September 25, 2011
The Kilauea Iki Trail is a four-mile loop down a tropical rainforest pathway leading to the depths of a dormant volcanic Caldera. The floor of the cinder cone still vents steam from below the thick lava flow.
Hawaii Volcanoes
Our 31st National Park is an active part of the Ring of Fire...active volcanoes of the Pacific Plate.
Stunning Coastline
At the end of Chain of Craters Road, you reach a breathtaking stretch of windswept coastline. In 2003, lava flow closed the road at this point.
Holei Sea Arch
At the end of the Chain of Craters Road, a fragile Sea Arch is constantly battered by the pounding surf. Like LandScape Arch in Arches National Park, Sea Arch's days are numbered.
Kilauea Lodge
We immediately fell in love with this Lodge. Formerly a YMCA Camp, this very cozy Bed and Breakfast style lodge was purchased and converted by Albert Jeyte after he ended his career as the makeup artist for the Magnum PI TV series. Albert and his wife Lorna remodeled the 12 sleeping units and built a fine dining room for guests and locals to enjoy. Reservations highly recommended! The restaurant was packed and for good reason. Albert studied culinary arts in Paris and serves as the dining room's Chef! The food and wine were Divine!
Room #7 will serve as our quarters for the evening. As far as Lodges go, the Kilauea is #2 on our list of favorites trailing only Yosemite's Ahwahnee.
Petroglyphs Trail
After viewing the coastline , Terry and I ventured out over the lava fields to the Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs. Etched into the lava flow are the sacred and awe-inspiring graphics created by the native Hawaiian's centuries ago.
Lovers in LavaLand
These two well defined petroglyph images remind me of a happy husband and wife walking hand in hand. Gazing at these ancient art galleries reminds me of the simplicity of life and harshness of landscape that these islanders must have endured.
TurtleGlyph
Texture in Nature
Lava cools in a number of bizarre patterns!
Kilauea Crater
Walking across the Kilauea Iki Trail is like walking across a huge asphalt parking lot that has been crumbled by a violent earthquake.
Halema'u'uma'u Crater
Warning signs everywhere: Visitor alert! High amounts of dangerous sulphur dioxide gas are present in areas of the park! We pay no heed to the signs and venture out to Jagger Museum to get a closer look at the "steam" hoping we'll see some molten lava spewing up into the atmosphere.
See that plume of smoke? That's what the warning signs caution you about. "Smells funny", I remark, as I inhale a lungful of toxic air. A day later, I'm coughing up a lung from the effects of breathing this foul air!
Our visit to #31 is short and sweet. After inhaling toxic fumes, we make the 2 1/2 hour drive down the volcano to Kona where we will hop the big bird back to the States. Happy Trail my friends.
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