At first I wasn’t impressed with Hawai’i volcanoes national park. We paid an entry fee and drove to an active volcano viewing area. Because of safety concerns – you know, because of the active volcano and all – we could only get a certain distance away from the smoldering opening.
So after 30 minutes in the park, this was the best photo I was able to take. Good, but afar. Far from great.
Because I can act like a spaz when I don’t get my way, I told Mrs. Jeffsetter that this national park sucked and we should just go do something else that day.
Thankfully, Mrs. Jeffsetter told me to suck it up and go to the other points of interest. I’m sure glad we did.
While at some point I hope to turn our day into a photo essay, for today I just wanted to show you one of the many beautiful sights from within the national park. These lava fields were majestic and all encompassing.
You can see where the lava flowed down the cliff, and see signs of destruction from its path.
But even better? You can see signs of plant life poking through the volcanic rock and trying to assume their rightful place in the world.
To the plants of Hawai’i, Lava is just a mere hindrance. A phase. An inconvenience.
Soon this area will be consumed by plant life once again. Not soon by human standards, but a minute on the evolutionary scale.
Hawai’i is a great reminder that our time is short. Might as well get the most out of it.
And yes, I feel pretty stupid for my initial reaction to the park. It was so much more than viewing a smoking crater from two football fields away.
It was a lifeline to futures past.