There is a lot to do on the Big Island, and most of it does not require a computer ... so I haven't touched my keyboard in four days. Caitie and I got in some tennis (if you can call hitting tennis balls over the court walls playing), I took a golf lesson, we went into Kona (home of the Ironman), we drove around the island permiter, and most dazzling of all we visited the Volcano National Park.

On Thursday, we took a spin to Kona to do some shopping and take in the sites. It was a little too dark for photographs, so I'll just tell you about it. First we stopped into the Kona Coffee and Tea Company, a privately owned coffee farm. Their coffee is estate grown, which means all the beans come from the same place in Kona. Estate grown coffee is a lot like micro-brewed beer. Small batches and private ownership combine to make very high quality beverages. If you love coffee, you owe it to yourself to go to a coffee estate and taste coffee brewed from freshly roasted beans. They literally take beans out of the roaster, grind them and brew, and yes you can absolutely tell the difference. You also need to learn about peaberry coffees. Peaberry is the name for coffee beans that are exposed to near drought conditions during their development. A coffee cherry typically contains two beans, but if the weather is very dry (dry for coffee growing that is) one of the beans will dominate the other, so that the cherry contains only one oversized coffee bean, about the size of a pea. The peaberry bean has slightly different chemistry, again oweing to survival mechanisms for drought, which create a lower than normal acidity. Only 3-5% of the coffee grown develops into peaberry, and most plantations do not sort it out. Kona Coffee and Tea, however, sorts the beans by size and quality, so you can actually by peaberry by the pound. You can come all the way to Kona )(it is worth the trip), or you can order it online (they ship fedex. great country, eh?). If you pay them a visit real or digital, tell them fawce sent you. For the geek travelor, the store also sports several plasma TVs, on which the proprietors will show you a very cool educational film about coffee growing, roasting and brewing. You can take in the film while enjoying some of the free samples, which I like to call coffee shots.

Futher south we made it to downtown Kona, which is a quirky sea-salt town that is filled with good shopping, the occasional triathlete (recognizable by the absurdly fit physique), and excellent food. We wisely/luckily found our way into the Chart House, home to the best salad bar in the state. The Macadamia Nut Encrusted Ono, is something you're not likely to find back east, and was prepared perfectly (it is hard to go wrong with mac-nuts). While we were there, a movie scene of a wedding was being filmed in the upstairs bar, which was, well, it was really weird, particularly when I bumped into the bride on my way into the men's room.

In other news, I finally got a good clip of the sharks swimming in the ponds by the hotel.

Caitie and I took a long walk with our friends, Colby and Greg, down the coastline (1 - 2) which featured some amazing views and some very sharp rocks, as Caitie's knee demonstrates. We walked to point where the local golf course runs up to the Pacific, which Greg and I had "played" on 12/10 during our beginner's golf lesson. Neither Greg nor I put a ball anywhere near the fifteenth green, so to show us how easy it was, our instructor Mark kneeled down by the tee and knocked one on.

The trail also passed by a series of waterlocked palms. The historic fish ponds near the trail were used by ancient Hawaiins to raise fish. According to the explanatory signs provided by the National Park, the water level in the ponds has been rising steadily since ancient times, as the NW side of the island slowly sinks into the ocean. My guess is the rising pond water caused these palms to be stranded (1 - 2).

After a long walk, we took a nice rest on a bench, and took a look at the famous "room with a view" massage parlor.

A very clear sky gave us a spectacular clear sunset, which I photographed a view times (1 - 2 - 3) before capturing in two short films, which I have titled sunset1 and sunset2. If you can, try watching them end to end, for a full 30 second, heart-pounding, a-ticket-gets-you-the-whole-seat-but-you-only-need-the-edge sunset film.

The real excitement, though, came on Friday 12/12, when we went to see the volcanoes. To get there we drove south again through Kona, and continued around the Island perimeter and past the black sand beach (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5), where C&G struck a pose.

At the park, we were the guests of a friend of a friend, a volcanologist named Steve. Steve is actually from Boston. We knew for sure when he describe the "liquid hot magma-r". Steve is also a fantastic story teller, and has a lot of astounding material since he has repeatedly through lava flows. He moved from New England to Hawaii to be closer to the active shield (named for their topological similarity to roman-shields) volcanoes of the Big Island. This guy loves lava, and he was one of the best nature guides I've ever traveled with (ok, it is a limited pool of competition, but he was a heck of a guide).

