Tom and I spent a quiet day recuperating from our lava hike yesterday. In the afternoon we  went snorkeling at a place called the Champaign Ponds in Kapoho.

In 1960 a volcano shot tons of lava 1700 ft. into the air covering the town of Kapoho under acres of ‘A’a lava

leaving only 2 small subdivisions intact.

Champaign Ponds is one of those subdivisions and it is surrounded by huge ‘a’a fields.

The neighborhood is built around geothermal ponds with inlets to the ocean.

There is public access and we went snorkeling there. It’s like snorkeling in bathwater – lovely.

I got an underwater camera for my birthday. Though the fish move rather quickly, I was able to get a few good shots as I snorkeled.

   

It was a quiet but nice way to spend Tom’s birthday.

Happy Birthday, Love of My Life.

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Today we did it! Tom really wanted to make it to the lava flow and today we did, but it about killed us. We started out at Kehena Black Sand Beach at 9:30 AM supplied with plenty of water, lunch and of course cameras. We had done part of the trail before and knew that it was going to be hard, but we were determined.
The hike weather was warm, but not too hot and we had a good tail wind to push us along so we made pretty good time going. The trail is well marked in the beginning, but the markers become fewer and farther between as you go. After a while we didn’t see any at all so had to make our own way with a bit of backtracking along the way. The trail is along the coast, however, so you can’t really get lost. Plus you can see the steam cloud which acts as a beacon as well as encouragement.

Hiking over lava fields can be treacherous but if you take time to look, they can also be magnificent. We were on a mission, so I didn’t have a great deal of time to take pictures. Nevertheless, I managed to get a few. These are some of the better ones:

This is ‘A’a lava – it cools more quickly and therefore is more brittle – very rough and chunky

These are  pictures of Pahoehoe lava. It cools more slowly and is much smoother. Luckily this is what we hiked over most of the time. I find it’s forms fascinating and beautiful.

 

This one I thought was spectacular! It is about a 10 ft high wall of lava and was awesome!

We took a short break at this small black sand beach.

Then we started out again – we’re getting closer.

 These are views along the trail.

          

The view was spectacular and well worth the trip.

 

After taking in the vision of new land being created and taking lots of pictures of it.

We headed back. Remember the tail wind I talked about at the beginning of the hike? Well, the wind had picked up and was now a headwind. Just let me say that it was a lot longer and harder hike going back. We stopped in a small and pretty wooded area for lunch and then pressed on.

We arrived back at the car at 3:20 (right at 6 hours). Figuring mileage later, Tom figured that it was about 12 miles a pretty extraordinary feat for people our age and another check on the “Been There, Done That” list.

Today we did a morning hike again in Volcanoes National Park. This one was a bit more aggressive and took about four hours…whew! It was an interesting hike and, as usual, the sights were beautiful!

 

There were steam vents everywhere.

We ended the hike going through the sulfur fields – a bit smelly, but filled with steam vents and striking colors. The sulfur comes up with the steam through the vents and is deposited on the rocks. It paints a vibrant picture.

We grabbed lunch in the tiny town of Volcano and then headed for the Punaluu Black Sand Beach 

to spend the afternoon wading in the tidepools,

watching the sea turtles

   

and communing with nature.

 

After barbequing dinner at the beach,

 we headed back to Volcanoes National Park for a night look at the lava flow from the observation area at the Jagger Museum.  There were about a million stars and the red glowing lava in the distance made it a pretty spectacular sight. A great end to another great day.

Today was a day of flowers, rainbows, and lots of fun.  We started the day’s adventures with a trip to Akaka Falls.

The hike was short and the views spectacular!

 

After a quick but delicious lunch in Honomu we headed to  Botanical World Adventures

and Zip Lining!!!! 

 

Chris Zipping

Guido Zipping

Tom Zipping

Charli Zipping

The Suspension Bridge

    The zip lining was awesome and the team – Preston, Red, and Jen were terrific – funny, knowledgeable, and great.  They pointed out plants,

Painted Eucalyptus

200 Year Old Mango Tree

  items of interest, and kept us entertained and safe. The experience lived up to the expectations and more.

After the zip lining, we headed off for a hike through the rainforest and then the gardens. Before we went, I asked Red about the turquoise flowers in our yard. He said that they were Blue Jade – rare, elusive and beautiful. He also said that there were some growing in the rainforest part of the gardens and sure enough we found them right where he said.

 

 

The rainforest and the gardens were beautiful!

   

The gardens ended in with a hedge maze that was fun. We all ended getting back out the way we went in and then Tom and Guido spent another 45 minutes trying to find the real exit. They were eventually successful. The day ended on another triumphant  note and we four weary adventurers headed for home.