South of Kona

Boats on The Beach

South of Kona there are a series of nearby beaches.  Place of Refuge is a Pu’uhonua o National Historic Park and it is adjacent to Two Steps Beach, a popular snorkeling and scuba diving spot.  Further down the road is Hookena Beach Park where I photographed some locals and their boats.

My New Girlfriend

Place of Refuge 1

Place of Refuge 2

Sea Turtle at Two Steps

Boats on The Beach

Kicking Back

The Painted Church

Painted Church Cemetary

Weird Trees

Twisted Trees

Pololu Valley

Trippy Trees

Bent Trees

Twisted Trees

Banyan Hill

Banyan Side

That morning I spoke to a lady on the beach who said “I don’t do drugs, but there are some trippy looking trees up at the North end of this island. Just drive past Hawi until the road ends.” She forgot to mention the steep trail down to the beach. The banyan were photographed on the Hilo side of the island earlier in the week.

Rocky Places

Napoopoo View

Lava beach

Lava Meets the Sea

Napoopoo View

Petroglyphs by the Sea

Rock Waves

Lava Thumbprint

Last night it rained 6 inches (15 cm) in my neighborhood. Streets flooded and the lights went out for 8 hours. That did not stop me from going out to some art gallery openings.

The Big Island is mostly covered by lava fields and volcanic ash. The beaches are no exception. Few of them are sandy.

Volcanos National Park Part II

Crater’s Edge

Three Girl Backpackers

Lava Swirl

The Blob

Palms Escape Destruction

Crater’s Edge

Today I will be traveling back to Texas, where everything is bigger. I have a lot of photos from Kona and other areas yet to blog.

I met the girl backpackers at the visitor center and a few hours later saw them crossing a lava field off Chain of Craters Road on their way down to the shore. That is one long hike and some very fit women.

Hilo to Kona

Rain Forest Walkway

Sunrise on Mauna Kea

Akaka Falls

Rain Forest Walkway

Wall of Palms

Dog in a Dress

Do Climb Wall

Lava Field Overlook

Daniella and Kestrel

It’s about 95 miles from Hilo to Kona over scenic roads, going through Waimea.  The day began with a stunning view of Mauna Kea from my hotel room watching light from the sunrise move down from the summit.  Akaka falls and its surrounding rain forest are on the way, followed by miles of lava fields.  In Kona on the pier both the mood and climate are completely different.

Mauna Kea and Others

Ascension

Rainbow Falls

Saddle Road Lava Field

The Slope

Dr. Doom’s Office

Spherical Fun

Above the Clouds

Mars on Mauna Kea

Ascension

After a short stop at Rainbow Falls I headed for the Saddle Road to visit Mauna Kea. There is a visitor center about halfway up to the summit from the main road. The road surface then turns to gravel and is steep for 5 miles. My rented Hyundai Elantra barely made it because the minimum speed to produce enough power was also fast enough to overpower the suspension. The final 3 miles is very steep, but paved. The summit is at an oxygen starved 13,796 feet (4,200 Meters). The final photo is one of the spectacular views from my hotel room in Hilo.

Volcanos National Park

Lava Landscape

Lava Landscape

Lava Tube

Busted Lava

Road Closed

Chain of Craters

Rain Forest

An Offering to Pele

Steam Vents

Crater Pano

Caldera at Night

This is a magical place where molten lava and poisonous gases spew forth from the ground. Nature is at its peak of fury here. The message is we are nothing. In minutes one passes from desolate inhospitable areas at altitude to lush rain forests and pacific beaches. The landscape is unreal often covered by lava flows.