The first site we visited in the park was the steam vents, which are formed by seawater that flows under the ground after a lava flow passes through. The seawater flash boils on contact with the lava reservoir resting about a mile under the park, and comes roaring up through the porous rock into steam vents. Steve recommended sticking your hand in the steam to feel the heat. I did. It is hot. I recommend against sticking your hand in there.

The whole park is covered with lavaflows, lavatube, and cracks formed by the earthquakes that occur monthly.

Next we drove up to the top of the active volcano, where you could see the east face of Kilauea, the largest volcano in the world. About a third of the way down from the top of Kilauea is a lava reservoir, that feeds the flows that started in 1983. We didn't hike the 9 miles through the jungle to see the actual red flowing lava, but we'll be back.

On the various lava flow fields, you can see tons of lava rocks, which are heavily infused with gases during the eruption. As Steve put it, imagine water flowing into -1200 degree weather -- it would flash freeze. The same effect occurs to lava flung from the crater, and so the gas bubles are captured in the rock. The result is a very light rock, and lots of it.

At the top of the active volcano is a lava pit. It is literally smoking hot, and spewing noxious sulphides and steam into the air. The smell is just like a paper factory. Luckily, the path is well marked with instructive warning signage, which did not dissuade us from going directly into the crater.

The crater is enormous, so I took a 15 second video panorama. There are numorous native Hawaiin offerings on the edge of the crater. Up until 1923 (?) red liquid lava filled the crater, when it suddenly drained out into the sea. The explanation is that the pressure from beneath the lava forces the hot liquid to bore horizontally through the rock, until it found a weak spot and exploded. A more recent explosion occured near the crater and formed an ash cone. You can see that the ash was driven south by the trade winds (to the right in the picture). Mountain biking down the ash cone is a good way to contribute to the statistically average one death per year in Volcano National Park.

Steve then took us to a point in the road that was crossed by lava in 1983, the same place he had walked on 10 minute old frozen lava. His story is too good to be hatcheted second hand, but suffice to say, he found himself surrounded by molten lava and had to take the advice of a Hawaiin friend who had told him you can walk on 10 minute old lava. There was, for a short while, an 8 minute school of thought, but after burnt sneakers, 10 is the common wisdom. As Steve put it, these rocks are younger than you.

Away from the main crater, we took a look at a huge crevasse formed by a "near eruption" around the turn of the century, and enlarged by subsequent erosion, earthquake induced collapses, and tourists dropping rocks to time the depth. Greg did a quick estimate of 140 feet, which brought him right to the edge.

A final amazing fossil is the imprints left by trees caught in the flow. Some of the native trees are fire resistent, and can withstand the lava long enough to cool a rock shield around their trunks. The trees typically perish in the flow, but leave distinct trunk holes in the rock. The holes create small eddies in the steady winds, where soil, seeds and water tend to collect. Hence the small fern growing in the relative comfort of the tree hole in the lava.

The Ride Home

We continued north through Hilo, a fairly large town filled with shops and a very cool park for the Rainbow Waterfall (1 - 2). In addition to the viewing area, there is a steep, slippery trail through the jungle to the top of the waterfall. Caitie was game for the hike, but we decided to go to dinner instead.

Dinner was a wise choice at the Kawaihae Harbor Grill. We asked out waiter how to say the restaurant's name. As our waiter explained, Kawaihae is pronounced similarly to Hawai'i with a K. We were incredulous so he further explained that the Hawaiin script for 'i and hae is much more similar than the latin phonetic translations show. Talk about a thorough answer.

Our waiter further distinguished himself by recommending the traditionally Hawaiin steamed Ono, which is nearly beyond descripton. Wrapped in a palm leaf and seasoned with cilantro and peanut oil, the Ono filet is steamed in covered basket. The dish was incredibly succulent, and needed only a splash of soy sauce and a cold Kona Fire Rock beer to complete.

