HAWAII PART 3:  PELE, GODDESS OF FIRE

 

We had ice cream for lunch and drove to Hilo.  It was a beautiful drive along the coast and through the rain forest.  When we reached town, we drove up to Rainbow Falls State Park.  We stopped at the falls, where the sun was perfectly positioned to ruin any attempt at a photograph (tip – visit in the morning).  Afterwards, I followed a path into the woods that led to an absolutely immense tree.  I didn’t realize just how big it was until I noticed that the tiny objects up in the branches were people.  The tree features a maze of branches and vines that are intertwined with other trees nearby.  It isn’t just a tree, it is it's own jungle.

 

We then drove further up the road to the Boiling Pots and Peepee Falls (insert your own joke here).  The boiling pots are just swimming holes, and Peepee Falls is only worth mentioning because of its charming name.  Otherwise this visit was a bit disappointing.

 

We drove into Hilo, which turns out to be a city of some significance.  Downtown is full of interesting shops and restaurants, but almost all of them were closed because it was Sunday.  Finding a place for dinner turned out to be a real challenge.  We walked all over downtown without any luck before driving around.  We thought we’d finally found a place, only it wasn’t scheduled to open for another 30 minutes.  We ended up at a little dive in a shopping center, where we got burgers and fries.

 

Our next biggest challenge was getting groceries and ice.  We got our food, but the store was out of ice.  We drove to a gas station, which was also out of ice.  A couple of convenience stores later, and we still had no ice, and I was beginning to wonder if the food we’d bought would rot.  Apparently there had been a huge run on ice in Hilo.  Finally we gave up, and headed out of town.  We drove up the mountain towards the National Park, but stopped at a random gas station well outside of town.  They didn’t even have an ice machine.  We tried another gas station.  They had ice!  I was delirious with joy.  I told the clerk that all of Hilo was completely out of ice, and that he should take everything he had into town and sell it for $10 a bag on a street corner.  He laughed and told me that he’d run out of ice the week before.  In fact, the island’s only ice factory (?) had run out of ice.  He’d doubled his order last week, which was the only reason he had any.

 

We drove on to the National Park, where we got in free thanks to a pass we’d received from the Marriott.  It was almost dark, so we headed directly to the campground, where we snagged the last campsite.  The campground was mainly populated with groups of loud teenagers, but it was free, so we couldn’t complain.  We enjoyed a couple of Coronas, which were nicely chilled thanks to our ice, before heading to bed. 

 

 

WALKING ON THE MOON

 

We were up early after a startlingly cold night.  We had gotten used to the beach, where the overnight lows regularly plummet into the 70’s.  It had been at least 20 degrees colder than that up on the mountain.  By comparison, it felt like it was below freezing.  It was still cold at dawn, so we headed to Volcano Village (i.e. 3 restaurants, 2 convenience stores, and a post office) looking for breakfast.  True Value Hardware was the only thing open at 7AM, so we ate a rather mediocre breakfast there.  We also picked up stove fuel.  As previously mentioned, the True Value in Volcano Village is the only place on the entire island that sells canister stove fuel.  Do you remember the law of supply and demand from your high school economics class?  I do.  Most of the large canisters were priced at $19, though I found one on “sale” (i.e. mislabeled) for $17.  The regular price at home?  $6.95.

 

We headed into the park to explore.  First, we stopped briefly at the visitor’s center to speak with a ranger.  The volcano is currently erupting from the Pu’u O’o vent, which is 10 or 12 miles from the nearest road.  There is a trail that goes as far as a campsite at the Napau Crater, but it ends several miles short of the active eruption.  We had considered backpacking out there, but the ranger told us that we probably wouldn’t be able to see much more than a red glow at night.  The only place we’d be able to see lava was along the coast where the flow enters the sea.  We decided to skip the backpacking trip, and spent our first day exploring the Kilauea Crater, which last erupted in 1984.

 

We drove to the Thurston Lava Tube trailhead to start our hike.  We began our tour of Kilauea Volcano on the Kilauea Iki trail.  This trail took us downhill on switchbacks through a lovely rain forest.  We emerged from the trees on the floor of the Kilauea Iki crater.  It was a spooky place to be.  We walked out across a naked bed of lava rock that was marred by crevices caused by frequent earthquakes.  Vents on the volcano floor emitted steam, and the whole area stank of sulfur.  Fifty years ago, the entire crater was a lake of molten lava.   Should we really be walking here?

