Category Archives: Nature

From Hilo to Kona…

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We left the volcano area and drove from Hilo to Kona around the long way. We stopped at Laupahoehoe Point which is scenic and was also the site of a tsunami tragedy in the 1940s. Very few people live there now, but there is a park, some campsites, and an impressive boat launch with what look like giant concrete jacks tossed around it.

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I took many photos there but it was so humid, and there was so much water in the air, that they all look out of focus.

We spent a couple of nights at the Royal Kona, which looks a little like a cruise ship.

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There are nice views…

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We walked around and I spied these treasures left on the seawall…. such a nice composition.IMG_4772

We went to happy hour and enjoyed live music and people watching (and MaiTais). This lady was fun to watch. She looked so staid but really perked up when the parasailers flew by.

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On our full day on the Kona side we visited Pu’u Honua O’honaunau, the City of Refuge, an interesting historic site that is next to a fantastic snorkeling spot.

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I had fun taking pictures….

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Amanda took photos too…

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I don’t take pictures under water so you just have to trust me that the fish were amazing.

Today, we left the Big Island and are now on Maui, staying in Lahaina. Back to snorkeling tomorrow. Yay! Life really is very good.

 

Puna Lu’u, the black sand beach…

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I’ve been without internet for a couple of days so I’ll put up more than one post today.

On Thursday we went to Puna Lu’u, the black sand beach which is called that for obvious reasons…

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We got there early enough to snag a great spot on the shade….

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This is a great spot for snorkeling. That’s Steve,in the water. Snorkeling is not a sport that results in exciting above-water photos.

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Puna Lu’u is a reliable place for spotting amazing fish and Green Sea Turtles.

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After lunch we headed back to Volcanoes National Park to the end of Chain of Craters Road. This area didn’t use to be ‘the end’ of the road, it used to continue on to Hilo and beyond, around the island. In the 1980s the road was covered by an impressive expanse of lava.

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If you have been here before, but not in the past couple of years, it has changed. What used to be “the end” now goes farther. The park service carved out a gravel road. After walking about a mile to find ‘the end’ we gave up.

There was walking involved to get see the lava, and it was hot. Even so, we did stop for photos, but not always of the same thing 🙂

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On the way out we stopped at a pullout. What’s especially cool here is the fact that we are high up, and in the distance the water at the horizon is unexpectedly high. It’s just weird when you see it in person as you drive down the hill.

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This may be on next year’s Christmas cards—many thanks to Amanda for this shot!

From Kiluea/Volcanoes National Park

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We hiked today, and my feet are sore. I’m happy to report that after Steve’s MaiTais and dinner, they are less sore :-).

We hiked in and around Volcanoes National Park, and across Kiluea Iki. Luckily we got to the park before the crowds and parking was easy. And it was not terribly hot on the hike across the crater.

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There was some posing for interesting photos…

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The next shot was taken on the walk out and back up the side of the crater. We walked down the far side that you see, across the flat part, and up the other side.

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Steve, Amanda, and Keith were brave, almost looking over into a crevasse…

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There was some stopping to at least attempt to smell the flowers…

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That’s ginger, by the way. An invasive non-native that needs to be eradicated. It is also pretty.

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We hiked Devastation Trail… there’s a story that goes with the name but darned if I can remember it.

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Off in the distance, you can see the steam erupting from Halemaumu.

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Back in the day, Steve and I and students could (and did) hike out to that spot, but not now. It’s too dangerous. This is us, then. That sign is probably still there…

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Here we are today, 11 years later and still going strong :-).

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Tomorrow we are heading to Puna Lu’u, the black sand beach!

From the Big Island of Hawaii…

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We spent the day hiking, looking for birds and looking at nature. It was fun and it’s late so I’m not writing much, just sharing photos :-).

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We started with the Pu’u O’o Trail hike, which starts off of the Saddle Road. It’s not a long hike, lots of stopping for photos and looking for birds, and taking photos of people (Steve and Keith) looking for birds.

Of the nearly 200 photos that I took today, only a few turned out well. I’m still working on manual focus, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Maybe, by the end of my 52 Week Photo Challenge class, I’ll be much better. As it is, I’m happy with the photos that did turn out well and the rest are gone!

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This next one cracks me up… who is looking at what?

beckygoldsmith-BigIsland-1-52In the afternoon (after lunch at Sompat’s Thai in Hilo) we went to Volcano National Park and did the Pu’u Hulu Hulu trail this afternoon.

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That’s Amanda, sitting next to a broken lava dome.

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This is a spent Ohi’a Lehua blossom. I’ll have more of these later on.beckygoldsmith-BigIsland-1-34

Amanda got a nice picture of me—many thanks to Amanda! I don’t look as bad in the hat as I imagined that I did!

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This is a branch from an Ohi’a Lehua tree. The look of the tree changes depending on where they are. I am doing my best to take interesting pictures that are in focus and not over or under exposed, manually. I love it when it works!

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We saw several rainbows today and this one, on the way back to our rental house, made us stop to take pictures. The ends of the rainbow were both in the crater. So cool!

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I hope to post more photos tomorrow. I hope that you are enjoying your life right now as much as we are :-).

Always looking…

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I am learning to really appreciate the camera in my iPhone. It is usually with me and so I can stop and take quick pics even on my morning walk. Use your imagination and these salvias could instead be green-tipped purple trees in a Dr. Seuss landscape!

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Wouldn’t the colors in this feather, used with the grays in the concrete, be perfect in a quilt?

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On the same morning walk, I noticed this water meter cover. You can’t really tell from the photo, but it was tall, the center part stuck up several inches, which is unusual. I love the mix of colors and textures. It struck me that the bright turquoise on the worn iron cover is the same as the turquoise in my shoes.

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There are just too many cool things that a person can take a picture of!

 

And there were flowers!

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Succulents don’t flower a lot but when they do, the flowers are lovely. Here are a few, seen at the Ruth Bancroft Garden last week:

The yellow flowers on this little barrel cactus were practically translucent…

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Another tall cactus wore what appeared to be a corsage, albeit not one I would want to wear :-).

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There was a lovely stand of poppies, taller than me! I kept thinking of the poppies that put Dorothy, et al, to sleep in the Wizard of Oz…

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These little purple flowers were all over a small hump of what looked a little like grass but was instead pretty spikey. You wouldn’t want to walk on it…

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There were several flower that could have been designed by Dr. Seuss…

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And a personal favorite, the ones that look like spikey fireworks!

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