The Big Island - Day 3

Saturday we took a whirlwind trip around the island.  We really meant to just go see the active volcano, but since it was a 2 1/2 hour drive with little kids, we took many stops along the way.  We stopped in Waimea because we saw an awesome playground.

We then went to Lanaipoepoe to see the raging seas crash into the rocks.

 

We went to Akaka Falls.  We knew the kids were tired, but we really wanted to hike this short (paved hike) to see the falls.  The kids completely melted down.  Jackson and Hallie were SO whiny   It was a moment that we questioned why we brought them at all.  Totally embarrassing and annoying.  After trying our patience to the max we finally finished the hike.  I carried Mariah and Dave took turns carrying each kid (it was only a .4 mile hike!).   But I still think the hike was worth the view of these falls.

When we got back in the car, both kids fell asleep for the rest of the way to the volcano.

Dave and I took turns getting out of the car to see waterfalls, overlooks and the sights of Hilo.   It was cool to see the dry side of the island in stark contrast to the wet side.  It was so green and rain was falling.  We couldn't imagine it was good weather at our hotel, but that is the way the islands work!
This is rainbow falls in Hilo.



Right as we made it to Volcano National Park the kids woke up.  Jackson was in a MUCH better mood.  Hallie took a while to warm up, but finally we were having a good time again.  It was raining when we hiked through the rain forest and Thurston's Lava tube.  The kids were really nervous and scared (maybe it was the video that showed all the flowing lava) so we had many discussions about what Lava is and how it works and that we would only take them to safe places.  I think Jackson learned so much about lava (I only wish I were more educated so I could explain it completely properly, but I did have a random woman comment on how knowledgeable I was on my geology as I was explaining it to Jackson!)  This made me think about how informational field trips can be. 

We then saw the active crater.  It was super foggy and raining, so the steam from the lava lake didn't seem too amazing.  I wish we could've seen it at night, but not to be.

 HOT steam vents

Jackson chose to buy a junior ranger hat for his souvenir   The visitor's center did a huge ceremony welcoming Jackson as a JR ranger because he completed this packet through our trip.  He was pretty proud.  

 

 

 

Finally, we went to see some craters (I was thinking they were small divets and they were huge holes!!) and real lava from the 1975 flow (that was almost in our lifetime!).   Once again, the kids were nervous and stayed close to us.  It was so interesting to see the different kinds of lava.  It was awesome to imagine how it was formed.  It is incredible to think about the geology of the islands.    One crater had a great echo that the kids enjoyed.

 

 

 

We left the park and headed to the Black sand beach.  This is one of the only TRUE black sand beaches.  Other black sand beaches are formed by streams eroding lava as it heads out to the ocean.  But this one was formed when the lava hit the ocean and was shattered into sand.  It was awesome!

Can you find my black Jacketed arms holding Mariah?

 I loved feeling the soft sand, but seeing the black.  There was a turtle beached on the sand.  It was great to get so close.  Jackson was very brave. 


We headed home.  It was a little too long, the kids watched a movie to pass the time.  All three kids were asleep when we got to the hotel, so we were hoping to eat a meal together in peace while the kids slept in the stroller (they had this super nice Teppanyaki grill and we had vouchers for food in the hotel).  But we were 10 mins late, so we missed our chance to eat out without the kids :(.

 

 

This is our bag-mobile.  Jackson is actually sleeping underneath the carseat carrier, so all three kids fit in it, not to mention a bag of food, beach toys, extra clothes and the diaper bag.   We are so happy we got a little nicer stroller.  It made it so much easier to get around.