Day 3 - Now I know that Man is Nothing ( Continued )

Kennedy, We're Okay

One of the advantages to having our tour guides, is that both did an excellent job of understanding not only the basic workings of the volcanoes, but also portraying the feelings and emotions of those connected to the island. I should have put these first few pictures in yesterday's post. In order to access the lava tube, we needed to descend into a volcanic vent. This huge hole had been foliated with various types plants to "add color." Because of the plants, it is hard to see just how deep this hole is.

Again, here we are in front of the tube. No-he took the picture for us.

 

 The entrance to the tube is preceeded by more of the vent.  The vent may actually come off the main lava outlet, or at least one of the main outlets at the time.  so the hole extends downward a long way from the entrance to the tube.

 After we climbed back out of the lava tube, we walked through the rain forest again back to the edge of the cinder cone. 

I just thought this was a cool picture, the dead tree extended out over the edge of the crater.  If a squirrel climbed out on the log, he would have a LONG way to fall. That would be a great way for him to crack his nuts.  Except it wouldn't be a squirrel, it would be a mongoose.

Tyler took over as our guide at this point. He talked to us about the Lava Trees, the Oe'He tree. I don't think the spelling is even close.  The lava tree has a special bark that helps cool the lava around the bark, insulating the tree for a while. Eventually the heat does burn up the tree, but not before the tree creates a natural vent for the lava steam and emissions, as well as a place for new plant life to begin growing.

 

We drove back down the hill to the coast again.

Tyler stopped some of the lava projections to teach us about some of the properties of lava. There was also a turtle down in the water eating the seaweed off the rocks.

The black lava rock forms a precarious and intriguing coastline. The layers of the various flows become very evident as we step out onto the rocks.

It is easy to see how the lava came this far and was stopped, more or less, by the ocean.  There are many places where the waves have broken away the layers of the lava.

When the ocean rages against the rocks, natural arches, pools and caves are formed. Tyler took my camera down into these rocks to take my picture.  He took other cameras or cell phones as well.  I;m just glad it was someone else's cell phone he dropped under some rocks and not my camera.

We then drove down to the area where an entire town has been wiped out, except for one lone merchant - Uncle Robert. This used to be a beautiful black sand beach in front of Uncle Robert's café and country store. All the houses, stores, farms, everything, was pushed aside by lava flow from 1983 through 1998.

 

We walked out onto the flow about 1/4 mile to the ocean. 



 

Again, the ripples and flows of the lava are evident. It is easy to imagine the rock face cracking as the lava cools un-evenly.

In places, the lava is pushed up, much the same way ice expands and cracks as it freezes.

When Uncle Robert's wife had terminal cancer, she started planting coconut trees on the flow to help prepare the rock face for other growth.  After she passed away, many others have come and planted coconuts in her memory.

The result at the ocean is again a black sand beach.  Access to the beach is not quite as easy as it was back in the 1970's

We see other growth starting on the flow now. In another 100,000 years or so, we may see the fertile soil that the Island enjoys.

Uncle Robert still runs a thriving business.

He may be more famous now. His café serves excellent food at reasonable prices, and --- the tables are always full.

After dark, we drove out into the active flow area, as close as they could let us go. We are about 3 miles away from the flow at this point. Tyler told us this was the first night in a couple of weeks that they had this kind of view. He may have been trolling for a larger gratuity, I don't really know.
At any rate, the lava continues to flow, but most of the lava is deposited in the ocean under the water line.  When the water and lava meet, the lava cools immediately, often causing an explosion of the lava, resulting in 'black sand."

We arrived back at the condo at 10:30 pm Hawaii time.  It was a very long day, but one in which I have been overwhelmed by the power, majesty, and sheer will power of nature.  As I knelt down to pray, I felt compelled to confess, as did Moses after his vision of the creation, "Now I know that man is Nothing."

Day 3 - Volcano National Park

Now I Know that Man is Nothing

We thought we had signed up for an 8 hour tour.  Nope - it was 14 hours. This  Monday, April 14, 2013 is one of those profound experiences I will never forget. After picking up the last of the couples, we headed south, passing through the coffee plantations.  I learned more about coffee and why Kona coffee is so good, than I will ever need.

Our first stop was a Bakery. Normally Hawaii isn't known for its baked goods.  Wrong - we have found the two best bakeries in the world - one on Kauai and this one in the town of Na'alehu. We got some apple stuffed things that were to die for, so we bought more and carried them with us for the rest of the day.

We ate is a little gazebo The weather was sunny, clear and very nice.

 We had a few more minutes, so we walked around taking pictures, 'cause that's what we do.

These Afrikan Tulips are high up on a tree. Kayleen's lens couldn't get the blooms, so guess what, I'm elected.  They are certainly majestic.

Here we see some of the southern most bays in the United States. The picture is a little fuzzy since it was taken in a moving vehicle/

From here, the topography changed.  The influence of the recent (100,000 year or so) of volcanic activity was evident.  the mountain peaks and valleys assume the shape of cinder cones and lava flow.

 

In the distance we could see the smoke or steam coming out of the vents.  The air is a little sulphuric,
but not as bad as the day before driving through Kona. Those with allergies to VOG or VEG started to become affected by the atmosphere.

The terrain in many places is rough and sparsely vegetated. 

