Day 3 - Volcano ( a rest day)

At the lowest point of the crater rim road is a vista point that brings you as close to the crater as possible. The locals still consider this place as sacred. Flowers are still left as offerings to Pele, Goddess of Fire. It might be of interest to know that not too long ago back in the 1940's, this crater was like a full pot of red molten lava. Now it has dried up but you can still see steam oozing out of the crater floor. Around the perimeter are also sign posts marking lava flow of different years. Riding the Crater Rim Road leaves you a humbling feeling of nature's power and how small we are compared to its power. It leaves an eerie feeling as you ride the road smelling sulfur fumes surrounded by black crackling dried lava flow. As you ride further away from the crater perimeter, the fauna suddenly changes from desert like to a rain forest. This side of the route receives the most rain in the island as evidenced by thick moss covering tree trunks. Our last stop was the Thrusten tube, a giant lava cave you can actually walk through. It was an interesting 11 mile ride, with very gradual well paved terrain. By 3:PM, we were back for tonight's main event.

Return to Big Island Main Page

Previous Page / Next Page