In the summer of 2000, I went home for a visit. For most people, going home for a visit means going to New Jersey, or the Midwest, or Canada; for me, it means going to the Island of Hawai'i. Not that this is necessarily a great joy; I grew up literally in the middle of nowhere, and I'm sure as this site evolves, I'll explain exactly how much growing up there caused my current gloom. But, truth be told, growing up in Hawaii wasn't all bad. It constantly astounds me when I visit how beautiful the place is, and how little I appreciated it growing up.

One of the places I've always appreciated, though, is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Most people probably do include 'volcano' in their mental list of associations with the islands, but far, far below beaches, palm trees, sunsets, and hula maidens, I'm sure. But Kilauea and the national park that surrounds it contains some of the most beautiful scenery (to my eyes, anyway) in the world. This section of the gallery contains some photos from my family's trip to the volcano, July, 2000.

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