On June 27, 2011, we left out of our hotel at 6:30am to catch a flight to the Big Island, Hawaii. We then spent the day on a tour, visiting all of the "hot" spots of this island. Our first stop was Moku Ola (Coconut Island) where there is a black sand beach. 
The girls collecting rocks and sand...... 
This was our only day with questionable weather. It rained off and on all day, but the sights were still beautiful.
Abi touring the park area....
Our next stop was Liliuokalani Gardens. The girls are at the base of the banyan tree. Everything is so lush and green due to the large amounts of rainfall on this side of the island. 
After eating lunch, the girls discovered these "berries" growing from a tree. 
A picture in front of Kamehameaha, The Great. He ruled this island long ago.
We then stopped at Rainbow Falls, near Hilo Town.
I still cannot get over the size of these trees....
We spent most of the afternoon in the Volcano National State Park. Here were are overlooking the Kilauea Iki crater formed by an explosive volcano in 1959. You can actually hike down to the bottom of the crater, but it is a 4 hour walk.
Heading into the Thurston Lava Tube. It's hard to imagine lava flowing so thick that this tube was formed. What a sight that must have been.
Inside the lava tube. The tube itself is probably 15-20 feet tall and about the same width.
Rocks, benches, cracks, and crevasses were all a result as the lava began to cool.
If you look closely, you can see the huge "rock" wedged in the tree. This was from the Kilauea volcano and as the volcano erupted, rocks got lodged in trees and are still there.
Walking through an eruption site, the ground is all ash and rock.....
Nature has a way of replenishing itself, even if it is surrounded by rocks.
On our drive down "Chain of Craters Road," we stopped at different age lava flows and went exploring. The first lava flow was from 1969. It was sharp, thin, and brittle.
Sitting in front of a "lava tree" formed by the 1974 flow....
Apparently the lava flow in 1974 was different in temperature than the flow of 1969, because it was not as brittle and thin. 
As we rode through the National Park, there were Steam vents from Kilauea.
Notice the difference in color. The darker lava is from the 1972 eruption (more brittle than the lava underneath it).
Emily, Abi, and Cindy sitting on lava that flowed over an existing road back in 1972. A new road has been built to replace the part that is no longer driveable from the lava.
Neat lava patterns....
The lava extends as far as the eye can see...until it hits the ocean miles off in the distance.
Our last stop was the observatory at Mauna Loa. As it got darker outside, the glow from the lava was more and more visible. Apparently, the earthquake in Japan (a few months ago) dropped lava levels on Hawaii by 150 feet. So there was no flowing lava, only a crater with lava below. It's still hard to believe that we are able to see a red glow from molten lava that is from the earth's core.
What a fascinating day full of adventure and beautiful scenery. We only spent this one day on the Big Island, but it was well worth it.
The girls collecting rocks and sand...... This was our only day with questionable weather. It rained off and on all day, but the sights were still beautiful.Abi touring the park area....Our next stop was Liliuokalani Gardens. The girls are at the base of the banyan tree. Everything is so lush and green due to the large amounts of rainfall on this side of the island. After eating lunch, the girls discovered these "berries" growing from a tree. A picture in front of Kamehameaha, The Great. He ruled this island long ago.We then stopped at Rainbow Falls, near Hilo Town. I still cannot get over the size of these trees....We spent most of the afternoon in the Volcano National State Park. Here were are overlooking the Kilauea Iki crater formed by an explosive volcano in 1959. You can actually hike down to the bottom of the crater, but it is a 4 hour walk.Heading into the Thurston Lava Tube. It's hard to imagine lava flowing so thick that this tube was formed. What a sight that must have been.Inside the lava tube. The tube itself is probably 15-20 feet tall and about the same width.Rocks, benches, cracks, and crevasses were all a result as the lava began to cool.If you look closely, you can see the huge "rock" wedged in the tree. This was from the Kilauea volcano and as the volcano erupted, rocks got lodged in trees and are still there.Walking through an eruption site, the ground is all ash and rock.....Nature has a way of replenishing itself, even if it is surrounded by rocks.On our drive down "Chain of Craters Road," we stopped at different age lava flows and went exploring. The first lava flow was from 1969. It was sharp, thin, and brittle.Sitting in front of a "lava tree" formed by the 1974 flow....Apparently the lava flow in 1974 was different in temperature than the flow of 1969, because it was not as brittle and thin. As we rode through the National Park, there were Steam vents from Kilauea.Notice the difference in color. The darker lava is from the 1972 eruption (more brittle than the lava underneath it).Emily, Abi, and Cindy sitting on lava that flowed over an existing road back in 1972. A new road has been built to replace the part that is no longer driveable from the lava.Neat lava patterns....The lava extends as far as the eye can see...until it hits the ocean miles off in the distance.Our last stop was the observatory at Mauna Loa. As it got darker outside, the glow from the lava was more and more visible. Apparently, the earthquake in Japan (a few months ago) dropped lava levels on Hawaii by 150 feet. So there was no flowing lava, only a crater with lava below. It's still hard to believe that we are able to see a red glow from molten lava that is from the earth's core.What a fascinating day full of adventure and beautiful scenery. We only spent this one day on the Big Island, but it was well worth it.
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