Saturday, April 15, 2017: Conclusions

We're home and now Hawaii seems like a distant memory, a magical dreamy place that fairy tales are made of.  But we were there. (I've got a ton of photos to prove it!) During our last dinner in Hilo we spent some time reminiscing and playing what I call "20 questions". In case you're planning a trip to the Big Island, here's what we concluded:

What was the best meal you ate?

Fish at Roy's

Stuffed Chicken at Volcano House

 

What was your favorite dessert?

Pineapple Upside Down Cake at Roy's

Triple Chocolate Brownie at Jackie Rey's

Lillikoi Cheesecake at Jackie Rey's

 

What was your favorite dining experience?

Volcano House overlooking the caldera

Lunch at Tommy Bahama's

Breakfast by the pool at the Kona House

 

What was your favorite sight?

The Kilauea Caldera Glow

The floor of Kilauea Crater

Waipio Valley Overlook

 

What was your favorite activity?

The Kilauea Iki Hike

The Luau

Riding the scooter

 

What is your favorite purchase?

Hawaii Volcano vintage poster, Hawaii quilted purse, wooden salad bowl, tiki idol, malasadas

 

What was the funniest thing you saw, did, or heard?

Underestimated how far it was to the Lava Tube

"Look Mom, it's a bunion tree!"

"Wow, that's the best cantaloupe I've ever eaten!" (It was papaya)

"We're here at the Botanical Garden looking at a bunch of flowers and some other weird stuff!"

Listening to the GPS voice speak Hawaiian

 

What interesting things did you learn or observe?

There are a lot of mongooses and they get along with cats

Chickens run loose

Cows graze in grass up over their heads

You don't have to bury water lines in Kona

The houses in Kona don't have furnaces

Most of the houses in Hilo don't have air conditioning

The chicken, pork, and beef all taste better than the fish

The roads are terrible and there's not enough parking anywhere

The street lights (what few there are) are yellow and point straight down (They keep it dark for the Mauna Kea Observatories)

There are lizards and a few bugs but no snakes in Hawaii

The streets have some strange diamond and jaw tooth designs when there are curves ahead

 

What will you miss the most?

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks at the Hilo house

Hiking the trails

The gorgeous views

The good weather

The smell of flowers

Malasadas

 

 

Where would you like to go next?

Rome

Puerto Rico 

Italy

Paris

We had a wonderful time and made memories that will last forever.  But now we are back home and we've got a mountain house to build.

Aloha Hawaii!

Friday, April 14, 2017: Day Eight

Friday has arrived and, sadly, we have to leave the Hilo house. We ate our malasadas, straightened up the house, and packed the car.  It's time to hit the road again.  

 

 

But, our great adventure is not quite over. You know the old saying: "Arrive early and stay late"? That's us!  We're taking the redeye back to TN so we have all day to see a few more sights.

Our first stop was the Hawaii Botanical Garden. It was established  by Dan Lutkenhouse in 1984.  He bought the property in 1977 and spent over seven years turning a jungle, covered with trash and junk cars into a botanical garden that features streams, waterfalls, and a boardwalk along the ocean.  It contains over 2000 plant species and is one of the most impressive tourist attractions in Hilo. 

 

I couldn't begin to choose which photos to show you so here's a link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ctamuowuwhub7ql/AAA3AwGaYMPs6joUUKEvKQTaa?dl=0

You can browse to your heart's content.

After touring the gardens, we got back in the car and headed up the road to Waipio.  The Waipio Valley Overlook is probably the most photographed sight on the Big Island. You may have seen it before on tv or in a movie. You can take the scary road down to the beach if you have 4WD and a lot of courage. (Most rental companies forbid travel on that road).  Or you can hike down, but it's a long, steep hike back up to the parking lot. 

 

 

 

We took a lot of photos then headed to Waimea where we dropped off the rental scooter and then headed across the street to Big Island Brewhaus for lunch.  After a detour through church yards, a cemetery, and back alleys, we finally found a parking place!  

 

We enjoyed our late lunch on the patio and then headed onward towards Kona. 

 

 

We still had lots of time to kill so we stopped at the Waikola Queens' Marketplace for ice cream and a little last minute souvenir shopping. I particularly liked the Quilt Shop. (Think, Vera Bradley, Hawaiian style!). I couldn't resist buying a cute bag. 

 

 

 

Shopping complete, it's time to go to the airport. 

 

We're headed home.  Good night Hawaii!  By morning we'll be on the mainland. 

Thursday, April 13, 2017: Day Seven

Good morning, Hilo!  It's a beautiful day in paradise because the sun is shining!  

 

That was the view from my bed this morning. It's time to get up and start a new adventure!

Whereas the past two days have been all about geology and astronomy, the next two days are going to be more about botany.  Our first stop took us to downtown Hilo. Kona is on the west side of Hawaii and is rather hot, mild and arid. But, Hilo, on the east side is a totally different place.  It gets lots of rain and with high winds, it is subject to tsunamis. Apparently, all the businesses on the shoreline have been destroyed at one time or another, some more than once.  One tsunami wiped out a school and many children perished.   So the city decided not to rebuild so close to the shore.  Instead, they built a series of parks, recreation areas, and gardens all along the coast.  One of the most popular places is Liliuokalani Garden. This 30-acre park with Japanese gardens is a great location for everything from an elegant wedding to a simple picnic. We really enjoyed strolling around the grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back in the car for a short drive up the road to Rainbow Falls. We didn't see the rainbow, but the waterfall was nice.

