Lava Trees State Park, Island of Hawaii

All of the Hawaiian Islands were forged millions of years ago by powerful volcanic eruptions from deep within the sea. The Island of Hawai'i was built from five separate shield volcanoes and today volcanic activity is still going strong with three volcanoes ( Hualalai, Mauna Loa, and Kilauea)still in the "active" category. The remaining two volcanoes are considered dormant (Mauna Kea) and extinct (Kohala). The Lava Trees State Park situated in the Nanawale Forest Reserve is a graphic depiction of the long-term effects of lava. Hundreds of years ago, a fast moving flow of hot lava hit this patch of wet Ohia trees, and the lava forever encased the structures leaving behind vertical, hollow, lava tubes where each tree once stood. These ghostly structures are now covered with moss and surrounded by lush tropical foliage and huge monkeypod trees covering most of the devastation from earlier volcanic flows. Below are some pictures of an outing we took to visit the Lava Trees State park.

Hilo, Hawaii

On Friday, August 23, we flew from Sacramento to Hilo, Hawaii, where we will be staying the next month. This is our fourth trip to the Hawaiian Islands, but our first time on The Big Island. With one connecting flight and a 3-hour time difference, we landed in the Hilo airport by 2:00 p.m.  We have stationed ourselves in an apartment in a residential area, walking distance from Old Town Hilo and the daily Farmers Market. I am in tropical fruit heaven, by the way, with the abundance of (cheap) papayas, mangos, starfruit, bananas, pineapple, and many other exotic varieties I've yet to sample. We didn't do much on arrival day other than make a quick run to the Safeway to get enough food for the next couple of meals. But on Saturday, we started exploring both on foot and by car. There is much to do and much to learn, but we feel well prepared for the task with our guide books, maps, and camera in hand. Yes, we probably do look like typical mainlander tourists, but we are trying our best to respect the prevailing culture while still getting the full Island experience. During our stay we want to explore the Volcanoes National Park, drive up to the Astronomy Museum and Visitor Center on Mauna Kea, do some hiking, golf, snorkel, visit the beaches, tour the botanical gardens, see waterfalls, tour a coffee plantation, and take the opportunity to drive the perimeter of the Island, which spans about 220 miles. Here are some photographs from our first couple of days in and around Hilo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hawaii Bound - A-LO-HA!!!!!

In two days we leave for Hawaii. We will spend one month on the big Island (Hawaii), in Hilo, and the second month on Maui in the Kihei area. We are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary, and since we got married on Kauai, we thought this would be a great time to return to see more of the Islands.  Aloha!

Sacramento August 2013

August 8, 2013, and we're back in Sacramento. But just for two weeks! On August 23rd we leave for Hawaii, where we will stay for two months. We tried to fit in as much family time as possible during these two weeks, and here are a few pictures of that.

Ferndale, California

About 30 miles north and east of Redcrest is the quaint little town of Ferndale. With a population under 1500, this city is well known for the dozens of well-preserved Victorian store fronts and homes. It is also the northern gateway to California's Lost Coast, which I posted on below. After all the activity began to wind down in the Redwoods, and family members started going their own directions, Dan and I decided to drive to Ferndale for a visit, touring, lunch, and a little shopping.  We were most impressed by the beautiful Victorians, and took a few pictures to share on the blog.

Family Reunion in The Redwoods

Saturday August 3rd was the day of the big Family Reunion in The Redwoods . What can you say about a gathering like this other than what you see in these pictures?