Our "Big Island" Adventure

It was not just another day in Hawaii, Yesterday. Our day started at 3:00am bright & early. So early the sun was no were to even be seen yet. We headed out just before 4:00am to the airport. We were off the the Big Island of Hawaii to spend the day. We boarded the plane and off we went, thankfully I was able to sleep half the time while Gabe thumbed through a magazine. Landing and off to get our rent car we were on our way. Still very early it was only 6:00am but that wasn't going to slow us down.




The first stop on our list was Rainbow Falls. What a beautiful area, the waterfall was huge and the sound from the water flowing down was so loud but so peaceful.


I could sit there for hours and just listen to the falls and watch it. We noticed there was a trail of steps off to the left that were just calling our name, so we headed up.



The views just became more and more amazing as we got further up. It was very much like a rain forest setting. After a few pictures and taking it all in we headed back to the car off to our next stop.




Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, we were so excited about going to the park. We really didn't know what to expect. I had already done alot of reading on line to kind of get a better idea of what we could see and do. First stop once we pulled in to the park was the visitors center. We got a better idea of how to take on the park and were to stop and take a walk. Heading over first to the Volcano House, which was a small cottage like hotel were visitors could stay. It had a very warm and homing feeling. Ok ok, now for the good stuff....on the road around Crater Rim Drive we went straight to the Jaggar Museum it was full of photo's and many artifacts and so much more.




Right out side the museum was Halema'uma'u Crater. What an amazing view, to see the steam coming from the volcano. A real active volcano something I had never see before. You hear about them on TV and see pictures all the time but never in person. So to be able to say I have see one is truly special.

Off next to Kilauea Military Camp (which was in the park), a very neat little area were military personal and their family can stay. Gabe was in need of a rock star but no luck at the General Store, however we were able to get a candy bar to snack on :) The Steam Vents were next, a area were you could see the steam from the volcano coming up from the ground. It looked like fog or smoke flowing through the air very quickly.








From there we drove down to Kilauea Iki Crater Overlook.
This is a area of a previous volcano. You are able to descend 400 feet through native rain forest into a crater and hike across a frozen lava lake that is still steaming from the 1959 eruption.




From start to finish it was a 4 mile walk (the park ranger told us it takes about 2 hours to walk the whole thing), we were determined to do it in less, much less. Off we went, Gabe tends to walk very fast and so that was good, I kept up with him the whole way most the time staying right behind him that way I could follow his foot steps and I wouldn't step on something and fall as well as some parts of the path down to the Crater we very small.





Walking through the bottom of the Crater was something I never imagined doing, to be able to walk through what use to be a volcano that is now a frozen lava lake. Something many people can not say they have done. Finally we reached the other side and started heading back up. We made it back in 1~hour & 18~minutes, we probably could of done it in a hour if we didn't stop at all for pictures or just to look around. But all in all it was a great walk and we really are glad we did it.




Off from there we drove the 19 miles down Chain of Craters Road descending 3,700 feet to the coast coming to the end where lava has covered 10 miles of the road since 1983. You had to walk a good ways down the on what was left of the road to walk around the area were the lava has closed off the road. It really was unreal, in some parts you can see the street and the paint that divided the lanes, as well a road sign.


A must see sign, truly amazing. On the way down we saw some really great sights were lava had once flowed in 1969-1974.


Back to the car we go off to one last stop before we leave the park to find some yummy food. The Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku), we were able to walk through the lush rain forest to explore a 500-year old lava tube. It was .5 miles from the start to finish, so a short walk. That was neat very much like a old cave but set in the middle of a rain forest.



What a day we spent most of our time at the Volcano Park, which is what we had planned. We were so exhausted be time we left, hungry and our shoes where cover in mud as well as my pants. We had a wonderful time and are thinking about taking Jared's parents there when they come down for Thanksgiving (which I am so excited about, they are so sweet). The hunt for something good to eat was on, we are not into the local food. That is just not for us. Everything we coming putting in to the GPS we would go to and it would be closed or just not there. So we decided to hold off. It was about 4:00pm and we still had one more stop to make before we headed back to the airport.



There is one area on the island that, the government has turn into a viewing area in the evenings to see lava flowing into the ocean. The park is only open from 5:00pm - 10:00pm so it was important that we were there when it opened. Right on time, we waited for the gates to open and took on the more than half a mile walk to the ocean side. To see the steam flowing down the mountain in the ocean, was definitely worth the wait.




We quickly headed back to the car and off to the airport to return the rent car and finally get a bite to eat before the plane ride home. It truly was a magical trip and we made some wonderful memories that will last with us a life time. This trip is something that we needed. Just to get away for the day and go some were new, that neither of us had been to. I'm so happy we went it was AMAZING. I truly am enjoying my life here in Hawaii with the most amazing husband in the world. The best part about it all is that we are now living together so when the night comes to a end of the end of a leave or time off from work neither of us are having to go away. Life is FANTASTIC and I could ask for it to be any different!!!!!