Volcano National Park is currently Closed

Our Visit to Volcano National Park was one of the last before Kilauea blew her top. Who would have guessed that we were witnessing the start of something so big? The eruptions we witnessed were small compared to what was to come but we had no idea. At the time we thought our visit was pretty special. Kilauea has been erupting continuously since January 3, 1983. It’s considered a relatively safe volcano. Lava flows are easily out paced just by walking quickly. For quite a few years the lava has been flowing into the sea and I was on the Big Island to see that. But Kilauea wasn’t in a cooperative mood. A week before my trip the lava flow into the ocean stopped. I had to settle for a National Park Tour.

The Chain of Craters Road

After leaving Rainbow Falls we headed to Volcano National Park. On the drive I entertained myself looking for Nenes. A nene is a rare Hawaiian goose that is also the Hawaiian National Bird. The Nene is only found in the Hawaiian Islands. I’ve looked for the Nene on every trip without success but one of these days I’ll see one. As we entered the park and started down the Chain of Craters Road the rain began to let up. We made a couple of stops to look at some of the craters from previous eruptions. Finally about 1/2 way down to the plain we pulled over to check out the frozen lava flows. These ropy flows that are now frozen in place are Pahoehoe. The lava we saw on the Kona side of the island was thick, blocky lava,called a’a.

King of the Hill

Watching my tour companions scramble up the face of the lava made me think of the King of the hill games. I would never have considered climbing it! I was more interested in the new green shoots that were pushing their way through the hardened lava. Life will not be denied.

Jaggar Museum

The afternoon was passing quickly so we loaded back into the van and turned around. The last stop before dinner was the Jaggar Museum. The plan was to see the rim of the crater and spend some time in the museum. In the crater is a lake of lava. When I was here last the lake was quiet and crusted over. That was kind of what I expected now but we arrived just as the eruption was beginning. The rain was starting again but no one was in the museum. Everyone was lined up at the rail watching the lava lake. The rangers were reporting the lake was rising and even as we stood there tops of lava fountains began to crest the rim.

Crispy Spam is a breakfast Meat

I admit I like Spam. When I let that out to my friends and co workers I get disgusted looks and groans. (The same one I use for Liver and Onions.) Massachusetts folks can be such food snobs! In Hawaii my love of Spam is welcomed. I’m surrounded by other Spam lovers. MacDonald’s even has a “Delicious Breakfast”. It’s rice, scrambled eggs and Spam! I doubt you’ll see that on a menu in Massachusetts anytime soon. They also have a Spam Wrap you can find in the deli section of your food market. It’s a Spam & Rice roll. Looks like sushi. I skipped the Spam on my breakfast plate. I settled for a boring old Big Breakfast. I’m heading out to drive around the Island and I wasn’t sure if I’d find anyplace for lunch or how long it would take so I wanted to fill up before I left.

Heading North along the Kona Coast

After a satisfying breakfast at MacDonald’s I headed north on the main road along the Kona Coast. All along this road it looks like they are preparing to do construction. The ground appears to be all churned up. There is a lot of construction but don’t be fooled by appearances. Almost all of the churned up appearing land is natural. These fields are all covered in Aa (pronounced ah ah) lava. Aa lava is thick and it breaks into chunks as it moved down slope form the volcano. When it cools and hardens it looks like churned up dirt. Much of this is from an eruption in 1984. There’s a lava tube on the right side of the road as you travel north.

Donkey Crossing

Along the way you’ll see Donkey Crossing signs. Donkey Crossings? What’s that about. I had to check it out. Apparently the Big Island had a feral donkey problem. I didn’t remember that but it was bad enough that they installed signs hoping drivers would slow down. The donkeys liked to come out on the roads at night because the pavement was warmer than the fields. It retained the heat from the daytime. Along came an unsuspecting motorist and splat. A Donkey pancake and a busted car. When the signs didn’t help they rounded up the donkeys and shipped them to auction on the mainland. But the signs remain.