December 8, 2009
Arenal


Typical bridge in the Arenal area
Hiking on the lava flow
Lava flow trail rocks
Wide trail leading to the lava flow

Last night we went to the Observation Lodge and had dinner overlooking the volcano. Unfortunately, we could not see the eruptions because of the cloud cover over the volcano. But it was a delightful dinner and the steak was great. It’s nice to eat out every once in awhile.
Well we spent one day at Arenal just relaxing and sightseeing. First a hike up onto the lava flow from 1968 and it was quite a hike to get to the top of the flow. It extends down from the volcano about 1 ½ miles I would guess and is about 200-300 feet high. Vegetation covers this whole area as it has been 40+ years since the eruption and it only takes about 8 years for the lava to cool enough for the plant life to begin.
We tried to go to the hot springs at Tabacon but my memory is either not as good as it was or the public pools are no longer where they were before.
So that was a bust but we did go into La Fortuna and had a pizza. Yes it was time for a pizza. I tried to get some quick start there but it was Sunday and the places were all closed (that is the one place that had it).
So after waiting out a rather quick rain storm (30-40 minutes) we were back on the road to Arenal. Rain storms here come often and quickly. This is a rain forest area and they get 150 inches of rain every year.
It was relaxing just to sit and read when we got back and at night we are the only people in the park (the gate shuts at 8:00 PM and then we are all alone. The only sounds you hear are the volcano eruptions every so often. They sound similar to a jet plane engine.