More Big Island

On Sunday, we drove north along the eastern coast of the Big Island. The following photo was taken at a scenic overlook.

Now we have a sighting of a very rare breed - the photographer himself!

We liked the burger we shared at "Tex Drive In" very much, but we very much LOVED the malasada lady there. (Malasadas are portuguese pastries that transform into pure pleasure in your mouth - mm mm!)

The next series of pictures were taken at Waipio Valley. We started at the overlook and then decided to drive down into the valley on the rather steep "4x4 ONLY trail." A number of others had either hiked or driven to this beautiful black sands beach nestled below steep, green mountains.




After savoring Waipio Valley, we drove west through Waimea (ranch country) where we encountered a ferocious dust storm and then desert. Once we reached the western coast, we headed straight to Hapuna beach - GORGEOUS white sands and turquoise waters!


After swimming at sea level, we decided to hightail it to the summit of Mauna Kea (a dormant volcano reaching almost 14,000 feet) for sunset and stargazing. We made it to the observatory at 9,000 feet, only to learn we were about an hour too late to make to the summit on the "4x4 ONLY trail" by sunset. Instead, we watched a spectacular sunset from the cold and windy 9,000 feet. In the following photo, the clouds are lower in altitude than our vantage point, and the ocean extends beyond the clouds to the horizon. May I recommend clicking on this one?

BRRRR!

Once the sky completely darkened, we were able to star-, moon-, and planet-gaze with the advantage of perhaps the cleanest air in the world, as well as complimentary usage of very large, expensive telescopes.

What a day - and night - to remember!

Black Sands, South Point, Green Sands, etc.

This is an amazing Black Sands Beach:



Since I didn't have to chase after a child, so I got to BE the child!


Sea turtles on shore:


What a great "second honeymoon!"


How did we end up back in Wyoming!? Oh wait - there is ocean ahead - this can't be Wyoming.

Definitely not Wyoming! In fact, this is the southernmost location in the United States.

"How did those guys get down there?" you might ask.

Answer:

No, the guy at the top of the cliff did not drop the kid he's holding, but my "mommy heart" did beat overtime.

"CHEESE!"


After a dirt road to get to the southernmost point, we took a 4x4 ONLY trail for a few miles. Then we hiked a few more miles to see the remote and gorgeous Green Sands beach. Don't ask how we got down to the beach - I don't think we could do it it the same way twice. After getting down there, a nice couple informed us that there was a much easier path where a series of rocks act as "stairs" of sorts. Of course, we went UP that way, and it was much easier! This photo really deserves clicking for enlargement.


We frolicked like carefree children in the ocean. Swimsuits, the camera and a camelback (water) made the journey with us. Sadly, towels did not! Oh well, we had a 2-3 mile hike back to the Jeep for the sun to work its' magic.

We chuckled over this ironic National Park sign:

Hawaiian history lesson: if criminals made it to the other side of the wall (upper right side of photo), they were absolved by a "priest" and could return unharmed to society. (Hence, "The Place of Refuge.")

Oh, Miss Tree, your roots are showing! Not only that, but these trees were growing out of a large lava rock formation!

St. Benedict's painted church:

Keep in mind that all of these photos were taken on the same day. While we did eat a good breakfast, the rest of the day found us snacking on some fruit and granola bars. Needless to say, we were famished when we hit civilization and really enjoyed the "Fodor's Choice" restaurant, just north of Captain Cook (named for the geographic location first "discovered" by this explorer). We dined on fresh mahi mahi plus sides, complete with a chocolate volcano dessert. Look carefully, and you will see that our tummies are actually smiling!

The moon lit our drive to the opposite side of the island, back to Volcanoes Park (approximately a two hour drive).

Non-photographed visits from this day: Bay View Kona Coffee Farm and Kealakekua Bay.

HI Volcanoes Nat'l Park and Waterfalls

FYI: YOU CAN CLICK ANY PHOTO IN THE BLOG TO VIEW IT IN A LARGER SIZE.

Bear with me while I narrow down the photos from our vacation to the Big Island; it will probably take a few days to post the ones that make the cut.

We stayed in Volcanoes Park at Kilauea Military Camp which has private cottages. The temperature fluctuated depending on the location within the park. At our camp, it was usually in the 50s and 60s, but it was pretty warm (70s+) when we hiked down into the black caldera.

Karen enjoyed warming herself at a steam vent. Geologic lesson for the day: rain water gets trapped in these rocks which are hot from magma and voila - steam!

This the huge crater in Volcanoes Park:

Look beyond the cute couple ;) and see where they are about to hike. First we descended through the rainforest on the right. Then we traversed the caldera behind us...

This photo is the opposite end of the caldera and beyond it, you can see the rainforest through which we ascended.

We traversed the caldera, hiking across lava rocks (forbidden to "shoplift!")

These flowers are growing out of the lava rock:

This tropical foliage decorated our hiking trail:

Towards the end of our rather intense hike, we met up with many people touring Thurston Lava Tube.

After hiking through Volcanoes, we went waterfall hunting.
Akaka Falls:


Kahuna Falls:

Smaller waterfall in the same state park:

Red Ginger flower:

Rainbow Falls:

Wailuku River State Park ("Boiling Pots"):

We ended the day at a fabulous Thai restaurant in the small town of Volcano.

Blondie

These photos were taken the second week of August.



Abigail shows off her full sticker chart (for table manners):

Bowling

This was a spontaneous get-together with a couple of families in our "Wyoming Group" at the base bowling alley.

They even had shoes small enough to fit Abigail! :)


I'm thinking we need to get the photographer on the other side of the camera every now and then!!!