This is the view from the lanai at the B&B we stayed at last night. We woke up to the rushing torrents of the falls. As we sat on the lanai and drank coffee, the house chef prepared a made-to-order breakfast of macadamia nut waffles, omelets and local fruit. I think the pog was freshly made instead of store bought. There were four other people staying with us and we all decided to eat breakfast inside rather than outside because it was rainy and a bit chilly. Our chef, Leah, is a student at the University of Hawaii at Hilo studying marine biology. She came here from Virginia and it is doubtful she'll ever return. As per usual, Mother shared photos from our trip thus far as well as a few choice travel stories.
After breakfast, we headed to Volcano and to the park. I was hoping to sign up for a night hike but they don't do them any more. Instead, we took a crater walk. The guide was very informative and explained a lot about the endemic species. After the walk, we watched a couple of films about the eruption history of the volcanoes. The movies seemed to have calmed Mother's fears but piqued mine. They made me think about things that had never crossed my mind like how do you get around lava flow if it blocks the road? You can't drive over it or your car will explode. These are thoughts I never had before 3p this afternoon. Now, Mother is out cold and I'm wondering what our escape plan should be.
I don't know how we came upon it but some how we ended up a ukulele (pronounced "uke-uh-lay-lay") lesson by a local cultural arts organization. The women hosting the event were very friendly and led us in several songs. The ukulele is such a lovely instrument. I think Mother may very well end up taking one home. She came on this trip so innocent and now she is on the verge of becoming a coffee-swilling ukulele player.
We ate lunch in Volcano at the Lava Rock Cafe. The highlight of lunch was lilikoi cheesecake. Lilikoi is a yellow passion fruit and it is so sweet and delicate. Second to pog, it is our favorite island treat. Next to the cafe is a quilting cooperative. They do AMAZING work and are true artisans. It was like being in a museum. We both really enjoyed looking at all the quilts, patterns and fabrics.
Our new B&B, Hale Ohia Cottages, is lovely. They put your breakfast in your room the day before so you can wake up and eat it whenever you want. The danger for us is eating it all tonight instead of in the morning. I can hardly type knowing that there is pog in the fridge behind me.
We went back up to the volcano after sunset to see if we could see any lava glow but the only thing we ended up seeing was a Hawaiian band and close to two dozen hula dancers. What a way to end the night!
Mother's highlight: When I asked her she said, "Oh, my. We did so much today." Then she settled on breakfast. She like the waterfall and chatting with the couple from Vermont and their aunt and uncle who are from Missouri.
Julia's highlight: Mother singing along with the Hawaiian band and sharing stories with me about Mimaw dancing and Papaw wanting to visit Hawaii. She knew all the words to the first song because Mimaw used to sing it all the time. The song? "Hilo my Hometown"
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