volcano.

sunday has been coined "adventure day" since val, javy and michael dont have a car. yesterday we had this grand scheme to drive to mauna kea (the tallest mountain in the "world" if you cheat). once we reached the half way point we realized you had to have four wheel drive to make it to the top. we got out, stretched and took a few photos to commemorate the effort.



we deliberated on where to go since we had "special plans" for the day/evening. rob suggested volcano national park. that realllllly struck my fancy and since nobody else had truly experienced it we decided that was the place. we headed out, drove through hilo and down the coast to the ominous mouth of the park. we paid the $10 entry fee and prepared for the most bizarre time i think we all may have ever had. we explored lava tubes, hiked through craters, saw geysers of steam and some of the most beautiful views any of us have ever witnessed. the stars were extraordinary and it was one of the best nights ive had since weve lived here. i guess the one quote from michael that sums things up for me was that it looked like we were taking a tour of "tim burtons brain". end of story.





and this is my favorite photo of them all... rob is looking out over what we called "the end of the world". notice all of the gases in the air from the volcano.


what a gratifying day.