Volcano and a cup of coffee

On Thursday I went to the island of Hawaii (a.k.a. the Big Island) via the island of Maui to see some volcanoes and explore the black sandy beaches that the island is famous for. On my way to the island I had two couples, one older and another younger, ask me in some disbelief if I was traveling alone. They were simply incredulous that I was just trekking around by myself with no "one" (read: a man). *Sigh* What year is this? Don't get me wrong, it's nice to travel with someone but when you are traveling by yourself you can damn well do as you please! Aside from this slightly irritating note, it was a great trip and I can't wait to get the photos posted next week (folks, I'm still in the Dark Ages and do not possess a digital camera yet!)! Volcanoes National Park is a must see for everyone, especially if you are a science geek like me, at least once in a lifetime. Once I got to the island I rented a car and drove out of Hilo for about 45 minutes until I got to the park. The first thing you notice is the smell of sulphur from the active volcanoes. I drove around Volcano Drive which takes you right around the caldera of Kilauea and past the different solidified lava flows from past explosions. At one stop I noticed a food offering (I think it was taro) wrapped in palm leafs and a flower lei left to honor Pele the Hawaiian goddess of fire/volcano ("She-Who-Shapes-The Sacred-Land" according to my little Hawaiian dictionary). Don't mess with a goddess who controls volcanoes! The sight of the steaming volcano and bright yellow sulphur plumes was simply amazing. The fact that you can see the hot red lava flowing into the ocean and adding land mass to the island is mindboggling! It was as if I was transported back several million years!

After I explored the park, which also has an amazing rainforest (go figure), I headed down route 11 to the coast with a quick stop at a local road side stand for some of the island's famous Kona coffee (so good it requires no cream or sugar!!). I finally ended up in Punalu'u Park which has some great black sandy beaches (the sand is finely ground igneous rock) and gorgeous turquoise waters. I found myself a quiet spot out on the rocks and just sat there enjoying the gorgeous scenery until suddenly, right in front of my eyes, I saw a plume of water come out of the ocean and then a whale jumped out of the water, arched itself over, and went back into the depths. It was one of those moments that just make life worthwhile!