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shannon_aToday is our restful day, because our volcano-related plans are no longer applicable. So we spend it rushing from place to place.
Oh hey, the sun's out. It's bright, it's sunny, it's nice. That's good.
We make many stops and it's not raining at all.
Stop #1: Kaūmana Caves County Park. We walk into a park and there's a stairway down to a tropical grotto. A nearby sign tells us that the caves are big, and we're not allowed to go past the edge of the park, but there are no boundary markers. Not sure how that's supposed to work, but I'm psyched. Unfortunately, the actual cave experience isn't as amazing.
First up, it's wet when we get down into the cave, with water dripping everywhere. Second, it's dark, duh, with our subpar flashlights and iPhones providing the only illumination. However, the thing that keeps me from really loving the caves is the floor, which is mostly a constant mess of rocks, with just occasional lengths of smooth (and shockingly non-slippery) rock. Not only was the uneven, sometimes unstable rock really exhausting to walk on, but I also manage to scrape myself up when I step off a shelf onto ground below that I thought was even. (It wasn't.) Still, I go back until the caves squeezes down a bit and I decide I've had enough.
Meanwhile, a team of 17 or college-age kids swarm past us and disappear into the hole leading deeper into the cave, and are never seen again.
By the by, this is a lava tube. There's only one known limestone cave in Hawaii, and it's collapsed. Which I suppose means there are now zero.
Stop #2: Boilings Pots. This is a spot about a mile and a half up river from Rainbow Falls, which we visited two days ago. If there's heavy rainfall (and there has been), then the rapids are supposed to look like boiling water.
Not so much.
But just upriver from the Pots are the Pe'ePe'e Falls (that's pay-ay-pay-ay, not something to do with Donald Trump), and they're gorgeous. There are a couple of main falls and some side falls, and we just stand staring in awe at them for a while.
I'm jealous of the locals who have snuck down to the river to swim, but not only is it down forbidden paths, but you also don't swim in Hawaii rivers with open wounds (cf., scrapes sustained in the caverns, one of which is a gouge of the flesh at the tip of my middle finger).
Stop #3: Carlsmith Beach. A Hawaiian vacation never begins before I swim. And the wet, gray wether prevented that to date. But, after the beautiful waterfall, we head down to Carlsmith Beach, which is at the end of a long road of beaches running east from Hilo. It's an extremely cool beach with grassy knolls running up to lava stone entries to the water and beautiful inlets looking like Hawaiian movie stills and little islands dotting the lagoon-like ocean area.
My dad, Melody, and I swim for quite a while. We go west, then east. We visit a little island. There's one shocking thing about the lagoon: there are little spots of freezing cold water. We're not the only ones to notice. We frequently hear people talking about them, and we also hear screams every once in a while.
Stop #4: Ken's House of Pancakes. We have lunch at a little Hawaiian diner that has every type of food. It's surprisingly tasty. I have a FLT sandwich (that's facon, lettus and tomato, but it also has guacamole and sprouts and is tasty). My dad has chill that looks like it comes straight from Steak and Shake, and just about everyone enjoys a little bit of it.
Stop #5: Two Ladies Kitchen. At Kimberly's request, we run back to Two Ladies Kitchen to get more mochi. There's a shockingly long line this time, and I think it takes us 40 minutes total between waiting to order and then waiting for the order. Kimberly says it's Hilo's Ici.
Stop #6: Target. To finish off our "restful" day, we go to Target to buy numerous necessities including Neosporin (cf. cave wounds) and toilet paper (cf. AirB&Bs that don't provide sufficient necessities).
And then we're home for dinner (kulua pork tacos!!!) and movie (Lilo & Stitch! to follow Muana a few notes ago!)
Oh hey, the sun's out. It's bright, it's sunny, it's nice. That's good.
We make many stops and it's not raining at all.
Stop #1: Kaūmana Caves County Park. We walk into a park and there's a stairway down to a tropical grotto. A nearby sign tells us that the caves are big, and we're not allowed to go past the edge of the park, but there are no boundary markers. Not sure how that's supposed to work, but I'm psyched. Unfortunately, the actual cave experience isn't as amazing.
First up, it's wet when we get down into the cave, with water dripping everywhere. Second, it's dark, duh, with our subpar flashlights and iPhones providing the only illumination. However, the thing that keeps me from really loving the caves is the floor, which is mostly a constant mess of rocks, with just occasional lengths of smooth (and shockingly non-slippery) rock. Not only was the uneven, sometimes unstable rock really exhausting to walk on, but I also manage to scrape myself up when I step off a shelf onto ground below that I thought was even. (It wasn't.) Still, I go back until the caves squeezes down a bit and I decide I've had enough.
Meanwhile, a team of 17 or college-age kids swarm past us and disappear into the hole leading deeper into the cave, and are never seen again.
By the by, this is a lava tube. There's only one known limestone cave in Hawaii, and it's collapsed. Which I suppose means there are now zero.
Stop #2: Boilings Pots. This is a spot about a mile and a half up river from Rainbow Falls, which we visited two days ago. If there's heavy rainfall (and there has been), then the rapids are supposed to look like boiling water.
Not so much.
But just upriver from the Pots are the Pe'ePe'e Falls (that's pay-ay-pay-ay, not something to do with Donald Trump), and they're gorgeous. There are a couple of main falls and some side falls, and we just stand staring in awe at them for a while.
I'm jealous of the locals who have snuck down to the river to swim, but not only is it down forbidden paths, but you also don't swim in Hawaii rivers with open wounds (cf., scrapes sustained in the caverns, one of which is a gouge of the flesh at the tip of my middle finger).
Stop #3: Carlsmith Beach. A Hawaiian vacation never begins before I swim. And the wet, gray wether prevented that to date. But, after the beautiful waterfall, we head down to Carlsmith Beach, which is at the end of a long road of beaches running east from Hilo. It's an extremely cool beach with grassy knolls running up to lava stone entries to the water and beautiful inlets looking like Hawaiian movie stills and little islands dotting the lagoon-like ocean area.
My dad, Melody, and I swim for quite a while. We go west, then east. We visit a little island. There's one shocking thing about the lagoon: there are little spots of freezing cold water. We're not the only ones to notice. We frequently hear people talking about them, and we also hear screams every once in a while.
Stop #4: Ken's House of Pancakes. We have lunch at a little Hawaiian diner that has every type of food. It's surprisingly tasty. I have a FLT sandwich (that's facon, lettus and tomato, but it also has guacamole and sprouts and is tasty). My dad has chill that looks like it comes straight from Steak and Shake, and just about everyone enjoys a little bit of it.
Stop #5: Two Ladies Kitchen. At Kimberly's request, we run back to Two Ladies Kitchen to get more mochi. There's a shockingly long line this time, and I think it takes us 40 minutes total between waiting to order and then waiting for the order. Kimberly says it's Hilo's Ici.
Stop #6: Target. To finish off our "restful" day, we go to Target to buy numerous necessities including Neosporin (cf. cave wounds) and toilet paper (cf. AirB&Bs that don't provide sufficient necessities).
And then we're home for dinner (kulua pork tacos!!!) and movie (Lilo & Stitch! to follow Muana a few notes ago!)