The Explore All 50 States Project
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You just cannot visit the Big Island of Hawaii without visiting Volcano National Park which is about a 45 minute drive from Hilo or about a 2 hour drive from Kona. We just could not pass up the opportunity to explore mother nature at her most powerful and to understand how the Hawaiian Islands were created while exploring the geology of our entire planet. As we always do, we headed straight for the visitors … [Read more...]
Driving back to Kona from Volcano National Park, we happened upon the famous Punaluu Black Sand Beach. The black sand is made of basalt and is created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it reaches the ocean and cools. While the scenery is quite spectacular this isn't a great beach to swim at for a couple of reasons. The surf is pretty rocky and the black sand will get all over you and it's pretty … [Read more...]
Crater Lake is a natural wonder and one of the most interesting and beautiful places I have ever seen. Formed by a volcanic eruption , Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US and the 7 th deepest lake in the world. Standing out on the viewing area on the rim it's pretty crazy to know you are on the top of a dormant volcano. The lake itself is the most incredible sapphire blue because of its depth and the … [Read more...]
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is A little off the beaten path, but definitely worth the drive. Take Highway 504 East off the 5 Freeway directly into the park and start at the visitors center. Mt. St. Helens blasted onto the global scene when she erupted unexpectedly May 18, 1980. There are several visitor centers so I am not sure which one we hit, but I assume it was the main one because there was … [Read more...]