After lunch in a very peaceful campground, we rive into the museum. 

The first thing we see is the summit crater.  From time to time (not for a few years though) this may partially fill with lava.  When lava is not in evidence, the fumes, or VEG, vent through this hole, relieving some pressure so that the lava can flow out of the fissures and tubes instead of exploding out. 

There are other rings around the edges as evidence of other, additional seismic and volcanic activity.

The VEG comes out constantly, sometimes in trickles, sometimes in plumes, but it is always present

 We drive a few miles away to the edge of a nearby cinder cone.  from here, we still see the VEG from the summit vent. Down below we see the crater of one of the ancillary flows from this volcano.

 

Because there has been no recent activity, and no indicators of imminent activity, people are allowed to hike down into this crater and walk across the floor. It is about a 2-4 hour walk, and we have other things to do, "miles to go before we sleep" so to speak.

 

We do walk about 1/2 mile around the rim to a lava tube. Kayleen's camera is dead at this point, so I make sure I get the bird for her.

This is Nohe (No-Hay).  She is an amazing and passionate guide. We could feel her passion for the history of Hawaii, the respect and reverence for the Hawaiian culture, along with a passion for the quest for knowledge and truth.  Every moment of the day, she spent teaching us about something, mostly by word, and also by example.

The lava tube is not very long, but it is contained.  We hike down about 150 feet into a small crater or fissure to enter the tube. We actually exit the tube through a stairway in one of the vents.

We will pick up the remainder of the day on the next post.  The day was overwhelming and Awesome (in the true meaning of the word) seeing the power and destructive forces of this planet.  I know that I will never look at the creative process the same.  So much needs to be understood before se seek to create new or different life. The consequences of transplanting life from one environment into another need to be understood, and all that stuff.

Kona - Day Too

 The Sabbath Day is a Day of Rest ! !

We woke up at normal Tucson times today.  But since we are on Honolulu time, we are up too early.  Kayleen cooks up some (prepackaged) cinnamon rolls.  We watch the Horizon get light and a new day starts. 

By 8:30 we are ready to go so we get directions to the Chapel and leave. The building is only a few minutes from the condo. We take a few snaps of the view from the parking lot.

 

We walk around to the other side of the building, and there is the Kona Temple.  Yes, that is Moroni on top of the building with a large trumpet. The temple is currently closed for annual maintenance.

Like many other temples, the parking lot of the Church building serves as parking for the Temple.

After a short rest and a bite to eat, we set out exploring, mostly to make sure of the pick up points for our activity tour. We soon miss the turnoff to the marina, but we find, a herd of goats in a rough looking lava field.  if you look close, you may see the goat between the two trees.

We find not only the marina, but the birthplace of King Kauikeaeuli Kamehameha III.  This boulder here is carved out of volcanic rock. the holes in the rock appear to be natural cavities and the Hawaiians carved the rock to fit the appropriate profile.

Here is a cave where he hid from his attackers. 

The memorial included a small trail with some quiet places for reflection.  This is right in the heart of the bay where the marina is.  Apparently this place is a perfect and natural boat / canoe launching point. 

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There is an earthequake today in Hawaii. It is only a 4.4. It occurs while we are in church We don't know where and we don't feel it, unless that is when we think we are moved by the Spirit. This is a reminder that this island still has constant seismic activity. They estimate that 1,000 gallons of molten lava flows out of active vents every second.

After the drive, we rest, 'cause that's what we do.  We go for a walk along the main road, just to get a feel of our surroundings. Kayleen seems to have rubbed off on me.

Now I'm taking pictures of trees and flowers too.

The ocean is quite active this afternoon. While on the walk, we find a public access path to the shoreline. We watch the waves come in for a while.

 

We see many vacant lots and land for sale.  This area seems to be repressed still. It appears that many homes and commercial buildings are in foreclosure or are simply abandoned.

We have a visit from another visitor - a HUGE black bumble bee.

We rest for a while, eat some food we purchased yesterday at the grocery store. The food is very expensive, all except the pineapple. We bought a  VERY good pineapple for only 99 cents. 

Yes, there is a sunset tonight.

Tomorrow we visit the volcanoes.

Let's find the Happy Place

 1st Day in Kona
I am a little apprehensive.  We are going to an island we have not been before. The flight is long, but it always is.  We are prepared for the long flight.  We sleep, we talk, we read. we endure. The 2year old girl across the aisle is not quite as prepared.  She doesn't understand why she can't get out of her chair. The parents are mortified. We try to comfort the dad (who looks like the mom) and the mom (who also looks like the mom). We finally land in Honolulu.  Alex is jumping out of her chair and does NOT want to get back in.

In Honolulu we have time to grab a bite to eat, and then we are on another flight, this time 45 minutes. We land in Kona.  We are on the leeward, or Dry side of the island.  It is also the island currently under construction (active volcanoes).  This is our first view of the island.

Within the next 2 hours, we have a car and a room.  The view is stunning, but the wind is  blowing. The pilot warned us that a storm was currently over Kauai and would hit the Island of Hawaii by tonight.  We walk out onto our balcony, and what do we see?

Kayleen is hoping to "just get to a place away from the stress of work and school."  She is content to sit on the beach every day.

 

 But we don't have to got to the beach. We can sit on our balcony an hear the waves role and feel the breeze.

She concedes, "I am happy"