 

Despite the hostile landscape, life still found a way.  We discovered small ferns growing in the many crevices.  In the middle of the caldera floor, we found an “Ohi’a Lehua shrub in full bloom.  It was amazing to see blooming flowers in the midst of total devastation.

 

We walked almost a mile across the crater before climbing the ridge on the far side.  Here we found more flowers, including Cattleya Orchids.  After a short climb, we reached the top of a wooded ridge separating Kilauea Iki crater with the main Kilauea Caldera.  We walked for a while through the woods, before reaching an overlook that provided our first view of Kilauea.  It was a jaw dropper!  The sheer size of the crater was stunning.  It was a couple of miles across, and even wider.  It looked impossibly deep, with the immense bulk of Mauna Loa looming in the distance.  After a few minutes, Christy asked the inevitable question.  “We aren’t going down there, are we?”

 

The trail descended steeply to the floor of the crater.  We walked out across a blasted landscape baked by the mid-day sun.  Park Service signs warning of thin crust urged us to stay on the trail.  If Kilauea Iki had seemed hostile, this was downright threatening.  Kilauea hadn’t erupted in 20 years, but it certainly hadn’t been declared extinct, either.  Of course, scientists have so much equipment monitoring the volcano, it’s hard to imagine an unexpected eruption.  But then again, you never know.

 

We walked out into the middle of the crater and stopped for lunch.  This sounds a lot cooler than it was.  In fact, it was impossible to find a comfortable place to sit, since the lava rocks were as sharp as broken glass.  After eating, we hiked another couple of miles back towards Kilauea Iki.  The hike was like walking on the moon, but without the many benefits of low gravity.  Inexplicably, what started as a fascinating hike began to get boring.  As Christy put it, you can only look at gray rocks for so long without loosing interest.  Plus, the ground was hot, and our feet were taking a beating.  It was a relief to reach the trees, even if it meant hiking uphill.

 

We climbed out of the crater, enjoying the shade provided by the rain forest.  A few minutes later, we startled a pair of Kalij Pheasants that were hanging out in the trail.  Aside from the wildlife, we enjoyed all of the bizarre vegetation we encountered, including twisted trees, beautiful flowers, and dense foliage.

 

The trail eventually followed the rim of the Kilauea Iki crater as it looped back to the parking area.  This section provided a few more nice views before we arrived at the Kilauea Iki overlook on Crater Rim Drive.  A huge tour bus pulled in while we were there, so we hurried on.  We’d seen only a few people on our hike, and we didn’t want to loose our solitude.

 

That ended a few minutes later.  We reached the car, but went across the road to check out the Thurston Lava Tube.  We followed a parade of people down the short loop trail, as it took us through the rain forest to the opening of the cave.  A lava tube is formed when lava flows underground.  When the lava stops flowing, it leaves a hollow tunnel behind.  We walked into this tunnel, which was fascinating despite being illuminated by lights mounted to the walls.  We walked to the far end of the cave, where we found an unlighted continuation.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t brought flashlights, so we vowed to return.  We exited the tunnel, and looped back to the trailhead through the woods.

 

It was only mid-afternoon, so we spent the rest of the day being tourists.  We drove Crater Rim drive, and stopped at several of the overlooks along the way.  We visited the Jagger Museum, and toured the exhibits.  Then we stopped by the Volcano House “hostel” to arrange for the real highlight of the day – showers.  We bought a key for $3 each that would allow us access to the showers in the rental cabin area adjacent to the campground.  It turns out that the showers were unlocked, so I guess our $6 was a donation.  Oddly, the water was ice cold.  You’d think that it would be warm, being on top of a volcano and all.  Oh well.

 

That night, some of our neighbors invited us to enjoy a campfire in the “adult” section of the campground.  The throngs of teenagers were beginning to wear us out, so it was a nice reprieve.  That evening, we drank wine and met some interesting people.  Most fascinating were 2 guys from Belgium, who had completed a backpacking trip to Mauna Loa that day.  They had climbed the 13,800’ peak in two days, and spent a night camped on the rim of the summit caldera.  It’s a different world up there above the clouds.  It snows occasionally in the winter, and they said their water froze the night they were there.   As cold as it was in the campground, I could believe it.  Originally, Christy and I had planned to climb Mauna Loa, but her previous difficulties with altitude sickness discouraged us.  Unfortunately, there’s just no good way to adjust to the altitude slowly when you’re going from sea level to almost 14K feet in a matter of a few days.  Ultimately, we decided it wasn’t worth the risk, and went to Waimanu instead.  It was a good choice.

