We started at the Jaggar Musuem, which overlooks the active Kilauea Volcano (kil-a-way-ya). Kilauea is the most active volcano in the world.

Vent from the active volcanoes in the area. Fenced off so newbies like me don’t fall in.

This is Kilauea Iki, an offshoot of the main Kilauea Volcano that you walk across. The black stuff? Solid lava!

The view from on top/inside Kilauea Iki. Like a barren wasteland from a sci-fi movie. The 4 mile trail takes 2-3 hours to cover. It is not a straight walking path. Rocky, curvy and definetely not for folks in bad physical condition – bad knees, bad back, bad heart, bad anything.

King of the Volcano!

Lava tubes are tunnels that carried lava thru the ground to an entry point on the surface.

This is the Hawaiian shoreline where the Kilauea lava flows dumped into the Pacific Ocean. All of the land you see before the blue Pacific was formed by lava being cooled by the Pacific. Actually ALL of Hawaii was formed by lava coming to the surface, cooling in water and building layer after layer over thousands of years.

The Holei Sea Arch. Naturally formed when lava flows fell into the Pacific.

New land formed by recent lava flows. The waves hitting the coast sound like rolling thunder.

Earth cracks are the deep holes and trenches formed by the lava cooling. Good for falling or twisting an ankle if you’re not careful.

The intricate patterns formed by cooled lava.

Do you know where these flowers are growing? In the middle of solid lava. Lava is dense in nutrients and porous enough that plants can start to take root. You’re not going to see food crops in it, but life does grow in lava.