Volcanoes National Park

B and C's Corner

This was our main excursion for the day. The Kilauea Volcano was approximately a 2.5 hour drive to the other side of the island. Like all of our adventures, there are side roads to explore.

The first beach was Kahalu Beach Park. This park was was filled with snorkerlers and we saw a sea turtle. We also had our first Hawaiian shaved ice of the trip.

We pulled off at a couple of scenic overlooks and continued on to Punaluu Black Sands Beach Park. The surf was rougher and the black sand was more like gravel. It was pretty hot too. We saw several more sea turtles sunning themselves.

Once we arrived at Volcanos National Park, we headed to the Visitor's Center. From there we took a short trail to the sulfur vents. We crossed the road and there it was. This huge crater with smoke coming out of it. What a site to see!  Our first peak into the top of a volcano. We continued on the loop that was lush with vegetation. We really needed to pay attention on the trail. While walking we discovered many more vents, some the size of a hub cap, on either side of the narrow path.

We had a couple of hours before dark so we checked out the town of Volcano. We use Yelp & Trip Advisor to help us find places with good eats. The pickings were slim but found Cafe Ohia. The menu was sandwiches or dinner plates for $8.75. We chose the pork plate with gravy, rice and potato salad. This little gem of a cafe housed someone who just liked to cook.

After our late lunch / early supper, we headed back to park and made our way to the Jagger Museum where we waited for the sun to go down. As it did, we watched Kilauea change colors. Seeing that glow change from a light pink to a bright red/orange was the highlight of the day.