VOLCANO, Hawai'i — What do Hawai'i residents do when an active volcano ... suddenly becomes even more dangerous, melting roadways, spilling 2,000-degree lava into the ocean and sending plumes of hissing steam blasting through clouds of noxious gases?
Book a flight, rent a car and get as close as possible to the latest show by the Big Island's long-erupting volcano, Kilauea.
Sometimes, the crowd of volcano watchers standing toe to toe with Mother Nature at the end of Chain of Craters Road reaches 3,000 people, said Volcanoes National Park ranger Mardie Lane. Despite the smoke and gases, they stay on, watching the sunset and, in the evening, the red glow of molten lava from Kilauea's east rift zone.
Before nightfall, more than 100 cars and trucks lined the narrow Chain of Craters Road for what many called a once-in-lifetime experience.
"There is nothing you can say that actually puts the experience of standing next to molten rock into perspective," said Lane, the park ranger. "I think what predominates down there is the overwhelming silence. ... You see this sea of silhouette human features, taking in the experience. ... Where else on Earth can you be so close to the genesis of our world?"
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. Scientists have mapped Kilauea's lava flows since the 1800s.
Andrew and Janet Downing of Las Vegas are enjoying a six-day working vacation in Kona. They said they drove three hours to get to the flow.
"Worth it?" Janet Downing said, repeating part of what she regarded as a dumb question.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event."
"We have nothing like this in Vegas."
