This is a little more dramatic then our actual day. We got up at about 6AM without difficulty thanks to the time change. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at our hotel. Some of us more than others. Then it was off for our Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour of the Big Island which departed from Hilo.
We had a safety briefing, donned our personal flotation devices and head for the Choppa.
The Anseth family was joined on our helicopter tour by a dude named Bub. Imagine Amos Lee and Jack Johnson had a baby. Then they let the baby listen to reggae and jazz and they let it smoke weed, longboard and surf. You would get Bub, a local Hilo musician and quiet honestly a great guy. We boarded the chopper in an orderly fashion. Ashley and I of course got the back middle seats. Katie and Kari rode up front with our pilot, Jeremy.
We were up and off over the eastern side of the Big Island. We cruised out to see where the lava was dumping into the Pacific. The Komakuna ocean entry has been running since a massive collapse of volcanic rock into the ocean. The lava flow is coming down all the way from Kilauea Volcano. Even from the air this was an amazing display of raw geologic power. Hopefully you can see the lava flowing red in a couple of these photos.
We have our floatation devices on.
Get to the Choppa
Happiest back seat drivers ever
High up from the choppa
The ocean is just boiling from the lava
If you look upper right you can see the glowing red lava coming from the lava tube. The pictures don't do it justice.
From there we flew over a lava lake, which was bubbling red.
There is the bubbling lava
Next we were able to view the upper falls above Hilo, beautiful waterfall in the tropical forest.
I like this one but....
This one is cooler with the waterfall, the pool and the arch.
After that our tour finished up and we were deposited back in Hilo. Bub shares some great stories about a guy named Jack Thompson, who ran a bed and breakfast as the lava slowly moved towards his house. It finally over ran the place, but it left his satillite disc perfectly intact above the lava flow. Google it, it is pretty cool.
The girls back on Terra Firma
Anseth survive!!!!!
After that we cruised into Hilo for a treat. We stopped at this local coffee shop called, Just Cruisin Coffee. We all got a treat, I had a chocolate shake. It is without question one of the best chocolate shakes I have ever enjoyed and that is saying something. As a bonus, I also needed to finish Gracie's vanilla shake, before we left. It was a great little mid morning treat.
Back up to Volcano's National Park. We had a little time to kill before our guided tour, so we went walking through the Sulfur Banks. The ground leaks sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The air smells like rotten eggs. It wasn't terrible because of the wind but you definitely knew where you were at. Delicate sulfur crystals can form on the rocks and the rocks are stained red and brown from iron oxide.
The girls in front of the sulfur banks
The sulfur banks.
At 3 we met our guide, Scott, for a little private tour of Volcanos National Park.
Stop #1: Kileaua Crater.
The lava is still bubbling inside the Halema'uma'u crater. The images during the day are cool but not as dramatic as those at night.
Stop #2: The Steaming Banks
Kari and Gracie by a steam vent.
Ground water seeps in and travels down until it is heated by the Volcanic rock to return to the surface as steam. That is why there's is no plant life in the Kilauea Caldera. It is too hot for plants. The entire edge of the crater will steam at times.
Steam vent along the trail.
Stop #3: Kilauea Iki
This portion of Kilauea erupted in 1959 sending a column of lava 1900 ft in the air. The lava flow from here and destructive power are impressive
If you can see it the side of that hill/mountain collapsed from the violence of the explosion.
Stop #4: Nahuka..Thurston Lava Tube.
Grace and Katie in the lava tube
The Thurston Lava tube.
The lava filled this area. The top layer cold and solidified. This insulated the lava deep and allowed it to keep flowing. Eventually the flow stops and the remaining deep lava flows out leaving the tube behind. With in this tube you can see multiple marking on the wall from various level of lava flow over the years.
Katie and Grace up on one of the flow levels.
Stop # 5: Lava fields. We stopped at various lava fields looking at the flow pattern,Unmanaged lava tubes and Pele's hair.
Pele' hair are fine threads of volcanic glass that form rapidly when a spray of lava is cooled rapidly in the air. Gracie was obsessed with finding these. I never bothered to take a picture of them.
Ohi'a trees are a flowering evergreen that are endemic to Hawaii. The lava typically flows around them before eventually they collapse and the base burns leaving this lava holes. They are also the first tree to grow back on the lava flows. They have beautiful flowers as well.
Flow of lava around an Ohia tree.
The flowers of the Ohia tree.
Check out the crazy flow patterns in this lava.
This is Pahoehoe lava formation. It is hotter and faster moving then the other kind. It is easy to walk on and has cool patterns. Aa lava tumbles at if flows. Typically it was cooler and slower and produces many little sharp rocks. It is not easy to walk across as these sharp rocks can cut your feet. Just ask Katie Anseth.
Inside a natural lava tube
Gracie and Katie running the lava flow
Gracie and Katie on the lava flow as it dives down the hill. Notice the grassy spots the lava misses in the background and then the Pacific Ocean.
Below the ridge. The Aa lava is very black sean while the Pahoehoe has a look of poured syrup.
Stop #6: Sea Arches or Sea Urchins if you are Grace.
As the lava flows into the sea, it can be cooled and eroded to form beautiful arches out itnto the Pacific. The Pacific was really rocking at the end of our tour so the waves were crashing big and loud against the rocks. I wish I was better with my camera cause the scene was magnificent.
The Pacific crushing the coast.
The girls and the arch
Black and White art house action for EB
After that we said goodbye to Scott. Great guide made the day a ton of fun. Took us to a few places just unsafe enough to feel a little risky but not so unsafe that I questioned my parenting.
After that we watched the sunset from Volcano House. It was amazing how as the glow of the sun faded, the glow of Kileaua grew.
Gracie and Katie at sunset
Sunset as Kilauea awakens
After that it was dinner at Volcano House and bed. It was a great day but something was missing.
Don't be worried, I did not banish Ashley to the Volcano. She started feeling terrible last night. She toughed it out for the chopper ride but was completely done by the time we got back to Volcano House. She spent the afternoon sleeping, enjoying the occasional Advil and watching Netflix on the Volcano House WiFi. She will live to tell hopefully she will rally before this vacation is over.
Aloha.
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