a shirt up at the caldera, I was real cold. There is a bakery on the south most part of he island.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing pictures of paradise. Those volcano pictures are awesome.
ReplyDeleteVolcanoes are fascinating. They are also terrifying. What a sight....
ReplyDelete