We've been wanting to go to Hawaii for some time. Last year we planned a trip to Oahu to celebrate our engagement but ended up canceling it due to September 11th (the trip was scheduled for 9/13). Getting married in Maui was another thing that we looked into seriously for a few months but decided in the end that it was just too difficult planning it from California. We just about ran out of excuses to go to Hawaii when we decided to go see the volcanoes in the Big Island for our honeymoon. September is a good time to visit since it's the beginning of the low season and we get an extra day off on Labor Day.

United has the only direct flight from San Francisco to Kona, the major tourist city and airport on the Big Island. It was little less than 5 hours and very pleasant. As usual we brought only carry-ons with us to reduce stress and time. The first thing we noticed after getting off the plane was that there was no airport! Well, not the conventional airport anyway; the Keahole-Kona airport is completely in the ourdoors. The security checkpoints and waiting areas are covered but there's no 'building' per-say. No insulation, no walls. It's pretty breezy which keeps the place rather cool, but I'd hate it to be there when it rains since there's no covered tunnel to get from the gates into the planes. It was really humid which I didn't expect for some reason. Coming from a dry and mild place it was quite unbearable for both of us. We picked up our Jeep from one of the car rental places by the airport and headed down to our hotel. We were staying at the Royal Kona Resort right on the bustling tourist street of Ali'i Drive in Kona.

Even the hotel lobby is out in the open! There was no door to the lobby or the hotel restaurants. We arrived around noon and they let us check in early. We got a room on the fifth floor with a view of the ocean, the hotel swimming pool and grounds. After a short break we went on Ali'i Drive to check out the neighborhood and find something to eat. There weren't many people on the streets, probably because it was a weekday afternoon. The water and beaches were really beautiful and coconut trees grow everywhere. Yeah, pretty much what you might have seen in those Hawaii vacation pamphlets and postcards.

The humidity really drained our energy. I really didn't think it would be that bad. I guess I always thought the weather there would be like the Bay Area, dry and comfortable for the most part. Later in the evening we went to one of the hotel restaurants on the oceanfront; had pizza and pina colada. A lady was performing a dance to soft Hawaiian music. I'm not sure what the dance was called, it was very slow, smooth and beautiful. They served the best pina colada there. I thought I was in heaven.

We didn't plan this trip with as many details as we did with most other trips. We had a few agendas: climb to the top of Mauna Kea and see live lava flows at the Volcanic National Park. We figured that we'd do these things first and then just see where the Big Island takes us. The Big Island has two large mountains in its center: Mauna Kea the taller one at 13,796ft and Mauna Loa at 13,677ft. To go between the East and West coasts you either go around the mountains by taking Hawaii Belt Road along the coast line or go right through the center of the Island by taking Saddle Road. Saddle Road runs between the two mountains with Mauna Kea on the North and Mauna Loa on the South. It passes over large lava flows and climbs through a variety of terrains. It's 50 miles long with no service station or facility. To get to Mauna Kea we had to get on Saddle Road. We found out right before then that it is forbidden on our car rental contract. Apparently the rental companies don't want to risk having to tow cars that break down on this road - which can cost anywhere from $400 to $600. By driving on Saddle Road we'd waive all service agreements with the rental company. For us the whole point of renting a Jeep was so we could climb up Mauna Kea; so it was without any hesitation that we took our Jeep right onto the road.

A part of Saddle Road is inside the Pohakuloa Military Training Area. We saw a couple of planes and military Jeeps but nothing eventful. The massive lava flows in the area is amazing. To get to the Mauna Kea Summit we turned off at Summit Road and followed it up to the visitor center. Mauna Kea Summit is home to several astronomical observatories. At the Onizuka Visitor Center there are information on the various telescopes. The visitor center is named after Ellison Onizuka, a Big Island native and one of the astronauts who died in the Challenger space shuttle explosion. It didn't seem to be very well-funded, probably due to lack of public interest. The visitor center is where the paved road ends and rough riding begins. To get to the peak and telescopes we must ride up a gravel road for about five miles. This is where the Four-wheel Drive feature of our wheels became essential.

For some reason the trail to the highest peak was not marked at all. Only when we looked at our map in the Lonely Planet guide did we see exactly where it was. I got the nagging feeling that visitors are not exactly encouraged to visit the Summit. The trail to the highest peak from the road was very short, about a 15-min walk. We kept walking past the peak around a crater which took us back to the main road. Unfortunately for us it was pretty cloudy so we couldn't see very far. I could feel the effect of the high altitude, a little disorientation and headache.

The Volcanic National Park is a good 2-hr drive from where we're staying, in the southeastern direction. We would be driving through the southern-most tip of the Island. We decided to take a detour and go off on a gravel road that leads to a secluded beach. In Hawaii there's no such thing as a private beach; by law all beaches are accessible to the public. However landowners get by this "problem" by blocking access to private roads that lead to the beach. The gravel road had a warning sign about it being a private road, which we gave about two seconds of notice before driving past it. The rocky road was very hard on the car and we proceeded slowly. My Corolla back home would never make it through this road. We bounced for about 40min before finally reaching the waterfront. Russ was thrilled for this unexpected opportunity to again test his driving skills after yesterday's mud ride.