 

Everyone else was eager to talk about the lava hike.  Many of the folks around the fire had already done it, and we were going the next day.  I couldn’t wait to see flowing lava.  I had trouble getting to sleep that night, thanks to the anticipation of the day to come.

 

MERMAID, OR A MIRAGE?

 

Tuesday’s first challenge was in deciding what we wanted to do all day.  We planned to do the lava hike late in the afternoon, so we could see the lava at night before heading back.  Christy wasn’t very enthralled with the park otherwise.  She didn’t seem real interested in another dayhike featuring “a bunch of rocks”.  So we decided to go back to the beach.

 

The Puna Coast was the only part of the island we had missed, and it wasn’t a long drive.  We headed back towards Hilo, but turned off the main highway towards the southeast corner of the island. 

 

Our first stop was at Lava Tree State Park.  The park is named for trees that had been engulfed by lava hundreds of years ago.  The lava had formed a hardened shell around the trees.  The trees died, but the lava rock remained, in the shape of trees.  We took a short walk, and toured some of the pillars.  More interesting was the living vegetation, including some fascinating trees and lots of flowers.

 

We continued on towards the coast.  We drove a 3-mile rutted dirt road to reach a lighthouse that was just plain ugly.  After that disappointment, we returned to the main route and headed south.  The destination of our next mini-hike was Green Lake, which is located inside an ancient volcano crater.  We followed the directions in our guidebook, and parked at the end of a dirt road directly across from a subdivision.  We hiked up the road, which went directly through an unofficial landfill.  There was garbage everywhere, including several badly vandalized cars.  This made me reconsider where we had parked.  Eventually we reached a clearing, and saw the cinder cone far off to the north.  Clearly, we were on the wrong path.  We gave up on Green Lake, and headed back through the refuse to the car, which was luckily still intact.  This was not one of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii.

 

Our guidebook redeemed itself on our next adventure.  We drove across the street and through the subdivision towards the beach.  We were well off the beaten path by the time we arrived at rocky stretch of coastline on Kapoho Bay.  Here we found a long stretch of tide pools that promised excellent snorkeling. 

 

We carried our gear across a long stretch of lava rock that formed the rim of the tide pools.  Initially we didn’t see much, but that changed at the deeper pools.  There we found colorful fish and fantastic coral.  This area is relatively unknown, and gets very little visitation.  As a result, the coral hasn’t been trampled and is still very healthy.  It turned out to be my favorite snorkeling of the trip.

 

We did see a few other people there.  In fact, one snorkeler caused some confusion.  We were swimming through a pool, enjoying the exotic fish, when I spotted a real whopper.  At first, I thought I’d found a mermaid.  I’m not sure if it was the long hair, the fins, or the bare breasts.  Alas, it turned out to be just a topless snorkeler.  She was certainly brave.  The lava rocks were sharp, and Christy had several nasty cuts to show for it.  I don’t think I would want to leave anything sensitive exposed while snorkeling there.

 

After we snorkeled, we continued down the coast to a small county park.  We had a picnic lunch, and then walked down to the coast.  Here we found a large pool that is naturally heated by the volcano.  We had a quick dip, but swimming in hot springs isn’t that appealing when it’s already 85 degrees outside.

 

We continued on past Isaac Hale Beach Park, where we watched some surfers.  Our next stop was McKenzie State Park, which is situated on top of some minor coastal cliffs in a lovely forest.  We found another lava tube here, but this one was still in its primitive, natural state.  The guidebook claimed that the tunnel ran a few hundred yards before emerging in the woods on the far side of the main road.  I decided to explore.  Christy took one look in the tunnel full of boulders and decided to wait there for me.

 

I hiked into the tunnel, and quickly emerged at an opening where the ceiling had collapsed.  Beyond, the tunnel entered total darkness.  I had 2 flashlights, but neither provided much light.  I worked my way up the tunnel, crawling over the many boulders that blocked the path.  This was nothing like the Thurston Lava Tube, with its smooth floor and halogen lights.  Clearly, a bathing suit and sandals was not adequate clothing for an undertaking of this magnitude.

