While living in Costa Rica I had the opportunity to have the most active volcano in my front yard! The Arenal Volcano. Not only is it spectacular to look at, it is to listen to as well. It's not every day that you can hear a volcano erupt every 30 minutes. Sometimes it would freak Shanae and I out and wake us up at night because it sounded a lot like thunder. And if you are lucky, the locals know just the right places to take you to see the bright red and orange lava explode out of the top. It's like your very own free firework show. My favorite part of the volcano was the many natural hot springs all around it. They are AMAZING!
However, this Volcano being as active as it is, has to be constantly monitored. In 1968 eruption wiped out area towns, including Tabacon and the original Arenal. Today, they lie flooded beneath Lake Arenal. Volcanologists warn that the volcano could have a major eruption in the future as well. The biggest threats are pyroclastic flows, a mixture of hot rocks and gases that can travel up to extravagant speeds, destroying everything in their path.
This was taken on our drive to Arenal from San Jose.
A picture of the Volcano from our house.
We went for a hike that day, and I caught this shot.
It has been about ten years since I was in Costa Rica, but I remember going to see this volcano and thinking it was one of the coolest things. We weren't in that area for very long, and we didn't get to see the tip of the volcano, but we could hear it making a lot of noise.
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