Pahoa Recycling and Transfer Station

Although the award-winning, $3.9-million solar-powered transfer station is a solid waste management marvel, trashless travelers flock here to ogle its brush with obliteration. One arm of the June 27 Lava Flow threatened the facility as pahoehoe (smooth-flowing lava) oozed through the fence that was holding the flow at bay. For residents, the near-apocalyptic scene is a daily reminder of how close they came to losing everything. For you, it's a neat photo op.