Today started bright and early with a 445a wake up call. We were actually awake already, getting ready to be in the lobby for a 530a pickup to head to the airport for our flight to the big island.
It was raining when we landed in Hilo, but the weather cleared and we were able to take our helicopter flight. We flew over the Pu'u O'o active volcano vent and saw some lava activity and a lot of decimated landscape. We could see roads that are shown in the pictures that have been cut off by lava flow. There is quite a bit of equipment surrounding the active site to take readings and keep track of current activity. We also got to see some beautiful waterfalls.
After our helicopter flight, we got a car and drove up into the Volcanoes National Park and did some more looking on foot. We were even able to take the mile plus hike down to the Kilauea Iki Crater. Walking through the rain forest on the way down showed us lots of vegetation, including ferns with fiddleheads as big as Dale's hand. It was amazing to see the desolation once we reached the bottom, along with the plants growing right out of the lava rock..
And this awesome day was capped off by being able to come back to the hotel and meet Ray and Bow for a late supper. Tomorrow looks to be another busy day.
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