On the road again,,,

,,, just a bit slower than we were used to, e.g. in Montana (80 mph) ,,, Speed limit here on the island is max 55 mph, but mostly not faster than 45 mph, if that! Even main highways, like the one we drove, are windy, hilly, with partly great ocean views. 

Left our AirBnB north of Kona on Wednesday morning and drove all the way south, passing many coffee plantations, the town Captain Cook and stopped (for the second time) at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park - our favorite park! It was an old Hawaiian sanctuary/king's seat on the coast, and, at the same time, a refuge place (photos below).

The boathouse

The royal sanctuary

Stopped at the Punalu'u Bake Shop then - with a lunch counter, picknick area, visitor information, etc. - and bought a loaf of their famous Hawaian Sweet Bread (we took the Taro - a special Hawaiian plant - version). On to Volcanic NP (photos below) then: very crowded, always interesting, and, ever-changing. Last big eruption (or rather a "cave-in") of Kilauea (in the park) happened in 2018, but their are always hydrothermal vents, fumes and other indications showing that all of them  - Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai and Kilauea - are still active! Walked to the Lava Tubes (photo far below) and drove the Crater Rim Drive as far as possible. Since 2018 the complete route can't be driven anymore.

    LLava tunnels (left)

 

 

 

 wild orchid in Volcano NP

 

 

 

 

 

Drove about 180 mi today, not much compared to distances we drove in the West, but: different driving. In addition, 90 deg F very humid, clouds and sun. Bought provisions in a supermarket on the way before we headed out towards the SE coast. The little house we are staying at, closeby Kalapana (photo right), is located in a nice neighborhood, newly built, surrounded by "pruned wilderness". It's a bit "sterile" though, no personal touches, no pictures or posters, no comfy furniture. It's roomy and new and clean, but not too cozy. Lizzards, noisy Coqui frogs and lots of stars as well as an ocean view compensate to some degree.

Once settled in - nowadays there is no personal contact with renters anymore - we walked the 15 min. to  black-sand lava beach - a "clothing optional" beach (photos below). Most beaches on this side of the island, are black-sand lava beaches, hard to get down to, and, in addition, with high waves and undercurrents not exactly perfect for swimming. But,,, there was a wedding ceremony taking place down there!