We Take Ourselves With Us

After the beach, we set off for our last destination before the airport: Volcano National Park (or for all our fellow Bjork fans--Volchano National Park). Of course, as we started heading up in elevation, the temperature dropped, the rain fell and the winds got even windier. (So, Ned took the photos with his waterproof camera, and I'll add them later.) Undeterred, we plotted three stops: the steam vents, the Jaggar Museum & Volcano overlook, and the lava tube. We blew through the steam vents--got it: volcano steam! We were saving our own steam for the overlook, where we stood right next to a real life volcano that helped create the Big Island itself. Remarkable! Our last stop was a 27 foot long underground tube cut through the rock hundreds of years ago by molten lava on its way to form the shore. Early Hawaiians used the tubes (which are all over the islands) for everything from water filtration to strategic battle tactics to burial tombs. We used it to walk throug...

Today we set off North for the beaches of the Kohala coast. The drive up is through hardened lava fields that are sometimes chunky rocks and other times swooping, swirling sculptures that reveal the path of the lava so long ago. Apparently it's a thing to commemorate a lost (or non-lost) loved one by spelling out his or her name in white stones on top of the black lava stone. So, we passed our trip reading these tributes. Our first stop was Hapuna Beach, a long strip of white sand surrounded by crystal clear water in darkening bands of turquoise. On the horizon, we could see whales breeching and raising their tail fins high in the air. The kids rushed the waves for a good two hours, and Penn and I built sand castles. After lunch, we decided to try Spencer Beach, which is surrounded by a low reek near the shore that means few waves and great snorkeling. This is a real family beach, where parents doze in the sun while their kids play in the surf; it's surrounded by big ...