Part II: Lava

Subtitled: And You Thought The Ocean Could Kill You.

So picture an approach to the shore in Volcano National Park, around sunset. Um, is that shoreline smoking?
Oh, I think it is. Don’t breathe in the smoke!

In spite of MANY warnings from the Federal Government…

…we want to get closer to the lava. Where is the lava?


We do not view the 4-minute lava safety video.

On our way to get closer to the lava, we pass some old lava that had happened to just, you know, FLOW ACROSS THE ROAD. In 2005. I am amazed and point at it:


The adventure continued as we hiked across some old lava (avoiding the steam plume) and hunkered down with the lava rats (no, really) and let it get completely dark. Of course, my camera couldn’t focus in the dark, so you’ll have to imagine the best part: seeing the lava flowing down the hillside and entering the ocean. We were a mile away, more or less safely, and it was just incredible to think that new land was being formed right before our eyes. Because who else gets to see new land being formed? Pretty much only God.

Lava. I like it as much as I like the ocean.