 

 

 

There was a lot of vegetation up top.

 

But the view from below was spectacular!

 

Our next stop was Pe'epe'e Falls. This waterfall is only a short drive, 1.5 miles upstream from Rainbow Falls.  

Rainbow Falls is larger but PP Falls Park is gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

For our last stop before lunch, we drove 10 miles up the road to Akaka Falls State Park. At 422' tall it is the granddaddy of waterfalls on the Big Island.  

 

 

Breathtakingly beautiful!

After a morning of waterfalls and lush vegetation we headed back to town for lunch.  We decided to try Cafe 100.  You step up, order your food, and eat outside.

 

 They specialize in Hawaiian food, but they have regular American fare as well.  My BLTT (bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey) was quite tasty and Keith enjoyed his clam chowder.  As you can see most of us stayed with American fare, but Bobby decided to "eat like a local"!

 That is called "Super Loco Moco" and consists of four scoops of rice, covered with a hamburger patty, brown gravy, and two fried eggs, with a side of Spam and macaroni salad.  He said it was good and he ate all the important parts.  No offense, but personally, I think you would have to be "super loco moco" to eat that!

After lunch we made a quick stop at the grocery for some breakfast food (malasadas!), then we headed back to enjoy some time at the house. Some of us spent time by the pool.

 

Others enjoyed time out back, listening to the waves crash against the shore.

 

While others spent some time flying the drone.

 

 

All of us were trying not to think about the fact that we head for home tomorrow...sigh...

Eventually, we headed back into town for our last supper in Hilo.  We ate at a quaint Italian sidewalk cafe called Cafe Concerto.  

 

We enjoyed salads and plates of pasta as we reminisced about our favorite parts of the trip.  We topped the evening off with tiramisu and/or coconut ice cream then headed back to the house to begin packing for the journey tomorrow. It's difficult to think about leaving this place.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017: Day Six

We woke up to a cool, drizzly day in Hawaii.  That's to be expected on the Hilo side. They get about 200" of rain per year.  We weren't going to let the weather stop us. We prepared for the day with layers of clothing and rain gear, then headed back to the Volcano National Park to explore some more.  Keith and Jeff started their day by hiking the Kilauea Iki Trail.  This trail goes down into and across the Kilauea Iki Crater.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the rest of us went to Volcano House for hot chocolate, then drove down Chain of Craters Road.  We saw many Craters and lava flows. 

 

 

We drove back to the trailhead and picked up Keith and Jeff. We had a nice lunch of hamburgers and Hawaiian pizza at Volcano House, then continued our tour of Chain of Craters Road.

 

The Chain of Craters Road goes through the lava fields, all the way down to the ocean. You can see the past flow of lava on the cliffs.

 

We kept following the road until it abruptly stopped.  It used to go farther, but lava crossed the road so they had to close it.  You can get out of the car and walk about 5 miles to see active lava flow but we decided not to since down at sea level, it was clear, sunny and quite warm.  The smoke/steam you see on the left is from active lava dumping into the sea.

 

What we really came to see is the Holei Sea Arch.  This Arch is about 90 feet high. The creation of the arch was within the last 100 years. Unfortunately, this formation has a limited life span. It will eventually crumble, but another will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland. It is a magnificent sight to behold.

 

After taking many photos of the Arch, we headed back up the Chain of Craters Road towards Devastation Trail. 

This short hike shows what lava can do to the landscape.  One minute we were walking through a lush jungle and then the next... well, you'll see.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was quite a contrast.  Our last stop at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was the Thurston Lava Tube.  We were ready to walk where lava had flowed.  The approaching darkness added to the mysterious atmosphere. We took a short hike, had our picture taken, then entered the Tube.

 

 

 

 

We emerged on the other side and headed back to our car.  

 

Our time at Volcano Park had come to an end, but our day was far from over.  We stopped at a local cafe for a quick bite to eat and to change clothes. It was time to bundle up because we were headed to the Mauna Kea Observatory Visitor's Center.  The Mauna Kea Observatories are a number of independent research facilities that are located at the summit of Mauna Kea.  The location is ideal because of its dark skies, low humidity, clean air, good weather, and almost equatorial location. The summit of Mauna Kea is 13,796 feet above sea level.  We went to the Visitor's Center at about 9400 feet above sea level.  Now you know why we had to bundle up! The temperature at sea level was 84 - at Mauna Kea, it was 44!  It was cold but very clear up above the clouds. And the stars!  I've never seen so many stars in one sky!  We watched and listened as the park ranger used his laser pointer to show and tell us interesting things about the constellations.  I wish I had a photo to show you but it's hard to shoot the night sky without a very good camera and a tripod. I had neither.  You will just have to imagine.  Finally, we took the long, dark road back down the mountain and headed to our rental house for the night.

Good night, Moon!