Written Tuesday, 10 Nov
Good morning, all .
Yesterday (still at the Volcano House lodge in Volcanoes National Park) I woke up at 2:45 and, looking out the bathroom window, saw a red glow from the crater. Last night it was too rainy to see much of anything before bedtime, so I of course threw on some clothes and took my camera out to the back of the lodge to see if I could get a picture. It was misting lightly. I debated whether I should go back to bed or get my tripod and try to get a good photo. The judge ruled in favor of the tripod, and I stood out it in the increasingly incessant rain to get my picture. The kind clerk at the hotel desk loaned me an umbrella to keep my equipment dry, at least. I was up for perhaps 30 minutes, but I figured I don't get this opportunity often. (Never before or after, at least until I come back to Volcanoes National Park again). The rain was not of the heavy droplet kind, but rather of the fine quickly-soaking type. Thanks to the umbrella, this camera stayed dry.
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No, that's not a bunch of expletives; I was having trouble with the bluetooth keyboard again and gave up. But now it seems to be working. I'm on yet another island, but I will go back to the big island of Hawaii and continue my adventures from yesterday.
I woke up when I heard the hotel room door close - L was just slipping out to take a morning run (she's like that). I got up shortly after that - it was about 6:30 - and noticed the crater was very visible, and the rising sun was glancing off the steam vents and making the whole plain look inviting. So I trotted out with my camera (saw the same clerk who loaned me the umbrella, just about to go off her shift). It was breezy - I think it was in the upper 50s - and other people watching the morning sun shine on the crater were bundled up and saying, "It's so COLD." I was standing there in capris and a short-sleeved shirt and feeling pretty comfortable.
L and I went to the hotel restaurant (called The Rim) for a buffet breakfast after she got back from her run, and then we went for a hike on the Kilauea Iki trail and through the Thurston lava tube. The hike was about 4 miles, and pretty steep in places (downhill on the way there). We got a little turned around before we got to the crater floor, but didn't go too far out of our way before we realized we had missed the trail. The landscape was indescribable, but you know I'm going to try. It was like being on another planet - black lava rock everywhere, with plants and shrubs poking out here and there. The land was covered with ripples and in places it sounded like walking on ice because the porous rock scraped hollowly when we walked on it (that was our unintentional detour, mostly). It was around 9 in the morning when we traversed most of the valley floor, and it was getting rather warm when we again gained the shade of the woods, and headed up. We did a detour into the lava tube, which was really neat and very wet, with large puddles on the floor and the walls dripping. It was cool. And it was fun to hike with a buddy, especially after all the solo hikes. I enjoyed those, but it was nice to have someone compatible along as well.
We got back to our room in time to pack up and check out in good time. We went to the gift shop (the National Park gift shops always have a nice variety and good prices). I forgot to mention that last night I bought "volcano socks" - black socks with red flames around the cuffs - to warm up my feet after all the rain. There was a portable fan in the room which I aimed at my wet shoes, and they were dry by morning. L liked the socks so much she bought a pair herself.
It started to drizzle a bit. We headed over to the Volcano Art building (I don't know its official name), in which there were dozens of types of hand made items, all for sale, everything from prints to carvings, scarves, paintings, stained glass, and jewelry. So many beautiful things to see. The weather cleared up a bit and the sun came out, so we did a short walk (1/3 mile) to the Sulphur Banks and saw all the discolored rocks and partly-dead plants from the sulfur steam vents. As you can imagine, it stank. It also looked like very poorly painted movie sets. Hard to believe it is real, like so much of the park, and the island.
We got back in the car and drove to the Kilauea Lodge. They had the tiniest gift shop ever (it doubled as the lodge office) but a lot of nice things in there as well. Then we headed over to Hilo, but it poured most of the time so we didn't stop and get out anywhere. Instead we drove up the saddle road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and back to L's house.
That night, we were invited to dinner at A's parents' place. They are from Minnesota but are staying on island for a few months, renting a former plantation building, very grand and up a VERY steep driveway. It was sweet of them to include me in the invitation. Last time I saw them, son #1 was turning a year old, so just over 12 years. They were very kind and the food was great, and everyone was talking all at the same time so I had trouble following any given conversation, but after a week of being alone, it was really fun. Son #2 told a vivacious story about being in the car with grandma and grandpa when a huge tarantula got in the car. He was laughing so hard he couldn't finish the story. Apparently they all survived. Well, maybe not the spider.
Back home and went to bed.... and it's much later than I've yet gone to bed, so perhaps I'll take some time tomorrow to catch you up on today.
Good night, all
blessings
w
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