The beach area was not an ideal place for swimming; lots of black rocks with sharp edges and few sandy patches. But the smell, sound and view were wonderful.

We got back on the road to the Volcanic National Park and looked around for a bit before heading down toward the coast along Chain of Craters Road. Our primary goal was to see live lava flows and maybe, if we're really lucky, see some of them flowing into the ocean. The lava that flows into the ocean eventually hardens and add to the land mass of the Big Island. The Island is actively getting bigger as the lava becomes part of it. The entire area that covers Chain of Craters Road is on the path of lava that have been flowing out of Kilauea, the active volcano in the center of the park, for the past decade. Portions of the road were cut off by lava flows in the 70's and had to be rebuilt.

The park allows visitors to get close and personal with live lava flows at the end of the Chains of Craters Road where fresh lava has taken over the entire area. We were warned about the fumes but luckily it was very windy. We walked on hardened lava that's roughly a month old to get to live lava flow that's pouring toward the sea. The lava moves slowly enough for us to get really close, as close as 5 feet. Lava is best viewed in the dark. When we got there it was around 5:30pm and already alot of people were there. There's no parking lot or street lights so cars were parked right along Chain of Craters Road. By the time we left around 6:30pm the crowd really started to come in and cars were lined up to a mile if not more.

It was exciting enough to be able to get so close to live lava, we also witnessed a lavafall formed on the hills in front of us. It was amazing watching hot lava rushing down the hill as quickly as any waterfall. It continued on even as we were leaving.

Having been on top of Mauna Kea and seen live lava, we decided to take the day slowly. We drove north for about an hour to see another temple, this one called Pu'ukohola Heiau and was built by King Kamehameha in 1791. After failing to conquer all the island, King Kamehameha sought the advice of a soothsayer who in turn told him to build a temple for the god of war. After the temple was built a dedication ceremony was held and he invited his archrival on the Big Island who's also his cousin, Keoua. Whether intentially or not, Keoua and his men were killed during the ceremony and Keoua was offered as the first human sacrifice to the gods. With his death, King Kamehameha successfully took over the Big Island and eventually all the other islands.

The site was more than just a place where King Kamehameha worshipped the god of war, it was also a place where the royalty hung out. There are coconut trees and beautiful beaches readily available. We were prohibited from entering the temple, as expected (it being government-owned and all).

We had lunch at a place near the temple called Cafe Pesto. From the sound of it I thought it'd be a pretty casual fast-food type place. It turned out to be really great. The food we had was delicious. I just wish it was not on the Big Island but rather somewhere close to where we live.

After lunch we headed a bit south to see some petroglyphs not too far from the temple. It took a while for us to find the place; it was embedded deep inside a huge resort. The petroglyphs were carved on lava rocks and date back to 1000-1800 A.D. Most of the carvings were of human figures, but I did find at least one that looked remarkably like a turtle. According to Lonely Planet there are 3000 petroglyphs at this site. A one-mile path covered by trees with extremely twisted branches leads to the site.

Another agenda-free day. We thought about snorkeling and actually looked at some pamphlets but it just didn't seem too interesting. Instead, we drove down south toward territories that we've already driven through on the way to Volcanic National Park but didn't have the time to stop and look around. After Mo'okini Heiau I really got in the mood to see more ancient temples or archeological sites. In South Kona there's a place called Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical park (try saying that ten times without biting your tongue!), also known as the Place of Refuge. The name came from the fact that in old Hawaii, people who broke any of the strict daily regulations were often hunted down and killed to appease the gods. The lucky ones who managed to get to this place could have their lives spared. It's easier said then done; the offender could not get to the Place of Refuge by land since the entrance would have been blocked immediately by the royalty and their warriors, he would have to risk sharks and strong currents by swimming in the open ocean.

The Place of Refuge was also a place where the royalty hung out together. There were huts and tidepools where fish were kept for meals. We were also treated to a wonderful surprise when we found out that it is now also a sanctuary for the endangered Green Sea Turtles found only in Hawaii. The turtles come and go freely, basked on the beach and swam by the edge of water looking for food. This is a fairly recent phenomenum since the turtles used to be hunted and eaten by the locals in the old days.

Last day on the island. Our flight was set for 1pm so we didn't have to rush. Before we left Russ took a picture of a menu posted in the elevator that had this line: "A Must Eat on the Big Island" CHILDREN...*yecks!*

We discovered a very interesting thing when we got home and looked through the photos that were taken. The one Russ took of the island right before we landed just happened to be exactly where the Mo'okini Heiau is located. Isn't that amazing? We could tell where the airport was, the path led to the temple and also the birthplace of King kamehameha.