We had a fantastic time! This trip was a pretty big deal for me. It was my first time staying away for a night (two nights!!) from Christian. I knew Rob would be fine, and Christian would have a BLAST with Dada time, but it was like the beginning of a new chapter. Something indicating that Christian isn't a "baby" anymore. I stopped nursing him at 16 months old. He basically weaned himself... it was me having a hard time letting go. Although I knew that it would open up more opportunities for travel, it still made me a little sad. So, Mom and I boarded our flight to Hilo on the Big Island, also known as Hawaii. It's confusing, I know. "You're going to Hawaii? But... I thought you lived in Hawaii?" I think that's why most people just refer to it as The Big Island.
Before we drove to our B&B in Volcano Village, we stopped and had a delicious dinner at Hilo Bay Cafe. And it was divine!! Afterwards we drove the hour or so to Volcano Village, which conveniently put us a mile away from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We checked in, and hopped back into the car and drove into the park! The next time we visit the park, we will most definitely stay in Volcano Village again. It was SO convenient to be so close... and closer to Hawaii's most famous black sand beach.
It was dark when we went inside the park, but it's open 24 hours a day. AND I KNOW WHY. Oh holy stars... seriously, I have never seen so many stars in my entire life. Never. There is almost zero light pollution, and it was just heavenly. And we watched the volcano erupting, the Halema'uma'u Crater of the Kilauea Volcano to be specific. I can't even explain it. Everyone just stood there watching, quietly. We listened to the crackling of the volcano, it sounded like rocks exploding, and watched the beautiful orange and red glow, under the most starry sky. To see something so beautiful, powerful, wonderful, and something very few people get to ever witness, it was hard to wrap our heads around it.
The next day we really packed it in. It was our one full day. We drove back into the park, and stopped at a few spots along the way checking out the Steam Vents. Water seeps into the ground from the rain, but is heated by the hot underground (thanks volcano!) and then comes back up as steam.
We walked around, taking random trails here and there.
Late morning we decided to leave the park and drive the hour to Punaluu Black Sand Beach. The drive was interesting... not very scenic... but very scenic at the same time. I know it doesn't make sense. The land was lava... with a road paved through it, for the most part. There was a lot of "nothing" to look at it. We even saw a few Nene wandering around.
But the beach was beautiful. We saw lots of honu (sea turtles) swimming around in the rough waters. And the black sand is formed when the hot lava reaches the "cold" ocean... Cold compared to the lava! It's a bazillion little pieces of lava.
After we left the beach we were STARVING. We had tried to eat lunch earlier in Volcano Village, but were DENIED because a tour bus of people were about to roll up for lunch. They actually told us they wouldn't serve us. Rude. However, I'm pretty sure we were the ones that won because we had the most amazing lunch with dessert. Ever. The pie. It was so delicious. I would fly back to the Big Island JUST to eat their homemade pies again.
We almost drowned walking to the restaurant because it had really started to rain, with no sign of letting up. But it was worth it. I found this gem in the Big Island Revealed guide book. Located in the very small, you'll miss it if you blink, town of Naalehu.
After this very satisfying lunch, Mom and I drove back towards the park. I really wanted to drive down Chain of Craters Road all the way to the beach. We didn't stop too much because it was pouring. And we were already drenched... with no dry clothes or an umbrella or a trash bag to wear. So we stayed warm in the car stopping every few miles when something caught our eye, taking pictures from inside the car.
Doesn't it look like we're driving on another planet? It was wild!
When we reached the end, the rain had given us a break. We checked out the very cool Holei Sea Arch, and walked past the newly relocated visitor center (nothing more than a few trailers) to the "true" end of the road. This road has been covered over and over again by lava, unfortunately wiping out the town of Kalapana as well.
Our last day on the Big Island we got up early, checked out of our B&B, and headed to Hilo for breakfast at Ken's House of Pancakes. I had the most delicious french toast made with Hawaiian Sweet Bread. I mean, really. We spent the morning at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden at the recommendation of our friend Rachelle. This was no ordinary botanical garden. It was a beautiful tropical rainforest, with thousands of plants from around the world, huge spiderwebs, and a waterfall.
What a fun trip full of memories!! I love being able to experience things like this with my Mom. I certainly had a great time, and I think she did too. And when we finally got on a flight back to Honolulu, I was so excited to see Christian I almost cried. I think he missed me judging by the awesome welcome home hugs he gave me... which lasted approximately 15 seconds before he was onto the next thing. :)
