**Remember- you can click on most of the pictures to blow it up BIG for a better view!
On day FIVE we got up early and went VOLCANO hunting! We were bound and determined to see all we could after being frustrated the night before. We were watching and praying all day that the weather would clear up and that we would be able to do all we had planned.
Unfortunately, Olivia woke up with a super hot fever and a cough. I felt so bad for her! It ended up lasting at least three more days. Luckily daddy had brought every medication we might possibly need!
This was actually a cool museum where we learned a few more facts about volcanoes
(that Rustin hadn't already told us) and we saw a stuffed feral pig, like the one we saw on the side of the road a few days before.
We even made our own earthquake and saw it register on the seismograph! I'm not sure how many ricters on the scale five Crawfords jumping up and down is, but it was a Big one!
Chloe checking out Kilauea Crater that is letting out some stinky fumes. The kids kept commenting that it smelled like Yellowstone! It did! Those fumes brought back some great memories of our trip there a few years ago. Like bears climbing on the Suburban!
Olivia seeing what she can see on this cloudy and rainy day. The steam and vapors blended into the clouds and made for some foggy fog as you will see.
That's what all the fuss is about. Steaming crater!
Never heard of a NeNe before and unfortunately never saw any.
Didn't FEED any either thank you very much!
Another great sign you don't see everyday in AZ! Combine this with the next picture and you might understand why Chloe took a trip to the ER that night! We really don't know why she passed out but it was scary enough! All better now though!
Breathing in that warm steam coming from the steam vents down the road. This was like being in a steam room- sorta- no naked people thank goodness. Just in front of the lady in the red hat is our waiter (wearing tan) from the night before who also works at the park as a ranger apparently!
More steam vents that were behind us.
Pele, The Goddess of Fire or the
Volcano Goddess!
Was she angry we took so many chunks of lava home with us?
Don't know, don't care cuz it is sooo cool!
Relaxing in the noxious fumes, I mean steam!
Another vent deep in a crater.
We drove down the road and quickly entered a tropical rain forest.
Really! It was sooo LUSH! It reminded me of a Hawaiian version of Tryon Creek State Park in Lake Oswego.
That's a new one!
It's gonna be dark in there!
The first half of the tunnel was lighted. This top picture was without a flash, and the bottom one with a flash. Thanks Tess, my trusty photographer!
There she is!
Come on, it's okay!
As far as we could possibly go!!!
Coming back to the surface again. Phew!
Another bird picture. This ones a little more exciting and I think Chloe took it.
Guess the name of this path...
DEVASTATION TRAIL!
Gee I wonder why. This is what the lava flow does to the rain forest just a few hundred feet from here.
All along Chain of Craters Road were lava pits like this one where the ground just gave way to the flowing lava. This is just one edge of a pit. Couldn't fit it all in one shot.
Now we are at the end of the road where you can walk to the edge of the cliff and see the ocean!
The steam you see in the distance is where the current lava flow from the Pu'u O'o Crater is falling into the ocean and causing quite a sight! Later that night we did get to see that a lot closer on our walk but it just looked like a moving orange cloud and the pictures didn't turn out very well. Glad it was open and we did it though.
Photo opp. time!!!
Rustin
Chloe bo!
Livvy Lou Lou!
Tess! Yep. One shot is all you get!
Yours Truly
Windy day!
Me and Dr. Jones
What is an EARTH CRACK you say?...
Ya! This thing could have eaten them for lunch if it was hungry!
Well. You can walk to the end of this road and see where the lava had flowed right over it in 2003 but we got bored and tired and hoped we would be doing a better hike that night so we left from here.
This street was WARM! You could see shiny heat waves- mirages- down the road it was that toasty!
Getting a little help on the way back. This is not the first or the last time Russ has been photographed carrying his baby!
The black streaks of lava flows heading toward the ocean behind me.
Notice how with me she is using her own two feet?
Oddly, someone planted this bunch of palm trees down there. They looked silly because everywhere else was black lava or grasses and shrubs trying desperately to grow but that's it!
Weeks before our trip we scheduled a helicopter tour of the Volcano. Murphy's law would dictate that it would be a super rainy day mixed with lots of thunder and lightening! The flight right before ours was cancelled and we were hopeful but not optimistic. The girls have their ponytails in and their headbands on to keep their bangs out of their eyes.
Notice all the rain on Chloe's jacket!
