Adventures with Liz

Volcanoes, Fish, and a Telescope: Days 3, 4, and 5

The cockroach count is up to 9 and I’m burnt like a lobster. That’s how you know you’re really having fun.


Tuesday we went to Volcanoes National Park. It was amazing. The altitude changes caused a lot of headaches, but it was worth it. We started on up high and looked down over the shelf where old lava flows had built up and led into the ocean. We then drove down a narrow, winding road that took us down onto the shelf. Looking up at the cliff, we could see where the lava had flowed down. We got to walk out onto a relatively newer lava flow. Seeing hardened lava up close was really interesting. It’s hardened into all kinds of shapes and in some places it has a silvery finish, while in others it looks blue or pink. Walking out into the middle of the lava flow, surrounded by nothing but volcanic rock and glass, was kind of like walking out onto the moon or some alien planet. We could also see the big billows of steam where the lava is currently flowing into the ocean. The most amazing part was finding some little ferns growing in the hardened lava. Ferns are the first colonizers, meaning they’re the tough plants that move in first and grow in the most impossible landscapes. Many thousands of years from now, with the help of the wind and rain, grasses, and then trees, and then maybe eventually animals will be able to move in. But right now, the contrast of the little green ferns in that black, barren landscape leaves you in awe of the amazing things nature is capable of.

After our excursion, we got to walk through an old lava tube. We then got to look at several craters formed by the collapsing of some lava tubes. It was an interesting day, but also long and hot.

Wednesday we went snorkeling at the Pahoa tide pools. It was one of the prettiest landscapes I’ve ever seen. There aren’t really beaches in this area, just volcanic rock leading into the ocean. But the volcanic rock at this part of the coastline was scattered with interconnected blue-green pools, some shallow, some deeper, that gradually turned into the Pacific. Each one contained tons of coral, sea urchins, fishes, and other marine life. There were so many different colors! We even saw a sea turtle, and got to touch it. When we were done at the tide pools, we visited a park to see lava molds of trees.


Yesterday we drove to the very top of Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano, to look at one of the Gemini telescopes (the other is in South America). The altitude was almost 14,000 feet, so a lot of people had altitude sickness. After an initial headache, I was fine thanks to my low blood pressure and respiration rate. The telescope was impressive. It can see up to 13 billion light years away, which is almost to the event horizon of the big bang (and thanks to Michael, I knew what that meant!). The view, however, was even more impressive...we were above the clouds, so looking down, the clouds looked like snow, like the tundra. We were so high that we could see Maui, the next island over. It was amazing.

Today is our last day in Hilo, then it’s on to Kona. I’ll update next chance I get!

posted by Liz @ 1:54 PM