Hawaii Volcano National Park - May 2005

Sunday we headed out on the Hana Highway to reach the main reason we were on the Big Island. Volcano! Along the way we found Ken's House of Pancakes. There we enjoyed a favorite local dish called a “loco moco”. It’s a bowl with rice, meat, eggs and gravy. It may sound funny, but it was really delicious.

Once in Volcano National Park, we took Chain of Craters Rd to where it ends, cut off by lava flows in 2003. Then it was a 6 mile hike to the lava flows. We packed plenty of water and a sandwich dinner, heading out just before sunset. The best time to see the lava is in the evening, so by heading out around 5-6pm, you get to see nature’s fury in all its amazing glory. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. 2000 degree molten rock flowing just a few feet in front of you is amazing, not to mention a bit scary. We sat on a cliff overlooking the coast where the flow was rolling out into the ocean, spewing chunks of lava and steam into the air. It was amazing. Have I said amazing too much? Nope.


Kilauea Crater. This was all lava in 1959.
We hiked across it.

Starting out on Kilauea.

Mauna Loa eruption in the distance.
That's acid smoke coming from the lava hitting the ocean.

We hiked over 6 miles of this.

A reminder of how recent this occured and how unpredictable it can be.

Many other hikers were out to see the lava.

After sunset, the lava became more visible.

It's amazing how close you can get.

This was taken after dark with my camera set for long exposure.

Lava by moonlight.

Another hiker remaked "It's like staring into the mouth of Hell."