We return the rental car (and in the process scrape the scab off of my knee) and by 0830 we're on our way to Hilo. The woman next to us lives in Volcano and has some great travel advice for us. So happy that our paths crossed!
Hilo International is also an open air airport and this time I can smell flowers as soon as we step off the plane. Wow!
On our way to the car rental agency we walk past all the helicopter outfitters and decide to book a tour for tomorrow morning. How exciting is that!?
While we're in line at Alamo a couple walks past asking them if they have anything available, but they're all sold out. This apparently happens sometimes during the high season, so I'm really glad that we have already reserved all our rentals. What would you do if you're stuck at the airport without a car?
There's also an adorable little gecko(?) eating from the flowers.
Our mid-size SUV turns out to be a black Jeep wrangler. Nice! Suspension leaves something to be desired, but it's got that rugged look perfect for a pair of fearless wilderness explorers (ha!).
Hilo Bay right past the airport
There are flowers everywhere, no wonder it smells nice. We saw this flower on Oahu as well, but never an entire tree in bloom at the same time.
Crazy caution sign: duck crossing
We drive past Hilo Bay, then pick up Old Mamalahoa Hwy. This winding, gem of a road travels past streams and waterfalls through the most luscious jungle you can imagine. It also takes us to picturesque Onomea Bay.
Top heavy bamboo tree
Next up a trip through farmland to Akaka Falls.
Poor pig had an accident
There's a 45 minute loop trail at Akaka Falls, that winds through giant bamboo forests and other tropical plants to (poorly visualized) Kahuna Falls and the majestic 400+ free fall plunge of Akaka Falls.
Sandy checking out weird plants with hollow roots hanging in the air.
View from the parking lot.
We continue along the coast then pick up another section of Old Mamalahoa to bring us back towards Hilo. It's such an amazing place! Can't compare it to Oahu, but of course all this lusciousness comes at a price and we're lucky it's not raining while we're here.
There's weird yellow balls lying under a tree when we drive past and we can't agree on what they are so finally I decide to settle the dispute and prove that it's a coconut by getting one to show Sandy ... except it's kind of ribbed and fruity smelling. Hmmmm? According to Google there are no poisonous citrus fruits in Hawaii so we will give it a try tomorrow morning ...
Next a stop at Kolekole Beach Park, where the same river that feeds Akaka Falls meets the ocean. There's supposed to be a black sand beach here, but it must be high tide because all that's exposed are boulders that the ocean crashes into.
Back in Hilo we head to Cafe Pesto for lunch. The food is pretty good, but the bread basket with herbal butter was just to die for ... almost like European bread!!! Nice ambiance too!
Outside is a man with a kitty on a leash. What a cutie!
Then it's time for yet more waterfalls, the first Rainbow Falls.
We follow the Wailuku Rivers up to Boiling Pots, except the water level is low and they look more like tide pools than the menacing, churning river that gave them their name.
Funny little "pearls" hanging from the palm trees.
The road ends at Waiale Falls.
Our next hotel, the Volcano Inn, wants their guests to arrive before dark because their location is hard to find so we make a quick stop at Walgreens where I pick up a very strange, but delicious lychee snack, then head to Volcano.
The Volcano Inn is absolutely adorable! I will have to take some more pictures tomorrow, but today we just wanted to go to the park before it got completely dark. Our room Pu'u O'o
Oh, apparently we just had a 5.0 earthquake! We didn't feel it and as we learned later you couldn't feel it in the park itself either, because the tremors can only be transfered through solid materials and the magma chamber absorbs the shocks. Cool huh!
First stop; the steam vents! Areas where the earth has just opened up and hot steams billows out from below.
Smoke from the Kilauea Caldera.
Offerings to Pele, the godess of fire.
Setting sun through the vog.
After the sun is almost completely gone we drive the short distance to the Jagger museum. It's still open and though small they have excellent exhibits, explaining everything from how they monitor the volcano, to the different types of lava, to why you can't always feel earthquakes in the park. One of the park service volunteers gives an impromptu talk about earthquakes as well.
By the time we're done with the exhibits the last of daylight is slipping away and we head outside where the glow is already visible.
Without the sun, the magma turns the smoke over Kilauea a deep orange. The camera doesn't capture it the way it really looks ... in person it's more of a hazy dark orange than the bright yellow/orange depicted here.
Unfortunately I realized as soon as we got there that I had meant to bring the tripod to be able to capture this, but it's still in the closet at home. Did the best I could to stabilize the camera using a rock ledge near the overlook and still managed to get some decent shots.
1 comments:
Hope you'r back safely,
The picture of the gekko is beautiful,the way it blends in with it's surroundings.
Wow, the tree at Hilo Bay, in the picture it looks as if the flowers are fluorescent!
The bamboo is very nice. I'll never put it in my garden again, because it's kind of a weed, you'll never get rid of. But it makes this wonderfull sound in the wind.
Adorabel cat, he looks like Sam.
What a strange story about the earthquake. And what a weird place.
xxx,
Joeve
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