Today was a good day. A few of us started the day with an early morning (5:45) sunrise…
…and then Mac made chocolate chip pancakes for the group. They were delicious (thxs Mac 🙂 )
We got going at 9:15, and our first stop was a gas station, where we found ✨Trolli Eggs✨
After we fueled ourselves and our vehicles, we moved to Puhimau Crater, our first stop on the Chain of Craters Road (pictured below). Pit craters like this one form when the ground collapses, usually fairly quickly. They are formed when deep internal cracks form and move upwards. The very bottoms of the craters fill with rock rubble, and as more lava flows occur, most fill in. Find more information about pit crater formation here.
The next stop was Devil’s Throat (pictured below), which was a neat stop because it wasn’t in the market at all, so it was not very crowded. We did learn about Dang-It Jimmy, a friend of Dr. Knapp’s (question mark?), and we all stayed away from the edge to avoid falling in and becoming Dang-It (insert name). We learned the crater was on Kilauea’s east rift zone and it is 165 feet deep.
We stopped at a restroom later, and Caroline, Abby, and I found some cool iridescent rocks… we also met a really interesting man who had an intricate necklace made of these tiny seashells he collected years ago. He was from Minnesota and had lots of fun destination advice. He also had some theories about how there is a joint alien-human base on the dark side of the moon, which is an interesting idea to ponder…
Next, we went and saw some petroglyphs often used as umbilical cord offerings to ensure a long life for the child. It was also meant to tie the person to the land, which is a beautiful idea. I have always liked learning about how people in the past had such close connections with the land they lived in. In America, we sometimes forget all that the Earth gives us, and I think being reminded of that helps us remember why we should care about threats to it (like climate change).
Our last stop was a sea column, which was an absolutely gorgeous stop.
After that, we headed back, and I cooked mac-n-cheese, Caroline made burgers, and we celebrated Van’s birthday 🙂 She cut the cake like a mad-woman, which you will be able to see below. Then we all watched Moana and went to sleep.
