At The End Of The Rainbow

Yesterday was many hours and few miles with lots of stops for photos. Today was just the opposite, long miles and fewer hours. We drove to several more black sand beaches and worked our way back up the coast towards Chain of Craters Road in Volcano National Park. Kilauea sits on the side of Mauna Loa and has been the source of most of the eruptions over the past two hundred years. The Chain of Craters Road is shorter now by eight miles thanks to the Pu’U O’o vent that has been erupting in some manor since January of 1983, making it the longest continuous volcanic event in history. It had been active just a few weeks before we arrived. There’s a beautiful rock formation created by the pounding waves called the Holei Sea Arch which also happens to signal the current end of the road. We walked the last ¾ mile under warning signs placed by the park to assure people they were about to put themselves in harm’s way. There’s no end to the dangers in this area. Earthquakes can occur and open gaping chasms in the cooled lava, vents could erupt at your feet spewing noxious fumes, tephra or even lava into the air, a sudden belch of ash would turn day into night and there is even danger in the hike itself. People going that extra distance are warned to have proper footwear, plenty of water, long pants and even flash lights. No one paid any attention to those warnings, including us. At the end of the trail, we saw only the destruction that had gone before, no sign of oozing lava or even steam as it entered the ocean. It was, however, worth the trip to walk over newly formed ground and look out over the newest parts of Hawaii. As we began to drive back out of the area, it began to mist and we were treated to a 270 degree rainbow.