The Kilauea Crater is currently off limits due to noxious fumes emanating from the caldera (bottom of the crater). We hiked the adjacent Kilauea Iki (little Kilauea) Crater. Starting at the park headquarters, we followed a rim trail until it descended onto the caldera. Such an otherworldly place. You walk across a kind of undulating field of dried lava, stepping over cracks and chunks of volcanic rock. What made the experience even more dramatic was the wind and the incessant sheets of rain and drizzle hammering us as we emerged from the surrounding forest and hiked from one end of the caldera to the other. It made picture-taking problematical, so Peggy would block the wind and the rain with her umbrella while I tried to take some shots. And then, just as abruptly, we reached the other side and re-entered the surrounding forest and all was calm.

After hiking back up to the rim, we found ourselves at one of the most popular tourist destinations in the park, the Thurston Lava Tube. It's about 300 yards long, big enough for a train, and, well, popular. We started in, but there were too many people and lighting was too poor for pics, so we turned around and headed back out of the tube to finish our hike around the Kilauea Iki Crater. Oh, and did I tell you about the cool birds we saw along the way?...