Hilo - Part I

At the suggestion of some friends we were going with, we decided to go to Hawaii a few days before the company portion of the trip started.  We spent these two days exploring the east side of the island (Hilo) where the volcanoes and more "Hawaiianesque" tropical beauty was.  For those of you that have been to The Big Island, specifically Kona, you know it is quite a shock when you you fly in and see miles and miles of flat land and lava frozen in time...not the Hawaii you would expect, especially if you watch Lost.

Here are some pics from our beautiful drive from Kona to Hilo and our volcano seeking adventures!

The following are from the site of a fatal tsunami from the 1940's

which killed dozens of school children...sobering.

Beautiful Hawaiian Flowers and Waterfalls...Breathtaking!

I never got tired of the amazing flowers!

Okay, I had to throw in the pic of the HUGE avocados from the farmer's market in Kona.

Volcano Adventures!

Lunch from the "famous" Verna's!

I

I found this sign funny...the distance to the volcano?

In front of the massive fuming crater!

Nate checking out one of the many steam vents.

Lava tubes!

Lava at night.

We arrived at the lava viewing area when it was dark and we began our hike over frozen lava in the pitch black with flashlights in hand.  The lava we were walking over was actual lava flow from only 6 months ago.  There were random warm spots as you walked over it and we even found a spot that smelled like baking cookies.  Sounds funny, I know, but all 6 of us agreed!  It was quite fun finding our way through the dark night trying not to trip over the uneven terrain of frozen lava.  What an amazing site!