 

I went on for what felt like miles.  Eventually I began to think about all of the boulders, and the collapsed ceiling I’d passed earlier.  How had that happened?  I shined my light nervously up towards the ceiling.  Oddly, the roots of trees extended down through the ceiling all the way to the tunnel floor.  At this point, I began to wonder just how safe this was.  Unfortunately, I knew it had to be farther to turn around than to keep going.  I pressed on, praying that I wouldn’t find the exit blocked.

 

It was almost that bad.  The exit was overhead, and I’d have to climb a series of boulders to get out.  This was hazardous, but there was no way I was turning around.  I climbed cautiously, and the light from the opening helped me find my way.  A few minutes later, I grabbed a tree and pulled myself out.  It was a tremendous relief to be back in the woods.  I walked back down the road, and returned to the car a minute later.

 

I found Christy sitting on the edge of a cliff, watching the pounding surf 50’ below.  There was a sea turtle down there, and she had spent the last 30 minutes watching it.  She asked me to try to photograph it.  Given the distance and the violent surf, I told her it was hopeless.  We weren’t in any hurry to leave though, so I spent the next 30 minutes with my camera in hand, waiting for the turtle to appear.  Eventually it surfaced between waves, and I was ready.  Somehow this sea turtle photo turned out, against all odds.

 

We continued south to the end of the road.  This part of the road is beautiful, as the narrow strip or asphalt ran through an endless tunnel of trees arcing overhead.  We drove as far as we could, finally stopping where the road is blocked by a lava flow.  A few years ago, a new lava flow destroyed the road as well as about 100 houses along this stretch of the Puna Coast.  The road used to continue into Volcanoes National Park, but not any more.  We walked out onto the lava rocks briefly, before retreating for ice cream and then heading back to camp.

 

We were running late, and didn’t have time to do the lava hike.  We still had another day in the park though, so we decided to save it for Wednesday.  Instead we bought steaks, potatoes, salad, and firewood and returned to the campground.  The teenagers had cleared out, and we spent a pleasant, if chilly, evening around the fire.  We entertained ourselves with a vicious game of scrabble.  By the time Christy had played all of her letters, she was ahead 27 points.  I only had three letters left, and Christy declared victory.  She did a celebratory dance and told me there was no need for me to stare at the board all night looking for 27 points.

 

My letters were an “s”, an “i”, and a wildcard.  I spent a few minutes considering my options, before playing my “S” on one of her words.  This got me 9 points, leaving me 18 short.  Ten minutes later, I noticed her word “rage”, with a triple word score box just in front of it.  I chortled, and played my wildcard as an “M” and my “I” in front of her rage.  So that was 1 point each for the “i”, the “r”, the “a”, and the “e”, and 2 points for the “g”.  That’s six points on a triple word score, for a total of 18 points.  Can I use my word in a sentence?  Sure, how about, “your certain victory was a mirage”.

 

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

 

  We dedicated Wednesday to touring the rest of Volcanoes National Park.  First we drove up towards Mauna Loa and stopped at Bird Park, where we did a 1-mile loop hike through the woods.  Then we made a brief visit to the Volcano Winery.  The winery consisted of a gift shop, and, er, well, it was pretty much just a gift shop.  We didn’t stay long, and somehow I got out of there without having to buy any wine.  From there we headed over to the visitor’s center, where we toured the exhibits and watched an excellent 30-minute movie.  The movie was so good, we bought a similar film on video.  If you ever get to Volcanoes National Park, make it a priority to spend an hour at the visitor’s center.

 

We did another short hike that morning on the Sandalwood and Sulfur Banks trails.  This loop starts at the Volcano House hostel, and wanders through rain forest and past crevasses in the earth that belch clouds of steam.  After crossing the road, we passed the sulfur banks.  This is a small meadow bordered by colorful rocks stained yellow by sulfur deposits.  The area was reminiscent of some of the thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park, except without the crowds.  We didn’t see anyone on either of our morning hikes.

 

We still had most of the afternoon to kill, so we drove out to the Hilina Pali overlook.  We followed a long, narrow, winding road out through the Ka’u desert.  I’ve been to deserts in Arizona and Utah, but I’d never seen desolation like this.  The desert was an unending field of lava rocks, occasionally interrupted by the presence of a stunted tree.  We didn’t see as much as a trickle of water anywhere out there.  In the midst of all of this, we passed the Kulanaokuaaiki campground.  This campground would be ideal if you want absolute solitude as well as the comforts of your car.  However, there is no shade, visitors have to bring all of their water, and it is a long, tedious drive to get supplies.