Colby and Greg took off last night after a sushi dinner here at the hotel, and a few games of surprisingly good pool for Greg and I (1 victory each). One last, somewhat funny detail: The TVs in the billiards area were showing indoor volleyball and professional rodeo, sports which have in common popularity in Hawaii and obscurity nearly everywhere else...
- posted by fawce @ 12:52 PM Comments []

 
Caitie and I are big fans of our hotel room. There aren't any curtains, only sliding venetian door. The white furnishings with the dark natural wood makes for a very homey feel -- very feng shui. 1 - 2

After sitting on the beach for a few hours, we took a long walk/hike down the beach to the south toward Kona, where we got a good view of the hotel (1 - 2. The landscape ranges from old lava flows (1 - 2 ) to lush fish ponds (1 - 2 - 3 - 4). Not to mention the occasional lava tube and ancient stone carving. The whole place is like one extended science and socialogy fieldtrip.

For the less eco-challenge inclined, the hotel also hosts a huge range of seawater fish ponds in the lobby and on the surrounding grounds. Tomorrow I'll try for a shot of the sharks, which are hard to get through the glare on the water, but for now I have pictures of the Koi. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
- posted by fawce @ 2:17 PM Comments []

 
The Food Update

Dinner last night was at the Canoe House, which is an ironic name since there are no walls or roof. You sit outside under tiki torches (they are everywhere here instead of street lights) and the night sky and eat really really expensive food. My tenderloin steak (done perfectly and in a very brazen sauce I might add) cost more than our bottle of Oddfellows Shiraz -- an Australian wine, which I think is a rich man's YellowTail, and probably this man's last pricey bottle for a long time given Caitie's thoughts on the subject ("Are you nuts?").
The sommelier told us the wine was part of a portfolio of vineyards held by an American investor.

Caitie had the Opa (or "Moon Fish"), which was very tangy and, of course, absurdly fresh. It was practically still swimming.

To conclude our big night out, we had coconut pudding pie. What Caitie described as the blandest possible alternative. I chose it. The high point of the pudding was the gelatinous top that was very chewy and coconutty. Caitie had Kona coffee that was brewed on the table, and I had the coolest looking cappuccino ever. Caitie wrestled the camera from be before dinner, thankfully, so you'll just have to imagine. It came in a tall shot-glass mug, and the steamed milk filled the bottom third, an expresso shot the middle, and the frothy milk the top. As if the static stripes of coffee and cream weren't cool enough, the barrier between them was firm, so when you sipped, particularly with a Fawcettian snauzola, there were coffee and cream waves undulating in the glass.

Speaking of the coffee, there is a terrible secret about coffee that I discovered here. There is such a thing as fresh coffee. I don't mean freshly brewed. I mean recently picked, dried and ground. Kona coffee is mild, and you've probably had it (Trader joe's sells it), but the stuff we get at home tastes like Sanka in comparison to the local stuff. Decaf and fresh is better than high-test at home. I am a ruined man. Sorry, but I feel people just need to know.
- posted by fawce @ 3:47 PM Comments []

 
Wow the internet is everywhere in the US. Ok, maybe it is just in airports and hotels, but really, let's not get picky. The Mauna Lani does in fact have WI-FI in the lobby. Which means pictures. Which means you too can see the sunset off the coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i (several times in fact: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7).

The taxi driver from the hotel was descended from a Lowellian. Yep, she was a Kearney, and her dad grew up in the seat of the Industrial Revolution. She was thrilled to hear us pronounce her name correctly (Caaah-neeee), as she grew up on the west coast and only her dad had the gift of a full New England accent.

And if you didn't get enough of the sea-level shots of Diamond Head, we flew over the crater en route to Kona. Yeah, I took several shots from the plane, much to the consternation of other pasengers and Caitie's embarassment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.

Caitie and I got a hero's welcome at the airport, and we were both decorated with lays. I couldn't believe they really do that either.
Caitie - The Happy (but unphotogenic) Couple

Oh, and if Todd is reading, the hotel is on the course man. Right on the bike portion, at about mile 30 outbound, 112 inbound. They rent beach bikes, so I am going to pedal out and take pictures of me on the Fe Homo Sapien course. (Other readers: Todd is my older brother who beats me in triathlons, and our hotel is on the Iron Man course. He may be faster, but I am closer :)).



