We ate breakfast at the Kilauea Military Camp. It was only a couple of miles from the Volcano House. We were going to stay more than one evening but decided against it once we discovered some areas were closed due to VOG, a mixture of volcanic gases that inhibits breathing.
We drove the Crater Rim Road until we got to the Chain of Craters Road. Crater Rim Road is closed off for a fairly large section. We continued our drive until we had to park the car and walk the 3/4 mile to where the road is covered with lava. We hiked on the lava a bit and took photos of the 2 types of lava-a'a and pahoehoe. The first is chunky and rough and the second is smooth and ropy.
It was fairly cool and windy as we attempted to hike the lava.
We had to pose near the classic "Road Closed" sign.
Then onto the petroglyphs and then the crater walk. The petroglyphs had a number of holes dug and an umbilical card was put in each as a baby was born. It seems to be a symbol of long life. We sure saw a lot of little holes.
The crater walk did not have as many steam vents as usual but was still just as massive and eerie feeling while you were down there.
There has also been some issues with fumes etc. since the 2008 eruption that continues. The evening photo from yesterday indicates where some of the new eruptions are. We got a photo of that same spot but only that was during the daytime. It doesn't look like much but a football field could easily fit in it. It is also 3 miles away, which it doesn't seem that far away either.
This is the Halema'uma'u Crater where we viewed it at the Jaggar Museum.
We then drove onward to Kalapana or black sand beach that we had previously gone to with the family. This beach was a disappointment, since there wasn't much beach left. We remember you guys frolicking in the waves here before, but you would not have wanted to be near these waves. The palm trees that were planted are now bigger but it just is not the same. Also, it is another spot to watch a lava eruption up in the mountainside, so now it is a tourist area to park cars and view in the evening.
Next was the Lava Tree State Park. We walked around and saw some HUGE trees surrounding the lava residue trees. It was cleaned up a bit from past trips. We also noticed a sign of interest near the park.
We stopped at Mauna Loa plantation and factory and then onto Hilo Hattie's. Both were ok and not very busy. The area of Hilo looks pretty distressed. Lots of buildings closed or in relatively poor condition.
We stayed at the Dolphin Bay Hotel which is older but seems to be pretty nice. The small tree frogs (Coqui) in the Hilo area are going to be a pain tonight. They have been trying to kill them off with all kinds of chemicals and such with little success. They are very loud and shrill. We may need more than one drink tonight.
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