 

The road eventually ended at the overlook.  Here we found a picnic shelter, an outhouse, and a dramatic view from the cliffs.  Unfortunately, thick fog rolled in, obscuring our view of the Pacific Ocean 2000’ below.  The fog also brought surprisingly cool temperatures, and we actually put on jackets while we ate lunch under the shelter.    While eating, we were startled by the arrival of another car.  An old clunker pulled in, complete with surfboards tied to the roof.  Three surfer girls got out and walked over to the cliff, looking down to the ocean far below.  Dude, where’s my ocean?  Then they got back in the car and headed back the way they came.  I could only wonder if they’d come there expecting to surf, not knowing that the waves were a 4-mile hike away.

 

After lunch, we drove the long, monotonous road back to the Chain of Craters Road.  We headed down the mountain, passing a number of old volcano craters along the way.  Eventually the road worked its way down the cliffs on long switchbacks.  Just before we reached the ocean, we stopped at the Petroglyph parking area.  Our third short hike of the day took us to a lava rock field covered in petroglyphs.  It was impressive, but we agreed that the petroglyph fields at Waikaloa Beach were more extensive.

 

We drove to the end of Chain of Craters Road, and found where everyone in the park was.  There is no parking area, so everyone pulls off on the side of the road.  The line of cars extended a full mile.  After a day of solitude, it was like walking into Disneyland.

 

We found a parking spot in the middle of the line and hiked back up the road to the turnaround.  Here we found a makeshift ranger station in a trailer and some toilets.  All sorts of signs were posted about the dangers of hiking to an active lava flow.  Most of it was common sense stuff, like wearing proper clothing, bringing water, and carrying a flashlight.  Still, many of the people we saw were poorly prepared.  One man was so overweight, bystanders were trying to push him back into the sea.  A teenage girl was outfitted in a tight mini-skirt and flip-flops.  An entire family went by without a single backpack between them.  What were we in for?

 

We hiked up the road, with the Pacific Ocean just below us at the base of a low line of cliffs.  We passed the impressive Holei Sea Arch, and followed the road another five minutes until we reached a lava flow that had covered the pavement.  For the next 20 minutes we followed yellow reflectors that marked the route across an endless pile of irregular lava rocks.  Then the markers ended, and we were on our own.  Well, we were on our own with a couple of hundred other people, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out where we needed to go.

 

We hiked towards a huge steam cloud that indicated where the hot lava was entering the relatively cold water of the ocean.  We stayed well away from the coast as we worked our way around to the official lava viewing area.  By the time the steam cloud was directly off to our right, we knew that the lava was flowing through tunnels directly beneath us.  The rocks grew hot, even through the soles of our boots.  It was a creepy sensation, knowing the molten lava was flowing just a few feet beneath us. 

 

We hiked on, and a few more minutes of scrambling over rocks brought us to the official lava viewpoint.  Here was an overlook of a small beach about 50 yards away.  We found a comfortable place to sit and watch.  At first, we didn’t see much.  The steam cloud and heavy surf obscured the view.  A few minutes later, a light breeze moved the cloud enough to give us our first glimpse of lava.  Then, a huge wave rolled in and doused it. 

 

After an hour or so, the lava flow suddenly increased.  Initially, we were lucky to catch an occasional glimpse of lava.  Now, several molten rivers were running across the rocks and pouring into the sea.  One stream had changed course, and was running out onto the black sand beach below us.  If it had been much closer, we could’ve roasted marshmallows.

 

We spent the next couple of hours watching the most spectacular show I’ve ever seen.  From all of the “oohing” and “aahing” around us, you might’ve thought we were watching a fireworks display.  Christy’s binoculars were very useful, as we could focus in on each stream as chunks of lava fell into the surf.  During this time, I also took some 260+ photos.  I erased most of them, but managed to get a few pictures that were worth keeping.

 

The best viewing came that evening.  As darkness fell, the red-hot glow from the lava grew more beautiful.   By the time the sun set, the entire beach appeared to be on fire.  We stayed for an hour past dark, and I probably could’ve watched that show all night.  Finally, we agreed that it was time to go.

