Pictures from an active volcano

We went to Volcanoes National Park on Tuesday, and here are a few select pictures. Trust me, there are many many more. :) It was a long drive to the volcano from the hotel, and we stopped by the black sand beaches on the way. You will also note that the skies are very hazy in most of our pictures. That is because the volcano we are standing in front of is active and is constantly blowing out smoke and ash. Much of the park was closed down due to very high levels of sulfur dioxide.



This is the smoke and ash of which I spoke- The active volcano!


extreme zoom of the opening spewing the smoke and ash-

This is the most recent lava flow from 2003-2004. This was a road that left the National park and eventually led into Hilo.
Apparently the road is now closed-