“Can you GET homeowner’s insurance in a lava plain?”
Today was the first day of Heather’s program and she was scheduled to be gone all day. We both awoke early (around 5:00 a.m.) due to the six hour time difference from home. My plan was to go for a run when she left at 8:00, then do a little reading and exploring, find a grocery store and pick up a little sustenance for our hotel room.
However, I soon had a much better option. Heather returned to the room and asked me if I wanted to go with them to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There were other “add-ons” who were going to follow the program’s van and there was a spot open in the car. I absolutely wanted to go see the volcanoes (and had actually planned to do so on my own once I pick up our rental car), so I quickly pulled a t-shirt on over my sports bra and threw a few necessary items into my backpack (so glad I decided to pack my old backpack from freshman year of college!).
The day was amazing. I know I can’t fully describe the magnitude of seeing the Kilauea Caldera, the lava tubes, Devil’s Throat Crater, the only tropical rainforest on American soil, or the way the sky glowed over the most recent eruption. We stood on a huge lava plain that had been a town and housing subdivision until the 1990s… the top layer of rock was about two years old. The only thing that kept it from being a perfect day was the absence of flowing lava. The only active lava flow on the island is in areas inaccessible to anyone without a helicopter. There was a couple who had taken a helicopter tour yesterday and they did get to see the lava flow. They said it was incredible.
It was an incredibly long, physically taxing day, but it was well worth it. Even if I had driven out to the national park on my own, there is no way I would have seen many of the things I saw today. Chuck, the man leading Heather’s program took us to areas that I never would have ventured into alone. There were numerous times that we simply pulled to the side of the road and started walking. And there were a great deal of instances where we ignored warning signs and those forbidding entry. And those were the best part!
And I can go to the grocery store tomorrow.
However, I soon had a much better option. Heather returned to the room and asked me if I wanted to go with them to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There were other “add-ons” who were going to follow the program’s van and there was a spot open in the car. I absolutely wanted to go see the volcanoes (and had actually planned to do so on my own once I pick up our rental car), so I quickly pulled a t-shirt on over my sports bra and threw a few necessary items into my backpack (so glad I decided to pack my old backpack from freshman year of college!).
The day was amazing. I know I can’t fully describe the magnitude of seeing the Kilauea Caldera, the lava tubes, Devil’s Throat Crater, the only tropical rainforest on American soil, or the way the sky glowed over the most recent eruption. We stood on a huge lava plain that had been a town and housing subdivision until the 1990s… the top layer of rock was about two years old. The only thing that kept it from being a perfect day was the absence of flowing lava. The only active lava flow on the island is in areas inaccessible to anyone without a helicopter. There was a couple who had taken a helicopter tour yesterday and they did get to see the lava flow. They said it was incredible.
It was an incredibly long, physically taxing day, but it was well worth it. Even if I had driven out to the national park on my own, there is no way I would have seen many of the things I saw today. Chuck, the man leading Heather’s program took us to areas that I never would have ventured into alone. There were numerous times that we simply pulled to the side of the road and started walking. And there were a great deal of instances where we ignored warning signs and those forbidding entry. And those were the best part!
And I can go to the grocery store tomorrow.
Labels: Aloha
posted by Charlie at 10:37 PM
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