Home to the only actively erupting volcano in the US, Volcanoes National Park offers many sights and adventures even when the Lava is flowing in restricted areas (AGAIN! UGH). Highlight of the trip for me was watching the caldera glow at night.
1 The summit crater of Kilauea erupting large amounts of gas.
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8 Visitor Center update - no more drums recording seismic activity here. Just computer displays.
9 Z enjoys the view.
10 Zephyr shows his new Nene friend the volcano.
11 Zephyr shows his new Nene friend the volcano.
12 Kalij pheasant
13 Zephyr gets up close and personal with Kilaj pheasant.
14 Z drives grandpa's Jeep.
15 Time to put the Poco Pack rain fly to the test on our hike through Thurston Lava tube.
16 The start of the Thurston Lava Tube trail.
17 Thurston Lava Tube Trail
18 Very awesome microclimate.
19 Walking through the jungle, walking through the jungle, we're not afraid...
20 The entrance to this 500 year old lava tube is quite a bit more lush than those in Lava Beds Natl Monument in Nor Cal.
21 Inside the lava tube. This was a pipeline of lava several hundred years ago. When the eruption ceased, the lava drained out leaving behind the tube. Note the horizontal striations along the ceiling and sides of the cave. Also note the lave peels caked on the right side.
22 Big puddle.
23 Laura enjoys Thurston Lava Tube
24 The light at the end of the tunnel. It was a mere 2 minute walk through the cave. I'm spoiled by Lava Beds, so found this cave rather dull.
25 Rainforest and ferns after emerging from the Lava Tube.
26 Big Boy Zephyr climbed into his child seat all by himself.
27 Next stop: The end of the road - litterally where the road was swallowed by lava in the in eruptions from 2007-2010.
28 Looking over the wall at Land's End.
29 That's not going to help if you go over these cliffs.
30 The fumes sign isn't too relevant these days with no active flows in the immediate area. Although I'm sure the right atmospheric conditions could waft some fumes this way.
31 Pahoehoe galore!
32 Orchid and bumble bee.
33 Kupaianaha lava shield. The basaltic lavas flowed here from 1983-2010 and then intermittent flows until 2013.
34 Palm trees. IT was quite breezy, which felt good. The black basalt really abosrbs the sun's heat and makes this area toasty.
35 A zoomed-in shot of the large flow paths that once streamed down the East Rift.
36 The main attraction: Where the lava closed the road to Kalapana.
37 Grandma and Mandy.
38 Yup, that's Mandy. Catching some air.
39 Don't think I inherited my hops from grandma. She was trying to immitate Mandy.
40 Zephyr was a rock climber at Road's End
41 Laura and Z sit on some nice pa hoe hoe that was molten only five years earlier.
42 That's my boy! Z is quite the climbing explorer and lover of rocks.
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44 Pahoehoe with some ferns growing in a crack.
45 These were the newest flows, only a couple years old.
46 Do yourself a favor and watch some 'Hawaiin lava flows' on Youtube to appreciate the structure of this flow. It still looks fluid.
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49 Peek-a-boo! The most famous sign ever destroyed by lava.
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51 I wish that was eruptive gas, but it was a small rain shower.
52 Zephyr played the 'Lets touch every road marker' game on the walk back.
53 Go go go go!
54 A faint rainbow.
55 Pretty cool, huh?
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57 Laura looks at her pot of gold.
58 Ok, ok, last shot of a rainbow.
59 Lava trees! We found these on the drive back to the summit. Lava flowed around a tree here, and chilled around the bark. The tree eventually burned-out and left the hollows inside the lava.
60 Laura looks down the branch mold of a lava tree.
61 Branch mold.
62 Detail of the mold. Can still see bark patterns.
63 A forest of lava trees!
64 Lava tree and real brach.
65 I loved the flow pattern around this branch. You can easily imagine the lava flowing around the branch, much like a river flows around at log.
66 The highlight of my trip was getting to watch the eruptive glow within the Kilauea crater from the Jaggar Museum.
67 The highlight of my trip was getting to watch the eruptive glow within the Kilauea crater from the Jaggar Museum.
