Hilo, Hawaii
We arrived in Hilo on the 4th to rain and it hasn’t quit since. It didn’t really stop us from exploring the island by car. It only slowed the foot travel. At times the rain slowed to a fine mist and it gave us the opportunity to run around without getting to wet. We drove up to Volcano national park to see if we could get a close look at flowing lava. We heard this would be the place to see it in Hawaii. Though once we got here we were told that the lava stopped flowing 2 months ago. We did get to see the red glow of the lava deep down in the core of the volcano once it got dark.
We also hiked through a lava tube in the park. The lava tubes are formed when the lava falls down hill and the outside layer makes a crust but the inside lava keeps flowing. When the lava quits flowing it leaves a hollow tube behind. So what was left was a 300 foot long by 12 foot high lava tube that we could walk through. Very cool!
We drove along the rim of the volcano getting great glimpse’s into the center of one of the dormant volcanoes. We also got to see the old 1970’s lava sites where the hardened lava took over roads and the hills surrounding the mountain. In certain places in the lava there were ancient petroglyph drawings that we hiked out a mile or so to see. Just as we were h
During our travels outside of the park we drove to heights of 4000 feet above sea level and then back down to the southern most part of the U.S.A. While at this southern tip of the island we heard about a green sand beach. We just had to take a look at this beach as we had never heard of such a thing. When we arrived it was 4 :30 and we had about 2 ½ hours of light left. There was a family that had just gotten back from the 2 ½ mile hike and said it took them 2 hours against wind to reach the sand but it was so amazing to see the green sand and the blue water. We looked at them and decided we could do it faster than them and took off at a jog so that we could make it back before sundown. We had to follow the rugged hills along the ocean with Dean in the lead and the rest of us trailing behind. We knew we had to push ourselves because finding our way back in the dark was not an option.
As we rounded a bend we came upon a jeep that was coming back from the beach. We thought how nice it would have been to have a 4x4 to take this trek with, but our Ford Focus would have bottomed out at the first bend. We stopped them and asked how much further. Jogging behind Dean for 45 minutes was getting a little tiring as we hadn’t been walking too much yet to be in great shape to follow.
The jeep crew said we were right around the corner and we were.
As we approached the cliff overlooking the beach we noticed the greenish sand that was getting washed down the sandy cliff must have been formed by the coloring of the volcanic rock at the base.
We didn’t stay long as we once again saw the sun slowly creeping nearer to the earth. We took a few pictures. Scooped some contraband sand into a small baggy and headed back the way we had come from. Picking up garbage left behind by other less outdoor friendly people. We though by cleaning up God world it would make up for moving some of His sand to Manitoba. We of coarse made it back before the sun went down. The apparent 3 hour round trip only took us 1 ½ hours son we had lots of time to spare.
During the day we also stopped at a black sand beach to find some Green back turtles. There happened to only be one magnificent creature on the beach at this time. But it was well worth the stop. Apparently this area has a group of resident turtles that come up onto the beach to rest and are not afraid of people, so it is a really neat place to visit and get a close up view.
We are still at Uncle Bill’s resort in Hilo Bay. We are still having a lot of rainy weather. Today we decided to drive over to the North part of the big island. Because we left Hilo the rain has let up a bit and we are finally seeing some sun. The coast road was an amazing drive that reminded me of the drive we once took through a dried up riverbed in Jamaica years ago. As we drove along the narrow road we passed through green tunnels of lush tropical rain forest.. The road meandered along over deep gorges filled with small waterfalls and babbling brooks. As we climbed higher and higher up the mountain, the ocean views became more and more amazing. The waves far below us crashed against the rocky coast creating white foamy sprays that seemed to reach up to the clouds. We took as many of the scenic pull offs as possible so we could get off the road and soak up the beauty that seemed to entrench us from all around.
We stopped at a roadside stand and bought the most tasty pineapple imaginable. This pineapple was grown by the guy that sold it to us. He also sold fresh cold coconut that he would cut open for passing visitors to enjoy.
For lunch we tried a burger and soup in a tiny town near the Akaka falls. We also found we could “borrow” a bit of free internet and do a quick update of the blog and got to talk on skype to the Heppners again.
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