More on that in a bit. First, I want to mention that LJ Idol sign-ups are going on now! If you've ever been curious about Idol, or intended to participate but didn't get around to it, it is:
There's an FAQ here, and sign-ups are here. What have you got to lose? :D
So, Hawaii. We're on the Big Island, on the Kona side now after almost 5 days over near Hilo. We've seen beautiful waterfalls, miles of shoreline (lots of lava-edged cliffs with waves breaking against them), lots of flowering trees and plants, Waipio Valley (on horseback), and the legacy of devastation that is Volcanoes National Park. No flowing lava, unfortunately. We'd been looking forward to that, but everything is quiet right now because the island let off so much thermal pressure last year when all of the destruction and panic and evacuations were happening due to encroaching lava. Basically, multiple year's worth of activity happened all at once last year. Thank goodness people living in those areas were able to get away safely, and the damage wasn't worse.
We've done a lot on this side of the island too, but right now we're packing up and getting ready for an early morning of returning the rental car, boarding a 9:30 flight to Honolulu, and then settling in for a long, long day of travel. :O
Hope you've all been keeping well in the meantime. :)
