January 30 - Worth the wait

      We decided to try again for the drive north.  The previous day had been sunny, but very hazy, and the great views of mountains we had been promised in a guidebook were obscured by thick yellow air and low clouds dwelling on their flanks.  But today the air was as clear as it's been since we got to Hawaii.  So, the flat tire delay was actually a gift from the Hawaiian gods.

Along Kohala Mountain road we stopped at a scenic pulloff to check out the "Best View on the Big Island."  From there, we could see:

Mauna Loa, the active volcano where we saw the lava lake,

Mauna Kea, where we attended the star party, and home of some of the biggest telescopes on the planet,

(blowup view of the observatories)

and even Mount Haleakala on Maui, over forty miles away.

The northern side of the island is the oldest, and the lava fields and cinder cones are covered with lush grass, part of the reason this is cattle country.

The end of the road overlooks Pololu Valley.  The northeast part of the big island gets a lot more rain than the western side, and is lush and jungle covered.  We hiked down the trail and spent several hours hanging out on the black sand beach.  Very relaxing.

 On the way down.

  

Pololu Valley 

Getting psyched up to go swimming.

Waiting for a wave to body surf.

 Watch out Amy!

 Getting ready.

Amy riding the wave.

Diana, too.

Afterwards, an ancient Polynesian rite.

      After swimming, we had a picnic of cheese and crackers, then explored the black sand dunes behind the beach, which hosts a grove of ironwood trees.

 At the high water line on the beach, unusual natural rock formations.

    We hiked back up the trail to our car, then drove towards home. (We weren't staying in this treehouse.)  Along the way we noticed whales spouting.

Looking for humpbacks.

There's one splashing after a breach.

Closeup of a far-off whale.

    

 Finally, sunset as viewed through papaya trees from the lanai of our Airbnb.