Last week camping down in Halape was wonderful and terrible if that's possible. The 9-mile hike down from Mau Loa O' Mauna Ulu to Keahou and then Halape was a lot more barren than I expected. Lots of lava and some bunchgrasses. No shade, just lots of black, hot rock. A couple of us got a little overheated on the first day, but I recovered ok by the next day.

Luckily we just had to carry daypacks as all our camping gear was flown in by helicopter.

Swimming in the fresh water "crack" just down the beach sure helped.

We worked the next few days in the vicinity of the beach, and late Wed afternoon, my knee started really hurting while hiking. That meant I was out of commission on Thursday as I tried to rest it. While it was nice to spend the day lounging at the beach, there wasn't much shade and sitting around gets a little boring after awhile. Friday we packed up our gear and got flown out. Thankfully the flight was already planned because there was no way my knee would survive the hike, especially laden with all the camping gear. The helicopter ride was pretty awesome. No doors, lots of lava (hardened), a few trees toward our landing spot.

After landing, my co-workers convinced me to go get my knee looked at. Turns out I pulled some stabilizing muscles. That means 10 days of rest and lots of office work. I see a sports medicine doctor on Monday. Hopefully it will be good news and easy rehab.

This was the view from the outhouse. It encapsulates the week: beautiful view with a poopy background.

Today has been productive for a Saturday, and I even got a little fun in.

I made it to the Hilo Farmers Market this morning. I finally had my first pineapple en situ. The only crazy fruit I saw was Dragon Fruit, the bright pink one in the back right.





I also had my first Loco Moco, though I had Kalua pork instead of a hamburger. Pretty good, though a little light on vegetables.

The rest of the day I ran around getting basic supplies for the work trip next week and also for my new place, including these cool dishes from Goodwill. I had planned on going to see the lava tonight, but given how heavy the rain is right now, I'm glad I'm in inside!

This is likely the last post for a few weeks as I'll be camping next week for work and then moving to my new place that as of yet does not have internet.

I found and secured a place to live! It's a cute little studio with an extra little room downstairs. I had hoped to post the picture from the listing, but they took it down already. I'll be in the town of Volcano just a few miles from the office. Thankfully that means I can walk to work the next couple of weeks until my car arrives. My Rav4 is in North Dakota tonight with my parents. While it is Friday night, I'm exhausted from the week, so bed is going to be my excitement.

My first 2 days of work have passed. I'd like to say "they were great!", but two days of paperwork and on-line training can only be so fun. That said, I am excited about the work and learning new plants. Everyone has been very welcoming and several are aiding in my quest to find a place to live. What's that you say? The building in the picture looks like a nice place to stay? Unfortunately that's now an office building, but if I don't find a place soon, I just might be sleeping on the office floor! Anyway, it's nice to be in an office that's actually in the park. At lunch time I've been walking with a co-worker, checking out what's happening with the Halema'uma'u vent in the Kilauea caldera. My nights have been easily consumed calling family to finalize plans to ship my car and scouring the interwebs for a place to live.

After a day spent at my lovely rental due to illness, I finally got out and explored Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park a bit more.


I drove down the Chain of Craters Road. Today was the first day I got close to the ocean since I got here--I really am on an island.

The road ends in the classic style of the park, covered by lava. The sign seemed a bit unnecessary.










I also hiked to see the petrographs. There were 1,000's of dots carved in the stone where families would bury their newborns' umbilical cords.

It's official. I have broken up with California. I've found another island archipelago that is just new and exciting. While I'm sad things didn't work out with California, I will remember my times there fondly.

After many, many months of abandonment, I'm resurrecting my blog to provide a quick and easy way to share experiences and pictures related by my latest adventure: moving to the big island of Hawai'i.