The States are getting bigger

Well, they let me back in the country. I know it shouldn't be an issue or come as a suprise, but I am always thankful whenever they do that.

Hawaii is a nice transition. In most ways it is very much south pacific: palm trees, warm humid air, polynesian language, tropical fruits falling from tree tops and knocking people silly from time to time. On the other hand, it is most certainly American, in ways that you don't notice until you've been out of the country for awhile. For example, the cars we drive are HUGE! Compared with the rest of the world, we are rolling around in armored personel carriers. And gas is cheap, even in Hawaii, by world standards, we get the go-juice plenty cheap. And beer, thank heavens, is cheap to. Beer being such an integral part of Aussie society, you'd think it would be more affordable, but compared to the pennies we pay for cheap swill in these parts, theirs is quite dear indeed. I'm still walking on the wrong side of the road and thinking in kilometers rather than miles (they really are better!), but it is nice to be back in the States. Sort of, I mean the State farthest removed from all the other ones, that by no logical means should be part of the States. Yep, nice to be back.

I went to Volcanos National Park yesterday. To see lava. The red glowing molten kind. Now I'm used to the Park Service, heck I worked for 'em, so I was not expecting the freedom they give to people to wander up and play with the gooey red stuff. Well, let me explain. First, they warm you extensivly about the dangers of volcanos. Rightly so, given the number of buildings, roads, and national park service visitor centers buried under the lava in the last hundred years. And people killed. But after that they just kinda point across the older flows and say "yep, it's out there, good luck... and don't fall in." Thankfully for all involved it is a somewhat self selecting hazard, as it is a good 4 mile walk across trackless lava flows to reach the neighborhood of the hot stuff. But even then, I know first hand the extent and great lengths people will go to in order to do stupid things in nature, so I was suprised that you can in fact walk up until your shoes start to melt on the rocks. Instead of loosing rubber, I went to where the lava flow entered the sea, and proceeded to be amazed. I saw new land being born.

Now the fire fighter in me saw a fire burning, and a water supply, in fact a literal ocean of water, wash over the fire time and again and the fire never went out, even under water. I just looked uncomprehending back and forth between the pacific ocean, and this lava flow: water----fire, and it won't go out. My universe was out of alignment. But stare at flowing lava long enough and it doesn't matter anymore. Or maybe that was the fumes. Anyway, it was amazing.