Big Island Adventures

My life has been truly magical these past two weeks.

The past few weeks, I've been getting a lot closer with a group of girls I've known for a while around here. We had a really awesome night the night before I left which began with the ha-ha game, continued to a dance for peace and love and finished with a glass of wine and giggles. They wished me well and I set off for my big adventure.

In the morning the boys made sure I'd packed my 'flat Stanley' the five year old made and exchanged hugs.

I got to the airport and was so unbelievably excited- I was going to see people from muhhh town in less than an hour! It was especially exciting because the travel time was so short to see faces from home 6000 miles away.

The first day I was there we went to Kona Side (but not actual Kona) to a beautiful beach in a gated community. We asked for a beach pass, and like magic, the gates opened and we were allowed access to a gorgeous (nearly) black-sand beach. We tested out the underwater camera the Kula-Fam so graciously gave me for adventure times. Despite the endless waves, Gordie managed a few pics of fish and Brooke Kels and I took some swimmin' selfies.

After watching the sunset and viewing Maui, we drove home and watched the whales jump around in the sunshine on the right and the MASSIVE storm coming in on the left. We drove into a tropical storm. I thank Gordie for keeping all of us safe in rains that eventually washed out a bridge, caused a landslide over a road and lots, and lots of flash floods.

first underwater cam pics on da big island

beachin' with brooke and kels just a few hours after leaving maui. so crazy that we are only a 25 minute flight apart 6000 miles away from home. 

After the beach we watched Gordie at an open mic night and at at the Hilo Burger Joint. All island ranch raised beef. I had a goat cheese caprese burger and had no regrets- it was happy, environmentally friendly raised beef and it was really tasty. 

The next day it continued to be a tropical storm. We helped around at the farm that Brooke and Gordie work on. I labeled some honey and learned a bit about how the process works. I also learned about how wiener dogs are truly bred to hunt. It was an eventful rainy afternoon. We ended up watching a  movie and Human Planet- SO AWESOME. Holy smokes.

 I failed to take many pictures of new years but I did get some video of Gordie playing a show at this beach bar/hang out in Puna. The party was on top of a lava flow that ran over the road back in the '70s. They never rebuilt the road so they built a bar! There were many, many fireworks being lit off for hours and hours. I saw a drone covered in LED lights fly fireworks over the party. It was fantastic. Kyla and Gordie were awesome and so were the Local men. We danced and watched stars lying on the lava flow.

The morning after, Kelsey scooped me up and we went to watch the Rose Bowl, eat lunch and drink a bloody. It was a super spicy one. The Spartans won and we celebrated.

After the Rosebowl we went to Rainbow Falls and saw this massive waterfall- it was raaaaaaging because all of the rain Hilo side was getting that week. We walked back into the forest and sat in the most massive, sprawling Banyan tree I've ever seen. It was amazing. Those trees just make you feel like such a small little organism. They reach out and fill all the space they can. They twist and connect, root out, reach and find all the nutrients they can. Looking at their trunks and branches is almost like looking at a person without their skin. I absolutely LOVE Banyan trees.

 The next day we went snorkling and then to Volacanoes National park! We drove up and were immediately taken by the steam vents just clouding up meadows. We pulled up and saw that they were lining a maaaasssive crater. The Haleakala Crater on Maui seems to be a bit more concentrated- we could drive and walk around this park and find craters spaced out, separated by forests! I want to read up a little more on the Big Island's geology/eruptions.

underwater camera in action snorkling at Kapoho

one of my favorite fish i've seen so far. so many awesome colors and the BRIGH BLUE DOTS ARE SO AWESOME

these guys are pretty colorful too

Park of a school of fish that was dancing in front of me

This is what we saw right when we drove into Volcanoes. All the steam vents were just pumpin' out steam from the mountain. We do not see this at Haleakala- this is a mark of a livin' breathin' volcano that still flows pretty consistently

beautiful orchid I saw that made me think of my sister Tisha. She loves orchids, she'd love how they just grow in nature around here.

Me Gordie and Kelsey's new roomie Jose

Broke, me and a crater.

An incredible painting of Pele the goddess of fire and dryness and Kama-Pua'a her lover and god of the underwater world and wetness 

I was amazed at the little flowers and shrubs that were growing inside this particular lava flow. It was a pretty recent one (within the last 100 years) and they were just growing in tiny little pockets. Plants like this are such survivors and break the ground, starting fresh. If they didn't ever grow, there would be no organic material to break down and become soil- the land would never return to productivity. Beauty amongst destruction- an opportunity to start fresh!

We checked out some lava tubes. This was a super long, lit up, maaaaaasssssive inclosed lava tube. This is Kelsey inside.

Me Brooke and Gordie inside the lava tube. Lava tubes are like veins of the earth- molten lava flow thru and finds an escape and eventually flows.

This is a terrible picture of an unbelievable sight. In 1959 Pele erupted here INTO A LAKE OF FIRE. I'm not kidding this crater was massive and was I believe 500 ft deep of LAVA. Its not hardened over- people who viewed it in the early 60s, raging hot and exploding lava can now casually walk over it. This blew my mind. 

Watching an amazing sunset over the hardened lake of lava.

A better picture of the lake of lava (mind you this was only one of many of the craters we saw in Volcanoes Ntl. park this was just the one that was most mind bending for me) Also, I think that nice old man is really cute. I can't decide whether I unintentionally included him in my photo or he photo bombed me ;-) 

The next morning we woke up early so we could go on more adventures. This is 6:30 AM from Papaikou. So unbelievable.

Flat Bets, Flat Pat/Stanley and George and Gypsy 

This is at Hakalau one of their favorite hang outs near their house. Its a pretty sweet bridge to jump off of and into the jungle river. The water was unbelievably cold because of the runoff from snowy Mana Kea so I didn't jump in.

On the last full day we went up to Wainapo and saw where they shot the intro to Jurasic Park. For some reason I can't find those pics.

 On the last day, we went to Honomonu and Akaka falls

We hung out on the beach near their place. Its borders the botanical gardens. Can't swim here because its got a lot of volcanic rock but its incredibly beautiful and definitely a good spot to post up for the afternoon.

In the jungle with Michigan homies.

Me in a banyan at Akaka Falls

All of us at Akaka Falls

This is one of the tallest free falling waterfalls in the US.

I'm too tired to write about Haleakala tonight. As you can see, my descriptions and elaborations dwindled by the end. Records of my travels, nonetheless.

Aloha and warmth to all my freezing friends and family in Michigan. I hear its really getting tough out there- I miss you guys! I am sending you all the love and light I can!

Aloha pumehana,

Betsy