The Big Island, Cont’d…

DISCLAIMER!!!  I have fixed the formatting on this thrice now.  It just reverts to its screwed up form.  I’m at Denny’s on a VERY busy Sunday morning.  There was no where to park at the beach, so no nice coffee and coastal view.  Here kids screaming and running around, parents yelling, poor waitresses dropping stuff.  It took me 25 minutes to get an iced tea.  I’m going to blow off my final proof-read, and head for the solitude of the cottage.   I freaking HATE civilization.

Before I get started, here are a few photos of the Sheraton resort where Anna’s doing her course.  The wild goats are on the golf course across the road.

If you stay there for the course (which most people did), it was like $269/night.  Rooms with no view were a little cheaper - maybe $175/night.  I tried connecting to their wi-fi, but it was $24.95 PER DAY, which could be paid with your credit card, OR billed directly to your room.  What a rip-off.  $269/night, and they can’t provide the internet?

Anyway, with Anna occupied I spent the remainder of Thursday back at the cottage and then Honomalino Bay.  This time the sun was shining and I ventured far enough south to get to a bit of white(r) sand beach.  I did swim a little, but not comfortably!  There are rocks everywhere, and with the surf churning up sand, the snorkel stayed in my pack…

Friday, after dropping Anna off at the Sheraton again, I went farther south to South Point (Ka Lae).  It’s the southern tip of the Big Island, and the southern tip of the USA.  (No, it’s not Key West, as some would have you believe.)  There are two distinct wind farms there.  One is a rusted out vertical junk heap, with broken turbines missing their blades.  The other, in the background of the photo below, is more current, and operational.  If the trees look like this, it’s a safe bet that a wind farm will pay off…

My goal was Papalokea: Green Sand Beach.  However, on the way I visited Heiau o Kalelea.  These are ancient canoe moorings on the west side of the point.  The fishing here is fantastic, as the blue waters are loaded with tuna, mahamahi, and marlin…

Many years ago the locals fished these waters in canoes.  To keep from drifting away, they tied the canoes off to holes in the rocks.  Without the safety line to land, the winds would easily drive the boats out into the southern currents, where they would be carried directly to Antarctica!  In the following shots, you can see one of the boat hoists that they still use to launch small craft.  Today, this hoist is anchoring a heavy fishing line that’s floating offshore…

To get to Green Sand Beach, you have to travel 2.25 miles of rugged coastline via a sand/dirt road.  As that’s forbidden in the 2WD rental car contract, and totally impossible anyway, I decided to hike it.  The walk north east to the beach was pleasant with the afternoon sun on my back and ocean breeze in my face.  This is what I walked through…

About a mile away, if you’re following the coast, NOT the roads, you’ll start seeing green sand among the black lava rocks.  I’m very happy I did this, as the contrast really shows the color of the sand well.  The color comes from a semi-precious gem, olivite, that’s ground up by, you guessed it, the crashing surf…

At the beach itself, it’s all green and you have a hard time noticing the true color of the sand.  Nevertheless, here’s the secluded beach…

For what it’s worth, I had to Photoshop five people out of the photo and I did NOT walk down to the beach itself.  (Time constraint for picking up Anna.)  Clearly, you need a 4WD for this one.  In fact, the people at the beach drove past me on my hike in.  When I got there, they had been swimming for likely a half hour or better.  And the buggers passed me on my hike out.  I was covered in sweat, beaten by the sun, and then had to eat their car dust AGAIN.  In LESS than my transit time on foot, they’d made the drive in, enjoyed swimming, and come out again.  The next time, we’re renting a Jeep.

A few geckos back at the cottage…

Saturday, I decided to see the rest of the island.  Yes, that’s an ignorant statement because you’d never see it all if you lived your whole life here.  I mean that I drove the rest of the “main” roads around the island.  You can think of the Big Island as having a funky figure eight of main highways.  There’s basically a ring or belt road somewhat around the perimeter, and a road cutting across the island in the saddle between the mountains (volcanoes) Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.  This central road is thus called the Saddle Road.  It reminds me of Wyoming, and is high desert…

Here’s Mauna Lea to the north, with a couple of the observatories visable at the top.  (Extreme hand-held magnification!  Sorry for the quality!)

You can drive to the top, but here’s another 4WD road.  There’s a Visitor’s Center at a bit above 9,000′ in elevation.  (The peak is 13,796′)  Here’s a still from my video camera, overlooking the center…

From the Visitor’s Center, they lead caravans of private 4WDs all the way up the mountain.  (On Saturdays, at least.)  When the cars come back down, the guys at the Center set up telescopes and have a star party for the guests.   They have an impressive array of “amateur” glass there…  (The “big guns” are up top, of course.)

Also, safely inside, I noticed an Astro-Physics set-up (apochromatic refractor telescope and motor-driven German-eqatorial mount) with an SBIG CCD imager.  I’ve been on the AP waiting list for a lens and mount for four years now.  That stuff is in high demand and of the best quality.  Never seen one in person!  I got video, but no photo.  One day, I hope to build a small observatory at home, behind the house, using very similar gear.

Leaving Mauna Lea, I headed back to Hilo where we’d been Wednesday.  I was heading to the Farmers’ Market again, after more fresh veggies for Anna, and some salsa and green papaya salad (Thai) for me.  Here’s my loot, and salad feasting, back home…

North of Hilo, I visited Akaka Falls.  The sun was wrong, but I made the short, paved hike anyway.  Four hours earlier, it’d have been perfect with the lighting much better…

Still farther north, into rainier country, the Big Island has plentiful rivers flowing into the ocean.  These gulches are gorgeous, and more of what Anna and I expected in Hawaii.  As you drive north, there’s big green on your left, and big blue on your right.  I then visited Laupahoehoe Point, an incredibly beautiful but historically tragic place.  Tsunamis in 1949 and 1960 killed 220 people, and destroyed the little town.  It’s a park now, and just the natural waves are ominous.  I can’t imagine “the big one” rolling in…

That’s all for now.  It’s Sunday, and I’m going to enjoy the cottage.  I might even shoot some video for our host, Harry.  Edited into a five minute movie, he might pick up more business for his rental.  And maybe give us a break for the next time, when we come back with a 4WD to cruise in.

Best to all…

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