Tuesday, June 17, 2008

A Trip to see Volcanoes


We departed our condo this morning on a trip across the Big Island to the Volcanoes National Park. Chloe was afraid to go because she didn't want us to get hurt by the hot lava. We explained that we wouldn't be near any hot lava, but she was still apprehensive.

It took about 3 hours to get to the park, so we pretty much wanted to see the highlights and get back on the road. We went to the visitor's center and a volcano museum. Next, we went to an area where steam vents come up out of the earth all over. It was fun to walk on the trail where we were very cold and then come up close to a steam vent where we could warm up for a few brief moments. We forgot to pack any sweaters or raincoats. Then we went on a trail to walk through a lava tube. I didn't know what to expect, but a lava tube is a very large cave or tunnel that is left behind after the lava flows out of the center. It was very exciting. Kilauea was the volcano that we were observing and it is the most active volcano on earth. We didn't get a chance to go down by the ocean where the lava is actually running into the water, but we had a fascinating trip anyway. We didn't make it back to our room until nearly dark.

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