Okay! The last post about Big Island – this one will be more photo, less talk. I think Volcano National Park and Mauna Kea speaks for itself.

Before driving to the park, we took a small detour to check out one of the beaches near where we were staying, and to hunt down one of the lava hot tubs that was hidden in the forest. The waves there were massive, and were being enjoyed by lots of surfers. After a brief foray into the woods, we found the sweltering hot tub and took a swim.

Then, off to Volcano! The day started out a bit grey and dreary, but by the end, it got hot and steamy.

Volcano steaming off in the distance

Steam Vents

Exploring the lava tubes

The hike down, across and back up took hours, but it wasn’t very difficult, and being in the crater was absolutely breath-taking. It was dry, hot, and windy down there. The volcanic rock crunched like crystals. It was like being surrounded by the end of the world.

After, we drove the Chain of Craters, right to the end, where the land hits ocean. It was a gorgeous ride down, where you could see old lava flows that had destroyed the land, where the ocean glittered from up high, where you were surrounded by nothing by black rock. Just amazing!

The next day, we woke up early to make the long drive back to Kona, as we were catching our plane out to Kauai in the early afternoon. There are two ways we could’ve taken to get to Kona. The first, the way we came, around the southern tip, which probably would’ve taken about 3-4 hours. Then there was the Saddle Road, a road that runs through the centre of the island, right from Hilo to Kona. It takes about 1 ½ hours, and there’s absolutely nothing on the road, except for the majestic Mauna Kea, the highest mountain in the world at 14,000 feet (from sea level).

We weren’t sure if we would drive right up to the summit. We were concerned about time and all. However, once we got to the wait station (due to the altitude, you are obligated to stop at this station for at least 30 minutes to adjust), we knew we had to keep going to the top. Driving along thin dirt and gravel paths to the summit of a MOUNTAIN was terrifying and exhilarating.

It was freezing up there, so windy, and we could barely walk without feeling dizzy or faint – the altitude is just too much! There are lots of telescopes up there, as this is apparently the closest thing earth has to a space-like environment; Apollo did all their tests prior to going to the moon here. It did feel like another world.

Loco Moco to get ready for the trip

The Drive up Mauna Kea

After the terrifying drive back down, Soli thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of Saddle Road, and we made it to the Kona airport with time to spare, which turned out to be a very good thing, as we were not allowed to take all the food we had packed, so we had to say goodbye to our pet pineapple, among other mangos and delicious fruit. We boarded the plane to Kauai, and spent the next two weeks exploring a much different island.

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