The Adventures of Sunsette -- Texas Travels, Part II— Apr. 12

[Alliecat]

"Hi everyone!
"We're hanging out on a Sunday night listening to Kupaoa and mum's done another 'quick and dirty' batch edit on some more photos, so here we are to share them with you.  davidd... ugh... we didn't hear about chicken fights...  And it was 20 days, with a couple for travel.
"We love the idea of a book, but mum says books are a pretty hard sell.  She's still got a box of local-photography-guide books that she hoped the tourists would go for, and, well... she's still got a bunch.  That said, we would be over the moon if someone paid us to travel and report on our adventures.  We're taking applications."


"Here we are on our way over the saddle road from Kona to Hilo.  It was a gorgeous day and we could see all the mountains....  wow."



"We shared this stop on one of our dispatches, the recreation area about halfway across the island."

"Now, we got seriously Left Behind here...  Mum went on a helicopter tour that she said was EPIC... and WE DIDN'T GET TO GO!!!  They weren't allowed to bring bags or even a hat, and with the seat harness we couldn't ride in pockets either.  So we have to just look at the pictures too."


"We like aircraft almost as much as we like boats.
Is this a sexy machine or what??"



"This is last spring's lava flow.  Mum was glued to the computer for daily updates at the time, and she was pretty excited to actually be there flying over it.  In the distance, Fissure Eight... the monster itself... with which Mum came face-to-face, so to speak, a little later."



"...and this is Pu'u O'o, the active vent.  It's sleeping now... just a gentle steam rising from it... for now.  They looked right down it."



"We're back in Kona.  This is Kanaloa Octopus Farm.  'Sauerkraut' tried to pull mum into the tank.  (This is not mum's hand!)  She says they are unbelievably strong."



"We watched the surf for a bit at Wawaloli Beach Park."



"Little sailors pay their respects.  This is Kealakekua Bay, where Captain James Cook was killed in 1779.  Early in his career he mapped the entrance of the St. Lawrence River, not too far from here.  He died in a colossal clash of cultures that still echoes in Hawaii today.  On the other side of the bay behind us is a monument.  It's the tiniest white speck on the shore right above Alo's head.  There's also a heiau and Hawaiian royalty buried in the cliffs.  So lots of echoes, and we took some time here to listen to them."



"Mum.  PLEASE.  !!!!!   We could put a sail on it..."
"I dunno, girls.  Is it pono to take stuff here?  Besides, how would I pack that?  Customs would take it anyway.  Better just take a picture and put it back where we found it...."
""Auwe!!!""



"We went on to Pu'uhonua O Honaunau, a sacred and historic site which was a place of refuge for defeated warriors and those who broke kapu (the many laws)."



"These guys are watching over Keone'ele cove, where only chiefs were allowed to land canoes.  It's still kapu to walk on the beach if honu -- sea turtles -- are resting there."



"It's a beautiful and peaceful spot.  It's fun to imagine what it was like with all the people who lived here."



"And here's mum's sand souvenir from there."



"Next day!  We're on our way to Hilo again by the south route this time, and we'll soon have circumnavigated the whole island except for the top corner, because mum took the coastal road back the other day.  We wanted more pictures but she didn't want to be finishing in the dark so we didn't stop many places and traffic was a bit crazy.  (We ended up finishing the drive in the dark in a downpour all the same.)  
ANYway, here we are on the overlook to Ka Lae, the southernmost point in Hawaii."



"Spot us in the picture??"



"Our visit was cut short because mum had to return the car and meet someone, and it rained, and a lot of the roads were still closed in the park.  We were bummed not getting to see Halema'uma'u to compare with mum's photos from last time she was there.  But, here we are at Kilauea Iki."

"Thanks for reading along.  Next time we'll tell you how we found a perfect corner of paradise with a magic garden...
Love, Sunsette"