When most people think of HAVO, what comes to mind is usually basic information that’s not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there’s a lot more to HAVO than just the basics.
Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there’s more to HAVO than you may have first thought.
Hawaii is a beautiful vacation destination. It makes for either a quiet and mild vacation consisting of countless hours lying on a beach or wildly active vacation sure to please event the most avid thrill seekers. What thrill seeking vacation would be complete without exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HAVO). The national park occupies a vast array of terrain ranging from tropical beaches to the sub arctic Mauna Loa summit. The huge park has two active volcanoes.
Kilauea Caldera is the youngest and most active volcano on earth. The landscaping is amazing complete with hardened lava and dozens of craters. The park has 140 miles of hiking trails and is open to the public for camping. The park is over 333,000 acres of land so plan to stay a while if you truly want to explore the park. If you don’t have a lot of time, you should plan to at least drive through the park. It is worth the hour or so that it will take you to see everything. The volcano erupts regularly, so in most cases you will get to see some sort of lava flow. However, don’t expect to see eruptions spewing into the sky like in the movies. The flow is fluid and constant, not nearly as dramatic as Hollywood depicts.
The terrain changes so frequently due to the ever changing lava flow that it makes it difficult to follow maps, however the most up to date versions will be available at the visitor’s center. The map can be used for driving as well as hiking. The park has a hotline that tells you what is happening with the volcanoes that day and where to best view the lava flow.
Unlike the rest of Hawaii the weather can change very quickly in the park. The temperatures can be about 15 degrees cooler here than in Kona, so plan to dress appropriately. The park can have blistering heat from the sun’s reflection off of the lava flow. It can be hot and steamy one minute and change to a chilly downpour of rain with little or no warning.
If planning to visit the volcanoes you should be prepared and dress appropriately. Wear hiking shoes or boots; bring sunscreen and lots of water. The heat can cause dehydration quickly so be prepared with lots of fluids because this little nuisance is preventable. Always follow the signs and stay on the trails. Fatalities do happen here at HAVO. The most common are due to people wandering off and getting lost in the park and people getting too close to newly formed lava paths. These lava flows can collapse causing injuries, or even worse death.
If and when the lava reaches the ocean, sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid permeate the air. These gases are toxic. Every one should be careful, especially pregnant women, young children and people with upper respiratory problems. The smell of sulfur is strong in the air.
Whether it’s magnificent hiking trails you seek, or simply marking visiting a volcano off of your to do list, HAVO is sure to please.
Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about HAVO into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about HAVO, and that’s time well spent.
By: Jawahn R Thompson
Archive for October, 2009
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park- A Beautiful Destination Indeed
October 29th, 2009How To Plan A Family Trip – Top 5 Tips
October 27th, 2009Family trips allow family members to spend good quality time with each other and make life-long memories. However, some families avoid trips because they don’t know how to plan the trip successfully. Follow these steps and you will have an amazing trip.
1. Plan your trip a head of time and not at the last minute. This allows you time to save up plenty of money and to find exactly where you want to go. When choosing your destination take into consideration the weather. » Read more: How To Plan A Family Trip – Top 5 Tips
Rugged Eastern Canada
October 25th, 2009When you think of travel to Canada, the first destination that might come to mind is Vancouver. If you’re a skier or snowboarder, you might say Whistler. Quebec also gets some attention due to its history and French character. Finally, you might get a mention about beautiful Banff National Park, or even the vast nothingness of the Canadian Arctic.
Very rarely do Americans think of far Eastern Canada (this is especially true of West Coasters). I speak of the Maritime Provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Further afield is Newfoundland, and beyond that is Labrador, where tourists fear to tread. These are undervalued, picturesque, sparsely habited locations. This makes them fantastic and inexpensive destinations for a vacation.
Eastern Canada, in my mind, represents what New England was no doubt like around the turn of the century. I am not talking about Boston or other big cities, but rather of Old New England, places like Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I envision a landscape that is very beautiful, a little windswept, with lots of small fishing vessels, crisp air, winding dirt roads, and winter snowstorms that keep you stuck in your house for days. The smell of the ocean brine permeates every facet of life. This is fast disappearing in New England. But for Eastern Canada this is still often a reality.
New Brunswick has the famous Bay of Fundy, home to the fastest, most extreme tides in the world. It is also known for its large number of quaint-looking covered bridges, giving it an old-timey feel. By the time you reach Nova Scotia, the feel of the country is distinctly different from the busy rush of the United States. Everything is decidedly more rural, relaxed, and slower. Halifax is a charming city with rich maritime history. By the time you reach Cape Breton and the highlands, you will be convinced you have somehow stepped into a strange time and space capsule, and are actually in Scotland circa 1890.
My favorite destination here is the island of Newfoundland. Every schoolchild knows about the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, and Columbus’ famous 1492 voyage to the Americas. Yet almost no attention is given to the northern tip of Newfoundland, the site of a Viking colony (likely belonging to Leif Erikson) dated to AD 1000. L’Anse aux Meadows should be a household name in the Americas, and yet most people do not even know it exists.
Newfoundland and Labrador truly are frontiers, extraordinarily sparsely populated regions with miles of stunning, rugged coastline for the most part devoid of human intrusion. They are a perfect destination for the “slow” vacation, a relaxing, unhurried jaunt without the usual crush of people. It is quite easy to explore by car. If you would rather not pay the exorbitant ferry fee, there are also a few outfits that offer Newfoundland tours to see St. John’s, go hiking in Gros Morne National Park, see L’Anse aux Meadows, or watch for the thousands of Humpback and Minke whales that call this area home. If you are looking for a low-stress vacation, quiet times alone, and a glimpse into a simpler, slower lifestyle, than look no further than rugged Eastern Canada.
By: George Morrison