 

We hiked out in total darkness, with only the red glow of the lava to help us keep our bearings.  There was no trail, only an endless pile of rocks.  We hiked slowly, as falling on lava rocks is much like falling in broken glass.  We passed some boulders, and got our first look at the mountainside high above us.  On the hike in, the cliffs were just another steep pile of rocks.  Now, 4 or 5 rivers of molten fire were running down the side of the mountain.  Where did that come from??  Then I remembered the sudden increase of lava flowing into the ocean.  Apparently there had been a major increase in the eruption, and the lava had overflowed from the tunnels.  The view was stunning.  I got goose bumps looking at that lava as it spilled down the mountain towards us.  While we were staring at this new sight, I saw a single flashlight leave the normal route and head up the mountain towards those rivers of lava.  Briefly I considered following, but Christy wouldn’t let me.  It was hard to leave that view behind, but we were still able to enjoy it on the hike out, when we weren’t staring at our feet.

 

We made it back to the end of the pavement without any mishaps.  Actually, the hike hadn’t been that difficult, though it had required quite a bit of concentration after dark.  However, someone hiking ahead of us took a spill at an ironic time.  He had just reached the pavement, and was walking along the shoulder of the road, when he stumbled and fell.  I was a little embarrassed for him as we continued back to the car.

 

On the walk out, we overheard someone talking about his visit to the lava flow the night before.  He was saying that the lava was much more impressive than it had been 24 hours earlier.  We had originally planned to do the lava hike on Tuesday, so our last minute change of plans had been fortunate.

 

We drove back to camp, but found it raining when we reached the Kilauea area.  It was 9pm and we hadn’t eaten dinner yet, so we headed back over towards Bird Park to a picnic area.  We cooked and ate dinner under the pavilion, and used wood someone had left to build a fire to ward off the chill.  We feasted on soup, pasta and crab cakes before returning to camp and going straight to bed.

 

After we returned home, I checked the National Park website, and found that much had changed since our visit.  The viewing area has been closed off, due to fears that the entire area might collapse.  Lava was no longer flowing into the ocean at all, but it was spilling down the mountainside at an impressive rate.  To see pictures from a web cam focused on the flows, go to http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/cam/index.htm.  For the best views check this page in the morning(keep in mind Hawaii is 6 hours behind the east coast).

 

BEWARE OF FALLING COCONUTS

 

We slept in a little on Thursday before breaking camp.  We began the long, tedious drive back to Kona, but stopped at The Place of Refuge National Historic Park near the town of Captain Cook.  We paid $5, and spent an hour touring the grounds.  We saw a number of interesting exhibits, featuring restored buildings, a fishpond, and tiki statues.  Most interesting was a hut where a native (dressed in a loincloth!) was building an outrigger canoe from scratch.

 

After our tour, we had a picnic on the beach under a beautiful stand of Palm Trees.  Here we found our favorite sign of the entire trip, warning us to “Beware of falling coconuts”.  After we ate, we walked out to the bay and went snorkeling.  This was a good spot, although the water wasn’t as clear as some of the other places we visited.  We saw lots of coral, tropical fish, and perhaps a dozen sea turtles.  In one deep area, some enterprising diver had taken bricks and spelled “Aloha” on the ocean floor.  This part of the bay featured deep blue water.  It looked like the perfect place to see a shark, but we didn’t see one.

 

After snorkeling, we drove up the coastal road a few miles to another bay.  This is a popular area for sea kayaking, but we decided that we’d done enough activities for our vacation.  Instead, we’d spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

 

We drove to Kona and checked into our room at the Kona Reef.  This “resort” was ok, but nothing compared to the Marriott.  On the upside, it did feature a swimming pool right at the edge of the rocky coastline.  Plus, the location in “downtown” Kona was ideal.  That evening, we walked across the street to Durty Jakes, where we met Penn and Renata for dinner.  We had met Penn and Renata on Kalalau Beach two weeks earlier, and had gotten their number.  It was fun to catch up with them and relive our memories from Kalalau.  Renata had been born in Austria, but had moved to Colorado to attend college.  She met Penn there, and they were married on top of Mount of the Holy Cross – one of Colorado’s highest peaks.  Holy Cross is one the mountains I want to climb, so I was fascinated that they had actually gotten married there.  After getting married, they had moved to Hawaii’s big island for a change in scenery.

