Eat, Pray, Love : Hawaii. Volcano Dwellers

Being exposed to something totally different and new in your forties is a true eye opener.  As you get older, you don't expect to be surprised,  and when something totally out of the norm comes to light, you share this information enthusiastically.

My new traveling friends and I made the two hour trek to the other side of the island again to see the lava flow from the volcano. We aimed at riding bikes in, but due to poor weather, we ultimately drove and hiked the rest of the way, 1.5 miles.  This proved to be quite an interesting turn of events.

As soon as we crossed into the Lava Flow area, we discovered people were actually living near the live lava flow.  Their homes in constant jeopardy of being in the path of a lava stream and their homes burning down.

Homes were peppered around the acres of cold lava rock.  Self contained vessels of individuality.  

I honestly would not have believed it, if I didn't see it with my own eyes.  I had tons of questions, which would soon get answered after we made a wrong turn towards someones home.  That turn proved to be the mecca of information about life on the volcano.  

This guy below, his name is Gary. He runs a company called Hot Foot Photography. He is a plethora of information, and is a self proclaimed Lava nut. His first home was burnt down in 2010.  He thinks shipping off some molded Lava Rock brought on some bad luck. He could be right.  You can read his story here: Gary's Story. He admits to walking on fresh Lava only 15minutes after it has oozed to the surface. However, you need to walk very quickly.

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Gary the Lava Expert living on the Volcano Lava Flow

Gary's neighbor lives in the house below, across yonder.  She was even more interesting.  She pays only $25 a year for taxes on her property, reuses ALL her waste in a compose for fertilizer, and owns at least 22 acres, some by the ocean, and is looking into purchasing more.  Her home also burnt down, but she quickly rebuilt in a different spot.  I suspect her and Gary have a thing going on, but we didn't ask.   

The woman's 2nd home after the 1st one burnt down

It seems the biggest draw to living next to a volcano, is the clean, sterile surface, the peacefulness, the air quality and the overall energy of this natural state the land.

The guy who lives in this home, was my favorite. He simply wants to spread positive healing energy to everyone who touches his life on the volcano.

Spiritual Retreat on the Volcano

 His home and land reminded me of a yoga retreat. It is surrounded with signs of healing energy and all that is good and positive   I was truly digging this guys set up.  

He was gardening as we walked by and was complimented I wanted to photogragh his home. 

Healing

I have saved the best for last and we haven't even made it to the lava flow portion of my story yet.  

Within minutes of driving through "the gates" we stopped right at the house below.  My flaky side misplaced her phone and I was frantically searching when the resident of this home approaches the car and asks for a cigarette.  He was right by that chain link.  Not too close, thankfully.

Surprise First Encounter

  I didn't think much of it, until I found my phone, did a double take and in that moment realized with wide eyes, this guy had no pants on and was free as a bird. His legs were red and swollen, matching other things.  It was quite a sight to see.  His next question for us, was, "Do you have any pants?"  Stunned, I pulled up quickly and drove off. It took a moment to process what had happened.  

My first impression of Volcano Dwellers, probably not the best.  But, we certainly got the full Monty experience this day.  We did drive by super slow on the way out, thankfully he had put shorts on.  Gretchen and I agreed, we wish we'd snapped a photo earlier.  It makes for such a good story. 

We meet the other dwellers, I already wrote about, after this incident, and eventually parked and hiked the gravel road to see the lava flow.  

Basically, this was it. (See photo below) However, we could occasionally see a red glow of Lava before it hit the ocean.

 In the evening you get the best views.  This is only one particular spot, there are other Lava viewing areas and the flow is constantly changing.  A far cry to what we think an erupting volcano should look like. 

We did it!  And I was so happy Gretchen and I made this pilgrimage together.  We had agreed if we didn't meet, neither of us would have made the journey this far.  

Would you consider being a Volcano Dweller?

Land is cheap!  

Not too many neighbors!

Neighborhood is Peaceful!

It is Clean and Beautiful!

Acres upon acres of land! 

We had another adventurous day!

We all choose our lifestyles.  

This is one I never knew existed until today.

Volcano Living : Life on the Lava Flow