Hawaii Big Island 2021

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LAX Between Flights
LAX Between Flights

Sea mist rolled in as we went for a walk between flights at Los Angeles LAX. In the foreground, a metro line is under construction, eclipsing the instantly recognizable Theme Building. LA is a great city to explore using transit, but, for us, not today.

2020 Trip Resumed
2020 Trip Resumed

Breakfast view, Kona rental apartment. When we were on Hawaii Big Island in March 2020, Covid restrictions meant we had to change our plans and return home before staying here. The owners let us move the reservation twice. Now, we’re picking up our 2020 trip where we left off.

Lab Draw In Paradise
Lab Draw In Paradise

Hiked, labs, Target run, late lunch in beach bar, nap. Life is good. Labs: Waited near palm trees for a blood draw to build the case to be accepted into a phase 2 clinical study. Grateful I can travel while staying on top of my prostate cancer.

Hawaii Snow
Hawaii Snow

Posted Hawaii Snow Day.

Family Lefse Recipe
Family Lefse Recipe

Today, Dwight’s mom couldn’t find her recipe for lefse, a Christmas staple for Norwegian descendants. He forwarded a scan of the recipe she uses from our digital recipe book.

Obligatory Sunset Shot
Obligatory Sunset Shot

Took an obligatory sunset shot.

Tiki Tacky
Tiki Tacky

Tiki shrine in our Kona rental. If Dwight sets up something similar in our Minneapolis home, I’ll call a neurologist.

Remote Plant-Watering
Remote Plant-Watering

Watered our plants back in Minneapolis without getting out of bed in Kona.

Many Cultures
Many Cultures

Threw together lunch to eat back in our apartment with items from Safeway’s deli. The Spam musubi and steamed pork bun are definitely Hawaiian (tilting to Asia). The broccoli salad is more midwestern: cruciferous is appreciated. The Spam, from Austin, Minnesota, has gone native.

3,000 Feet Up
3,000 Feet Up

It was a good half-day hike from here (3,000 ft. above the Kona Coast), a continuous uphill walk to the top of this ~100,000 year-old volcanic cone, Puʻuwaʻaʻwaʻa. At the top we were comfortable in shorts and tees looking towards snow-capped Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (13,000+ ft.).

Volcanic Eruption
Volcanic Eruption

Eruption from Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with Venus looking on, from the Volcano House (Volcanoes National Park lodge) before stepping inside for dinner.

Lava Lake
Lava Lake

One view today, standing at about 4,000 feet, front to back: —Ohia (native) trees; —Kilauea Iki (crater): we walked across the lava lake formed in 1959;—Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, slowly erupting, volcanic gases rising; —Mauna Loa (mountain), 13,677 feet.

Livin’ On A Hillside
Livin’ On A Hillside

In today’s ear worm, I’m Nellie, from rural Arkansas, in “South Pacific.” Wonder how I’d feelLivin’ on a hillside,Lookin’ on an ocean,Beautiful and still.…I’m a little hick. We’ve stayed in this B&B several times: we’re the only guests until Friday. The owner is the best.

Rest Day
Rest Day

Rest day. Stayed put.

Steeper Every Time…
Steeper Every Time…

Hiked down to the spot where Captain James Cook met his demise when he violently tried to induce ‘good behavior among the natives.’ Every time we hike this hot, dusty in-and-out trail it seems to get steeper. It’s one of those hikes you’re happy to start and grateful to finish.

Pāhoehoe
Pāhoehoe

It was a hot hike on pāhoehoe (smooth, ropy lava), Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Park.

A New Trail
A New Trail

Hiked Pit Crater Trail, up to a tree-filled volcanic crater. The hike took us through miles of lush meadows, contrasting with our lava hikes this past week. The trail is a recent (2018) addition to Volcanoes National Park, and new to us.

One More Hawaii Trail
One More Hawaii Trail

On our way to the airport, KOA, stopped to hike one more trail across ‘a’ā (stony, rough lava) at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. At Honolulu HNL we’ll board an overnight nonstop flight home to MSP.