As our plane circled the northern end of the Big Island of Hawaii we noticed a strange looking cloud rising thousands of feet above the low deck of what looked like fog surrounding the majority of the island. The pilot announced this was coming from a gas eruption from the world's most active volcano, Kileaua. The low clouds, he explained, were Vog - similar to smog, but caused by the volcanic gasses combining with the moisture rich air. It looked pretty intimating. As we exited the plane the air was heavy, but not unbearable. The clouds hung across the entire horizon, blocking the summits of the island's five volcanos from sight. We were in Hawaii to explore the southernmost winery in the United States, and the only one on the rim of an erupting volcano. We couldn't resist.

The trip from the beautiful coastal city of Kona (where one of two airports is located) to the Volcano National Park is a distance of about 90 miles. The drive down the east coast of the Big Island takes about 2 1/2 hours and includes spectacular views of massive sea cliffs and recent lava flows. The road passes within twelve miles of the southernmost point in the United States. South Point is a
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