Interesting lava formations abound as we begin the walk out to see the lava pouring down the side of Kiluea.
The patterns at the time that the lava slowed, stopped, and solidified are trapped forever...or at least until the next eruption.
Here you can see the two types of lava, a'a (left), and pa'hoe'hoe (right), side by side.
Julia poses with another fearless group of hikers, hanging out on the lava long after nightfall. Good thing we all brought flashlights!
The lava was still far away when we stopped, but you can see the reddish glow on the horizon.
It was quite eerie, seeing that glow in the sky.
Julia, at night, standing in the middle of a see of unforgiving rock.
On to whale-watching....we set out in search of the mightly humpback whales.
The nose of a humpback splashing in the water, while another can be seen off to the left.
The dorsal fin breaks the plane of the water.
Thar she blows!
Mother and daughter, side by side.
Check out this whale's fluke (tail) as he/she dives down into the deep.
This humpback is slapping the water with a fin. Another boat is there in the background.
They do this as a territorial thing, often to other members of their species.
Here you can see both the flipper and part of the fluke.