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In case you were unaware, the state of Hawai’i was formed by volcanoes.  Molten lava and white-hot flame volcanoes.  Eruptions and Explosions and Mouth of Hell volcanoes.  I was aware of this fact, and I think I remember hearing about eruptions happening every so often.  But Hawai’i is a long way away from little old, volcano-less, Salt Lake City, and it didn’t really register in my flurry to get ready for my trip that the Big Island still has active volcanic activity.  All the time.  Molten lava and white-hot flame volcanic activity.  Eruptions and “Hello Hell, Nice to see you this time of year” volcanic activity.  Crazy.  As M. and J. (Handsome’s sister and her hubby-slash-Big Island Tour Guides Extraordinaire) were talking about the last time they visited, they described seeing lava like this–do you see those people up there on top?  Yeah, in Hawai’i they aren’t so particular about personal injury law suits, if you step in flaming lava you deserve to have a peg-leg the rest of your life.  It’s hot, stay away from it!

M. & J. talked about walking right up to lava like this, no restrictions, no lava police, just raw, liquid awesomeness.

Sadly, there was no lava actually flowing the day we visited the volcano.  Apparently the previous day Muana Loa (MOO-ana LOW-uh, yes, a pronunciation lesson is forthcoming) was all sorts of upset, shooting lava and fiery sparks all over the place.  However, the day we went she was mostly quiet.  There was a lot of crazy-insane volcanic sulphur-steam coming out of the crater, and cracks in the ground, and holes in the hardened lava, but no molten lava.  However, I still felt like I was in some sci-fi movie, or an “end of the world” type situation, or some equally bizarre landscape.  But no, I was in the U-S-of-A. 

Or, maybe I was on the set for the Land Before Time XVII…

I was so completely amazed by the Volcano Park, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such ancient-but-somehow-still-raw nature in my life.  The sense of “holy crap, I’m completely insignificant and powerless against this type of nature” was everywhere; awesome, scary, and destructively-beautiful all at the same time.

I’m sure you love my annotated photos.  I just wanted to let you know that I’m handy when it comes to Paint.

Awwww…Handsome and heidikins, with the Mouth of Hell in the background.  Ahem.

Have you ever had one of those unplanned, completely spontaneous, certifiably crazy adventures that, upon reflections, your only thought is something along the lines of “Daaaaang.  Now THAT was cool!”  Yes?  No?  Of course, happens all the time?  Ok, good.  So we have various levels of spontaneously adventurous.  M. & J. (who, it should be mentioned, absolutely made this trip happen.  Danke mucho!) have a Big Island Adventure Bible that has been flipped through, dog-eared, and carried on several trips to Hawai’i.  Some of the listed adventures didn’t really work out so well–that “rough, 4-Wheel Drive ONLY road” description should really have read “you should probably charter a helicopter to drop you off”–but some were certifiably crazy. 

Somewhere on the road between Hilo and the Volcano there is a mostly hidden lava tube.  What is a lava tube?  Well, kids, a lava tube is an underground (or underwater) cave that was once filled with molten lava making it’s way from the belly of the volcano to the Big Outside World beyond.  What was once an underground river of fiery red fury is now a long, tubey-cave of with rock ledges, hardened lava rope, and even the beginnings of lava stalactites (those are the ones that hang from the ceiling).  So, in the Hawai’i Adventure Bible there is a small, easily skipped-over paragraph about a mostly hidden lava tube.  Seriously, the directions on how to find it go something like this:

On Highway 11, in-between mile marker 7 and 8, there is a gravel driveway on the east side of the road.  About 30 feet south of that driveway there is a hardly marked trail.  Follow it.  You will hear lots of barking dogs, but don’t worry, they are chained up.  You will probably have to crawl through bushes on your stomach and you will have your legs scratched off by branches, but follow this “trail” for 80 yards and you will find the opening of a lava tube.  Make sure to bring flashlights, and tread carefully–lava tubs are full of loose rocks. 

Um, that’s crazy.  And that’s exactly what we did, pulling over at the gravel driveway, sprinting across the highway, crawling through this crazy-tiny “trail”, praying the scary-sounding dogs were really on chains, or fences, or something…and lo, and behold, the Bible was correct.  Lava tube.  Mostly hidden.  Totally awesome. 

…Only we forgot the camera.  So, you’ll just have to deal with googled images, and just know that this tube was infitintely cooler than the more-famous Thurston Lava Tube in the Volcano Park (see below), and without the “this is discovered, it’s traveled, it’s well-lit” aspect.  Our tube was can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark.  We had to pick our way across loose rock that has not been touched in who-knows how many millions of years.  We only survived because we dragged a couple of scuba dive lights through the brush.  In short, our lava tube (and yes, I will refer to it as “our lava tube”, was superior to every other lava tube on the island, and possibly in the world.  That’s right, I said it.  I double-dog-dare you to prove me wrong. 

Our tube was about 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall and stretched for about a mile and a half, and our tube was chock-full of lava tracks and pieces of hardnened stone.  In some places the rock was reddish, in some places it was shiny and reflective.  Sometimes the rock was smooth and sinewy, sometimes it was pokey and treacherous, and sometimes it was pebbly and almost gravel-like.  It was FASCINATING!  Ever since my Timpanogos Cave adventure, I have been thinking a lot more about caves…and this?  This was the awesomest cave EVER!  I think part of the appeal was that it was so hidden, no plaques, no electricity (flashlights, heavy-duty ones, are essential) no tour-guide.  I actually get goosebumps just thinking about it.  This was perhaps the most amazing thing that we did while on the Big Island. 

(Um…it should be noted those directions are approximate…if you are planning on taking a trip to the Big Island, buy this book.  It will be the best $15 dollars you’ll spend.)