Kilauea is at it again!

 

 Photo courtesy of B. Carr USGS

 

For a superbtimelapse video from NPS, click here

 

The Halema'uma'u crater at the summit of Kilauea began spewing lava on Sept. 29 after a series of earthquakes. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park officials expect the eruption to be contained within the park, with no danger to homes or visitors. 

Officials cautioned that high levels of volcanic gas were the primary hazard of concern, noting that vog, or “volcanic smog” had already been observed downwind of Kilauea. Fanned by southerly winds, vog typically moves across the Ka‘u District, hitting first areas in south Hawaii like Pahala, Naalehu and Ocean View, before getting caught up in sea breezes that bring it toward West Hawaii and onshore.

NPS, Courtesy of Janice Wei

 

For some outstanding shots of previous eruptions (and even more inspiring shots of beautiful Hawaii) zip over to the Takaaze Art Gallery online.

 

 Photo courtesy of B. Carr USGS

Kona Overnight & the Big Aloha

A friendly welcome by the host was my introduction to the Surf Hideaway, a basic room with bed, bath and a galley kitchen. I loved that the door and floors had been painted with tropical leaves, and the place was spic and span. No AC, but a fan that made the humidity bearable. Definitely a place for people who are good at entertaining themselves: heavy readers, sleepers, late-night partiers (no TV! – a blessing, not a curse!) who can’t be bothered by cooking (considering the limited but carefully chosen kitchen goods) and TV tray table. A very cool place.

Kona was shockingly deserted, and the shops seemed to be hurting pretty badly.

Fortunately, the parrots weren't the least bit upset about this, as long as the seeds kept a'comin.

I made one more stab at a beach, and found the old airport park beach, which had a lot going for it. It’s big, with both lawn and sand (all facilities shut down, of course), and the requisite lava path to the sea. But the sunset was spectacular…

My flight was the next day at one, so I gassed up the Chevy (prices here 10 cents more a gallon than in Hilo). 

Made a stop at the local L&L (they MUST have one around here) for Katsu chicken (basically, three meals in a box for $9), which I had to leave in the Hideaway fridge. Cruised to the airport, got through all the rigamarole in no time at all, and enjoyed an uneventful flight back to SF, the airporter, and a pick-up by T. Thanks again T!

Is this, my 14^th trip to Hawaii, my last? Could be. I left my fins and snorkel gear for other guests at the Surf Hideaway. It feels like it’s time for the big Aloha…

Home of the $20 Pineapple & Lots of Marching Around

Lots of great street art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The farmer’s market in old town drew me in the next day. I was there fairly early (10ish), and only the produce stalls were set up. I can’t stress how few tourists were there then and throughout the rest of the day in old town along Kamehameha Ave, the main drag. The Governor’s request a few days ago that visitors postpone their trips had real impact.

Oh, the flowers and fruit. Nearly everyone had the same foods, so it was a random choice except for a gorgeous bouquet of Anthurium and other local flora in a hand-made basket of leaves for my friend – I bought the last one there and wished I could get one a week for my own table. 

Planning on spreading the wealth, I went to another vendor and selected a papaya, a mango and a pineapple. For which I was charged $31. After I picked myself up off the concrete, I went to my car making one mental excuse after another as to why that was OK. I drove around the block, parked in the same spot and marched back. I took the fruit out of the bag one by one, and asked the prices (which I should have done in the first place). Papaya= $2. Mango=$9 (“But it’s special, imported!”) – she got that one back. Pineapple=$20. I didn’t see the gold leaf on it, and she said, “But it’s a white pineapple, and I can’t take it back because I’ve already taken the green leaves off.” 

I was handily had, with a very expensive pineapple. I marched to the car, got my phone and marched back. I took her picture, told her she should be ashamed of herself, and that I would make her famous (well, infamous, but I didn’t want to go into detail). Haole Revenge! So here she is, The Premium Pineapple Purveyor of Hilo Farmer’s Market; do not buy from this scoundrel! Or at least ask the price...

You can't hide behind that $6 mango, lady!

The fruit was delicious, even the pineapple. Even the one third of it that was close to rotten, but darn, I paid for it, I’ll eat it!

The big, not particularly inviting KTA

Hilo Surplus

I did walk around old town, passing lots of hairy brown-tinted surfers and the occasional change-requester, joint in hand. The buildings remain charming, though crying out for a loving touch of maintenance here and there. The real local action is on the side streets, with the big KTA discount grocery (on Mamo St. near Keawe – good lomilomi by the pound here)... Hilo Surplus (great camping equipment, Mamo near Kilauea),

Puna Chocolate Co. (Keawe St. near Furneaux – what can I say: brilliant chocolate, locally grown, ground and packaged), and my secret go-to, L&L barbecue on Kino’ole St. at Mamo. Yes, it looks like a dump with a steady stream of customers, and everything is actually made to order. I miss L&L already.💖

But that night is when things really got interesting…

Big Island Dreams

 

 It's been a while!

Climbing down the outside stair ramp from the airplane at the Kona airport, I was relieved that no air personnel needed to use their recent mask-fu training on me or anyone else. Now that they know they can slug us, they don’t feel the need to employ the “pretty please” voice when they tell you “Mask OVER the nose”).

Kona airport is small, and therefore completely manageable. In a few minutes, I was in my tiny rental Chevy and on the way to the Saddle Road (aka Daniel K. Inoue Hwy, but nobody calls it that). The day was overcast, humid and in the 80s.

It’s been more than 25 years since I last set foot on the big island, and I wanted to revisit a few of the things that thrilled me then. I had forgotten that this is the newest of the Hawaiian Islands, and much of the land surface is covered with gritty lava. The black ground was dotted with crowns of bright golden grass – the kind landscapers pay a bunch for a bunch.

The land changes coming up from Kona on the Saddle Road. More of a tinge of green, small trees and…goats. Wee feral goats graze on the wayside, and an occasional tusked pig makes an appearance. Coming from the mainland, the vast emptiness of this plain, on the slopes of Mauna Kea, looking south to Mauna Loa is breathtaking. You can see the enormous bases of both mountains, totally obscured by clouds.

More than halfway to Hilo, near the road to the Observatory Station, the terrain changes again. I’ve been passing through wispy clouds for a few minutes, and now they’re turned to chilly rain. And a forest of tall trees whips past my windows. From there, dropping down into Hilo, which still looks like Hawaii to me. Green growth everywhere, Houses on stilts for air circulation, sun-faded buildings, slickness kept to a minimum.

Along Kamehameha Blvd

Of course, it’s not all old-school. My first stop was at a faintly clinical Macy’s to use the facilities.