- posted by fawce @ 9:54 PM Comments []

 
Oh boy. The Mauna Lani resort is without wireless internet access. My hands are shaking already. Fortunately, it is surrounded by white sand beaches. And if you don't like that, you can walk down to the Hilton beach (all big island beaches are public) and check out the black sand beach. Also, the hotel is on Iron Man bike race course, and they rent bikes. The weather here is dry and warm, with plenty of breezes. They have lots of haze due to the active VOLCANO, which we will be touring later.

For now, Caitie and I are grabbing some lunch by the beach and waiting to check in.
- posted by fawce @ 2:12 PM Comments []

 
The reasan we came to Hawaii in the first place was for Caitie's AMA Conference.
See her take stage and overlook "resolution extraction" -- which I think means debate in english.

Caitie's Reference Committee happens to deal with several public health and policy issues, so the debates were very topical. Especially the fast food issues...
- posted by fawce @ 9:35 PM Comments []

 
I took a long walk south on the beach today, to snap some pictures of the mountain, and to explore the city a bit more.
Diamond Head mountain is very beautiful, so I took a bunch of pictures. They are big, so I've linked to them: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

At the end of the beach there are several parks, one of which contains this crazy tree.

Walking through Honolulu, the familiar orange and pink signage of Massachussets' most prized export caught my eye.

It is officially safe for the New Englandese to come to Hawaii.

Aloha Dunkies

On the walk back, I caught the sunset over Waikiki.

The amazing thing about the sunset was the whole skyline glowed. I couldn't fit enough of it in a still, so I took another dorky video of the sunset.


- posted by fawce @ 9:29 PM Comments []

 
The plan for tomorrow is surfing lessons. The waikiki beach boys are purported to be able to teach you to ride in one hour. I am hoping Caitie can come along and snap some pictures of me wrecking myself. Fortunately, the waves break a good 100 yds offshore, so only the sharp-sighted beach goers will be able to mock me. Yep, the beach goers, Caitie, and anyone reading this blog...
- posted by fawce @ 11:45 AM Comments []

 
The skies turned black late yesterday afternoon, and we were treated to some tropical weather. It rained like a banshee. I tried taking pictures of the storm, but they did no justice. The rain came down in big fat warm drops, what I heard someone call liquid sunshine. A 15 second video sort of shows the rain... the sound you hear is the rain coming down, not static. Ok, it is a weak excuse to use the video feature on the camera, so humor with me :).

- posted by fawce @ 11:35 AM Comments []

 
From the room deck, we have a decent view facing North.


The pool (wifi enabled around the deck, in case you forgot that I am a loserly computer programmer)


The Koi in these pounds are ginormous.


Ok. Most of the view is concrete, but if you lean over the railing, you can see the beach.

- posted by fawce @ 12:21 PM Comments []

 

They are not kidding about this, and they don't mean for the AC.

I "accidentally" left the sliding door open this morning. About 2 minutes later, while I was showering, tt was accosted by a large tropical bird. We'll be keeping the door closed from now on...
- posted by fawce @ 12:18 PM Comments []

 

Looking down the beach to the south. The skys have cleared and it is a clear warm day.
- posted by fawce @ 12:16 PM Comments []

 


There are penguins in Honolulu

These penguins and I have a lot in common. We are both short and, um, stocky. We both dress well, and we both hail from colder climes. Word from home is there is an 18" snow storm headed for the Boston area. I can safely say I am not homesick. You have to feel lucky as a penguin to end up in Hawai'i, even if you do have to wear a metal armband.
- posted by fawce @ 12:13 PM Comments []

 

The view from my laptop -- Waikiki Beach.

While TT is enjoying a very rigorous conference schedule, I am working beachside. The picture above was snapped from where I am working with my laptop. The weather this morning is very nice -- breezy and 80°, a little overcast. After I finish with some work, I am going to walk around and snap some more photos. And while I can connect to the internet from the beach, I can't charge my battery...
- posted by fawce @ 11:12 AM Comments []

 

Old Man Winter trying to scare us with a little snow.
- posted by fawce @ 5:09 AM Comments []