20080308 - Hawaii Day Nine

Today was Lava Saturday! We slept in and went out to breakfast, then we went down highway 130 to wait in line to go see the lava flowing across the road. We got there about 12:30 and waited around until they opened the gate at 2, but it was worth the wait. It was a pretty awesome sight to be within 5 feet of flowing lava from an active volcano. We spent a couple hours walking around and taking photos. The path was supposed to lead to the lava going into the ocean, but the lava had a different idea about that. It flowed across the path we were meant to take, so we didn't get to go see it hitting the ocean. Even without the ocean viewing, it was a pretty incredible experience.

The area was totally packed with people, a mix of locals and tourists because the rangers said this is the closest that the lava has been to the road in 6 or 7 years. Lucky us to be here!