Kalapana Lava Flow

We've met some folks that live at the end of the road in Kalapana. The road ends because the lava flowed right over it! They told us that the flow was really good and that it would be a great time to see it. So we left right around dark and drove down to Kalapana. It was flowing, and flowing good, but we were quite a long distance from the flow.

 It's about a 10 minute walk out there...luckily we remembered our flashlight.

Locals that own the property take folks out there on tours, but it's $100/person...not for us at this time. Our friends said it looks small from this distance, but the flow area can be over 100' wide right now. Wow!
Our pictures DO NOT do the lava flow any justice at all whatsoever. It was thrilling to see it in person...even from a great distance.

 We most definitely could have used a tripod.

 The lava reflected in the clouds was magnificent.

In other Raye happenings....Brake Repair with Stella & Tom. It was lovely (for me) when Tom had a day at home to work on his brakes. They were a hassle. He was at it all day. It was lovely for me because Stella "helped" Tom the whole day.

News Flash: We just sold our drake ducks Calvin & Roosevelt...to a guy who is not going to eat them! He wants them in his yard for mosquito, slug, and coqui frog control...how cool is that? We're very happy and so is Jemina (our sole drake with the wrong name). Maybe we should start calling him Mr. Jeremy? He and the girls, Alice, Meg, and Mrs. Drake were strolling around the yard. Now if they would only lay us some eggs.

Aloha Quest

Aloha has multiple meanings...it means LOVE, it means HELLO, it means GOODBYE. Literally translated it is "the presence of divine breath".

Quest means " The act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search". It also was one of our forms of transportation...our Nissan Quest mini-van.

Well Aloha Quest definitely describes our Valentines Day yesterday in soooo many ways. Last week we decided that the Nissan Quest was not what we needed (not the greatest on gas mileage among other reasons). I put an ad out and got several calls from a guy in Washington. He said he was flying into Kona on the 14th and he really wanted to buy the Quest (He was enamored by the seat covers...). He wanted us to drive it to the airport to pick him up (so didn't have to get a cab, etc...). At first we were very hesitant...I mean it's an odd proposition. He was insistent and assured us he would buy it for our agreed upon price. Tom could not take off from his new job, so it was up to me :) I would not be back in time to pick the boys up from school, so I pulled them out at their first break (around 10am).

 We were on a quest to say aloha to our Quest. Reeve took some picture on our 110 mile trek to the airport. This trek always takes me about 3 hours, and that is because I drive very slow and cautiously.

We did not take the Saddle Road this time. We went up the Hamakua Coast and across through Waimea. This part of the island is Paniolo (cowboy) country. 

 We saw Parker Ranch...among one of the LARGEST ranches in the United States. We saw many heards of cattle and horses, which pleased Stella to no end.

 Scenes that do not look like the typical Hawaiian images...

 Hard to see, but in the picture below is the ocean...Yay! We're almost there!!

 In the picture below you can see the airport...right in the center of the picture.

 We met the nice guy and he was more than happy with the Quest. It was Aloha at first sight. And we had accomplished the first leg of our quest. Next part was to figure out how to get downtown to catch the bus back to Hilo. We had about 3 hours to get to the bus stop. Below is Reeve playing with his "jolly stix" at the airport.

When we got to Ali'i Drive...we strolled around and took some tourist type pictures. Kyle took this one of me & Stella next to the mermaid. Reeve liked how the Sailor guy was wearing converse all-star shoes.

 We visited the Hulihe'e Palace...once a vacation home for Hawaiian Royalty and conveniently located at our bus stop.

 Unfortunately we did not have time to put on our swim suits :( Boo! The weather was warm, the water was beautiful, and we all really wanted to go swimming!

 The palace grounds were lovely, and we watched a couple of young girls practicing the hula. Stella was mesmerized.

Reeve could have put out a hat and made some money. He impressed more than one passerby with his jolly stix!

 The bus stop is also across from Hawaii's First Church, Mokuaikaua Church. I wish we had had more time! This summer the boys, Stella, and I plan to go to Hilo early in the morning, catch the dollar bus (yes it is only $1!!!!) to Kona, spend the day playing, and then catch the $1 bus back to Hilo.

 Too much sun reflection off the ocean in the picture below, but trust me the water was gorgeous in the background.

The bus ride home was FANTASTIC!! That is TOTALLY the way to travel the island. I would never, ever in a million years be able to drive as fast as our bus driver! He zoomed us back in record time (like just over 2hrs) and we even had a nice break in Waimea. I got to relax and enjoy the ride. Stella and I searched for whales in the ocean all the way down the Hamakua coast back to Hilo. 

Now for the good part! We've been on another quest...and that is to get a contractors license for electrical and HVAC. FINALLY we got the call that the applications committee has approved Tom to take the Contractors exam...that will be sometime in March. WOO HOO!!!!!
I hope your Valentine's Day was as wonderful and adventurous as ours was!
ALOHA!