 

We stayed out fairly late that night for a change.  The next morning, we went back to Durty Jakes for breakfast.  We checked out of the Kona Reef, and did some shopping in Kona.  Later that morning, we drove down the coast and stopped at a small beach park.  We went snorkeling one more time, and spotted all kinds of tropical fish, including Unicorn Fish, Needle Fish, Trumpet Fish, Coronet Fish, Butterfly Fish, Parrotfish, Wrasses, and 2 more Sea Turtles.  There was some coral as well, though much of it had been damaged from people walking on it. 

 

After snorkeling, we lounged on the beach for a while.  Clouds rolled in though, and even brought a few sprinkles.  By late that afternoon, we were ready to move on.  We drove back to the Waikaloa Beach area, where we had excellent ribs at The Big Island Steak House.  Then we rearranged our luggage, which required stuffing wet bathing suits, towels, and snorkeling gear in with everything else.  We then watched the sun set from the beach one final time.  After it fell, there was nothing left for us to do but to head for the airport.

 

STRANDED ON A SANDBAR

 

We reached the airport 2 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave.  To our surprise, there was a huge line at the check-in for American Airlines.  What was going on?  We found out all too soon.  The flight coming in from Los Angeles was running late, and our plane wouldn’t be ready to leave until midnight.  We had to make a connection in LA, and we’d never make it if we were 2 hours late.  To make matters worse, the flight was overbooked by ten people.

 

When we finally made it to the counter, we found that we were going to have all kinds of trouble rebooking our connecting flights.  Our best bet would get us to Pittsburgh late on Saturday night.  Christy’s parents had to drive 3 hours each way to get us, so that wasn’t very practical.  Our other option?  The airline was looking for volunteers to be bumped off the overbooked flight.  They offered us each $400 flight vouchers, plus an extra free night in Hawaii and transportation to and from the airport.  Did we want to be stuck in an airport all day, or on the beach?  We didn’t have to think about it too hard.

 

We got our taxi, and found out we’d be going back to the Marriott.  Yipee!  Our room wasn’t as nice, but it wasn’t bad either.  Plus, it was free.  The next day, we alternated lounging on the beach with lounging by the pool.  We didn’t have a car, so we didn’t have any reason to feel guilty for taking a full day to relax.  After spending most of our vacation on the run, it was nice to just sit in the sun with a good book. 

 

That evening, we went back to the Chinese restaurant in the shopping center on the other side of the street.  Then we picked up our luggage from the concierge and caught our shuttle back to the airport.  The American Airlines people checked us in through the first class line, and looked the other way when our luggage exceeded the maximum weight limit.  As a further bonus, we were booked on all American flights, which promised us an easier journey home.

 

Our only mishap at the airport that night was an unexpected landing of a different sort.  A giant flying cockroach swooped down out of nowhere and landed on Christy’s shoulder.  Some spirited jumping and thrashing sent it to the ground, where it scurried around in confusion.  This roach was so big, the airport could’ve used it to haul luggage.  It was causing quite a bit of commotion, so I stepped on it.  Anyway, I’ll bet you won’t read about giant flying cockroaches in any of the official tourist literature published by the local chamber of commerce.

 

When we got on the plane, the first thing we did was check our options for our flight vouchers for next summer’s trip.  Where should we go?  Originally we planned on California, but we’re thinking we may go somewhere more expensive since we’ve got $400 off.  American flies to all kinds of exotic places, like Alaska, Peru, Africa, and Europe.  Right now though, we’re leaning towards flying to Calgary and exploring the Canadian Rockies.

 

We slept through most of the overnight flight back to Los Angeles.  In LA, our connection was much easier since we were staying on American.  Then it was back to Chicago, where I had some pizza at what felt like 8AM.  One more flight got us to Pittsburgh, where Christy’s parents met us.  When we arrived, it was all of 60 degrees.  Why couldn’t it have been that cool for our wedding?  Oh well, I guess I can’t complain about the weather.  At least it didn’t rain.

 

A 3-hour drive got us back to Clearfield, and we slept hard that night.  It didn’t help us overcome a horrible case of jet lag though.  We drove back to Charlotte on Monday, but we spent the rest of the week recovering from our trip.  The jet lag was murder, but it was worth it.  I promised Christy that we’d return to Hawaii, though it may have to wait for our 10-year anniversary.