South Point & Volcanoes

Yesterday we headed south. So south, in fact, that we ended up at the
southernmost spot in the United States, aptly named South Point. Not
only a place of geographical significance (assuming you're from the
US and give a shit about things like that), it was also incredibly
beautiful.

The Hawaiian folk actually launched their canoes over these steep
cliffs which drop down I'm guessing thirty feet or so into the
amazingly clear and blue ocean below. So clear in fact that I was able
to make out the colorful parrot fish swimming in the coral (this from
about forty feet away). We explored the area for a couple hours and
then continued on to Volcanoes National Park.

As we approached the entrance to the park, Cindy rolled down her
window. Turns out she had assumed I'd fouled the air in the car.
However, I was quickly vindicated by the rotten egg smell which
suddenly poured in through the open window. It turns out the caldera
we were about to visit was the guilty party. Unfortunately for Cindy,
that's not usually the case.

Seeing the huge, steaming caldera when you get to the park is awe
inspiring. It turns out the sulpherous odor we experienced on the
highway was unusually high, causing a great deal of the park near the
crater to close. Sulphur dioxide, the noxious gas emitted by the
volcano is toxic to humans. We were told to close our windows and set
the air conditioning to "recircilate" while driving around the
downwind side.

Either because I am stupid or because I've become accustomed to such
odors, I opened the window not once, but twice to take photos. Cindy
was not pleased. We did do a few other touristy (but cool) things,
like hike in a lush area with huge ferns towering fifteen feet above
our heads, and walking through an enormous lava tube. Checked those
off the list.

Alas, our intended visit to the nude beach did not take place. It was
getting late, the clouds were moving in, and we still had a two hour
drive back to the Treehouse. Maybe some other visit. It was still an
awesome day.