Our scheduled departure time was 3:30 and we had to be at the airport an hour early just waiting and wondering. At about 3:15 they were still not sure and we could hear the thunder pretty easy. Then five minutes later the lady walked over to us with this sad look on her face and said, "I'm sorry...
but your going to have to come with me for your briefing cuz we're taking you up!!!!
She loved teasing us! Some of the kids totally bought it at first and started getting sad that we couldn't go until I helped them realize that she really just told us we get to go! It was like on American Idol when they are choosing the top 24 and they try and make them think they are going home but they're not. Funny Lady!
Going to my chopper in perfect stride.
That's Olivia and I in the blue chopper and Tess is taking a picture of me videotaping her. Not the first time. And if you will notice there are NO DOORS on the back of that helicopter! Yes, they let you choose and we said NO DOORS! The people in the front are Ben and Angela, newlyweds from Canada and super nice! Hi guys!
Better shot of Tess and I shooting each other!
Olivia was a little leary before our trip about going up on a helicopter for the first time. She asked, "What if it crashes?" I just said we would be fine but if not then we would all go to heaven together at the same time! Since you can only have 4 in a chopper we did split up and Russ and I went in different ones just in case something did happen so our kids would not be orphans!
Chloe, Russ, Rustin and Tess heading out to the white chopper.
Tess and Chloe in the front. Chloe snuggled up to their captain, "George" really dad, his name was George (except if you didn't like the flight then his name was Bob!) Funny guy! Tess sat by the non-existent door and took all the pictures you are about to see.
Misty cloudiness on the way to the volcano
A town of 350 homes was destroyed by lava a few years ago and that land has been in some of those families for generations so they are starting to rebuild again.
Better luck next time!
The same steam cloud I photographed earlier by the cliffs at the end of Chain of Craters Road.
Look at the green reef under the water!
Olivia and my helicopter over lava...
and over the ocean.
I just loved how the island was green, then lined with black streaks and rimmed with black cliffs. The water would go from a dark blue, to an incredible aqua that would crash white against the black cliffs making an incredible picture!
Great shot TESS! Look at that lava flowing like a waterfall into the ocean!
You can see all the commotion all that hot lava is causing that cool water.
Sometimes it would explode and you could see bunches of rocks and ash fly into the air.
In both these pictures you can actually see the lava hanging down into the water!
Great job Tess from a moving helicopter no less!
This part was just above on kind of an upper shelf.
Now that's what I call HOT!
More steam vents on this recent flow.
The house that JACK BUILT!
They landed both the choppers in Jack's front yard and we got to walk over to the lava flow from October 2008. It just missed his house but burned all his neighbors. He was a nice guy- looked like a retired surfer- and joined us on our walk.
Russ and the big kids coming in for a landing right in front of us! Thanks for the new pictures Ange and Ben!
Hanging out with George the pilot on the lava flow that covered up Jack's neighborhood.
Jack's neighbors
Pilot George took this picture and purposely set it up so it would look like the steam was coming out of my ear!
Ha ha!
Love the different designs the lava made as it made its way downhill. This fresh lava was so shiny and iridescent! It shimmered with blues and purples and reds. Some of it was RED because it was rich with IRON.
Hotter than Lava!
Chloe's feet, some red lava and a good example of how flakey and crunchy it was in places too.
Couldn't resist the photo opportunity again!
Angela and Ben getting their camera ready for me to take their family picture! They are newlyweds! awwww.
Cool
A cinder cone I think. An old crater where the lava built up the edges as it sprayed out and around it.
A macadamia nut farm. Cool beans, I mean nuts!
Pilot George and his new best friends! They LOVED him and said he was cracking them up the whole flight while he filled them in on all the facts.
Our pilot was Joyce. She was very nice but quiet. Guess what, the weather started getting bad again so they didn't take us to the waterfalls that was supposed to be on the tour and then they cancelled all the flights for the rest of the day! I guess Murphy's law was meant to be broken today!
(Except that we didn't get to our hotel until 2 am because of aforementioned medical mystery that I have sworn not to blog about)
I know this looks kinda cool and it was cool but this is an orange cloud reflecting the lava below. It would change shape and size as the lava popped and sizzled in the water but you could never see actual lava shooting up or anything. Oh well. We had fun walking down there and enjoying the night while singing songs and embarrassing Tess. The big kids had fun stepping on all or almost all of the white reflectors marking the path on the way back up and Liv had fun riding on dad's back!
The first one is mostly to show you the see-through beauty of the water and if you watch really close you can see the blue helicopter fly below them for a second. The second is some amazing video of the lava flowing into the water. Great job Russ!
Thanks for the unforgettable adventures!
