Our first night we stayed in a military cabin located on Volcano National Park. They were super cozy, and offered a wood burning stove and heated bathrooms for the chilly nights. It was so nice to feel cold for a little while!
I really really wanted to see some lava. After all, that's why I wanted to go to the Big Island in the first place. If you want to see volcanoes, you have to see lava, too! So, Spencer and I splurged and took a boat tour to see the lava flowing into the ocean. It was so worth it.
The ride over was crazy. The waves were enormous. I would have been so nervous if it weren't for our captains who were chill as could be. Totally knew what they were doing. I almost asked for a life jacket, but never got the guts. I'm telling you, they were huge. It was kind of fun once I didn't worry about tipping over or waves crashing into the boat. I was nervous for Spencer, who gets sea sick pretty easily. Luckily, he spent the ride over standing in the front of the boat, looking out the window, which I think helped.
Once we got to the lava, it was unreal. It's one of those things that you just have to see with your own eyes. Pictures don't do it justice. It was such a cool experience.
The ride back was a completely different kind of experience. It got dark, fast. It helped that I couldn't see how big the waves were this time around - but you sure did feel them. At one point on the way out, I had seen a flying fish. FLYING FISH. Not just a fish that jumped out of water. A fish that jumped out, then flew above the water for a few seconds. Well, apparently, they all come out at night. They were jumping everywhere. One time, one jumped out, started flying towards the boat, and slammed right into the side window. Spencer and I saw the whole thing happen.
The captain would also turn off all the lights on the boat so we could see the flourescent plankton in the water. I'd always heard about it, but never seen it before.
The other pictures of a crater in the park. At night, you can go and see the glow from the lava beneath. It was pretty dang cold, so we didn't stay long, but got some cool pictures. That is the same crater during the day and at night.
While we were visiting the crater, Eleanor went in to the gift shop and found that stuffed turtle. She picked it up, hugged it, and refused to let go. She loved it so much. And, well, Spencer and I are total pushovers. So we bought it. She still loves it to this day, so it was a good buy.
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