17 September

With Tony's back burned to a crisp, another day at the beach didn't seem to be a good idea. So, we drove for what seemed like forever through constantly changing and varied climates to Volcano National Park on the southeastern side of the island. By the time we arrived we were limited to three hours or so of hiking. We picked a series of trails recommended by the blue bible for that length of time and set off. The hike first followed a trail that had been partially destroyed by an earthquake in the early '80's. It was eerie; portions of the road disappeared into brush, others ended abruptly, guardrails hanging out into space. In local parlais, we got "chicken skin fo' days". We then made our way down into a lush rainforest canopy full of seemingly prehistoric ferns. The sound of winged insects a constant buzz though we never saw them. The rainforest gave way to the Kilauea caldera floor. We walked across the hardened lava lake and marveled at the natural blacktop spewing steam in some places and plants in others. We hiked back up through more rain-forest and ended the trip with a short jaunt through a lava-tube.

We drove back up the coast and stopped at a black sand beach. The name really says it all; there is a beach, the sand is black volcanic rock ground down over the years by the surf. The sand does not replenish like other beaches, so most black sand beaches are eroding around the island. There was a rather lovely lagoon behind the beach with glassy water disturbed only by the six or seven ducks cruising around. The beach is also a resting place for the large sea turtles common in the waters around the big island, one of whom was resting just beyond the reach of the surf. Monica thought it must be waiting for the surf to cover it and carry it away.

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