About a mile and a half down, however, I just couldn't go on. Every cell in my body was screaming for me to collapse and sleep. And walking along and seeing the danger signs didn't help any either. I kept envisioning us falling into a deep lava tube and getting crushed or impaled on some sharp aa or stalagmites in some dark forsaken place -- or worse, thrown into the ocean to drown. So we turned back, took some more pictures where lava met road (there was a Japanese toddler marching on the lava behind me, right into the shot Robt was taking, chanting "ko...wa...ii....!" His otosan and okasan called him away, but he jumped right back in front of me before Robt could take the shot. We should have asked him to sit down with me. Hehe.) We regretfully drove back up, stopping to take a picture of the Holei Sea Arch, and made our way to the Hawaii Botanical Garden -- which was closed by the time we got there. I fell asleep as Robt drove us back to the resort...

  Totally bleak and smelling slightly of sulfur. The steam vents were niiiice. :)

  The wind was picking up as we visited each crater. And it was surprisingly chilly.

  As we approached the coast, the view just got more amazing. It was hard to believe how high up we were from sea level. It's interesting to know that the drive from the resort to this area had us driving at higher elevations than the highest points on Oahu. @_@

  By the time we got 'home', my head was about to explode, my sinuses were so stuffed up.