Hawaii*

A view of the beach in Pololu Valley. We hiked all the way down there (and back up)!

The scenery on the Big Island is incredible. Take a look at the diversity.


Rocks at Isaac Hale Park. This is a surf hang-out for the Hilo locals.


The Pololu Valley on the Northern coast.

Today we took in the Pololu Valley. Some movies including Planet of the Apes (2000) and the new Indiana Jones movie were filmed near here.


Lava flows into the ocean in Volcanoes National Park

This was an incredible sight. We arrived before dark and got to see the flow-glow become more and more intense. We also met people from Australia and New Zealand.


Where Lava meets ocean inside Volcanoes National Park.


In the "other" America, you would probably see a guard rail at this point of the trail.

Something we've learned in Hawaii is that safety is a personal matter. Many of the trails, lava areas, waterfalls and cliffs lack guard rails or other safety features. You might want to think twice about bringing the kids here. Four grown women, however, can have a perfectly marvelous time.

*enter at your own risk.