Akaka to Rainbow Falls with Surprises In Between - Big Island Hawaii

 My cousin is in town and that translates to roadtrips to look upon beautiful spots I haven't seen since...well the last friend or relative visited. We emerged from our sleep cocoons early to be fueled by coffee and excitement for what the day might behold. It occurred to me this should be the case every morning as everyday is a humanly unplanned event. And yet...travel, even loosely planned travel raises the level of enthusiasm for the unexpected delight. Having lived on the Big Island (which is not all that big as I recently figured it is in fact 9% the size of Tennessee) for a third of my life I pretty much know my way around. There aren't that many roads and the main one will put you right back where you started...eventually. And YET...on occasion I stumble upon an area I haven't traversed before. 

On this day it was a tiny trail marker sign off the scenic road just past the Botanical gardens near Hilo between the two waterfalls on the agenda. Blink and you'll miss it but as we said many times along the trail while seeing the Botanical gardens people over the fence in the distance..."we're on the free part!". 

Onomea Trail (the shorter one) from Old Mamamlahoa Hwy to the ocean. 

Wait...are we in the PNW now??

Schefflera bloom!!! I've never seen a pink one!

Lily flourishing in hard places. 

Crinum asiaticum "Spider Lily"

Onomea Bay

The ocean has almost shaped this peninsula into islands.

London in Silhouette

It was a very sunny and very windy day on the East side of the Island. For most of my life Hilo was the Wet Side and Kona was the Dry Side. But in recent years that has seriously changed. It rains nearly every day in Kona in the upper elevations and very frequently on the lower. Enough for this desert region to not look deserty anymore. Green is the new beige. 

So as we ventured up the road to Akaka Falls Park the sun was lighting up everything. I could even see the Observatory on the top of Mauna Kea in the distance behind it which is usually completely hidden by clouds! Though I think I prefer the moody stormy weather for Akaka Falls even if that requires ponchos. Tourists were huffing and puffing on the trail stairs and I needed some serious tinkering for my photos not to be blown out. The first view is from the parking lot in case you did not budget for parking and entrance fees. (Free part!) 

Epic Parking lot Views

Some Serious Bamboo

First big glimpse of Akaka Falls

The Tallest Bromeliad Display

Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls is 442 ft tall. My lens couldn't capture the whole length from the lookout point. 

She's Holding all the Things

We drove to Rainbow Falls after a late lunch or pre-dinner at The Booth Bar in Hilo. I've never eaten here soooo delightful surprise number 2! 

Mouth watering Vegan Tacos - Lentil Walnut Chorizo, cortisol kraut, fire roasted tomato salsa, black beans and taqueria pickles. I had to forego the roasted jalapeño crema as it was cashew based. I'm sure it was awesome too. 

We arrived just before closing time, but the falls are the briefest stroll from the parking lot and FREE. Rainbow falls is 80ft tall. Depending on rainfall, I've seen this one drastically change in width to the full rock face. 

Rainbow Falls

Mango grove at the top lookout. 

Banyan Tree

Driving back to Kona via Saddle Road we came upon a very strange weather phenomenon near Mauna Kea. At first it seemed we were above the clouds, then about to drive through them. The clouds started changing shape, resembling waves moshing against each other and other times white fire and before we knew it they were all around us. The moon came shining through right after the sun had blinded us. Later we realized it was perhaps the outline of the sun filtered and not in fact the moon. Though it looked just like the moon. Maybe we temporary drove into another dimension and it was someone else's moon. 

Saddle Road, Big Island

Psalms 42:7-8

Deep calls to deep at the thundering sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. Yet the Lord will command His faithful Lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song will be with me. A prayer to the God of my life. 

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

 The layering hues of green palms flutter about like parrot feathers in the mountain breeze. A faltering waterfall at the edge of the roof drips so quickly, the individual droplets nearly combine. The animals are napping, curled up on various soft surfaces in my room. A 10x10 of space I temporary and also seemingly indefinitely inhabit with a very large and very small creature that came into my care while waiting on an Island in the middle of the pacific.

A fog rolls in and the temperature drops low enough to warrant socks and a cardigan. I got dressed today as if I would see other people or perhaps hopeful a surprise event would spring forth. My gifted salt lamp from Liv is aglow and sits in a pool of water it pulled from the air. And modern hymns emit from the tiny speaker of my phone on the night stand. It's been raining every afternoon for 2 months now. Drowning in gorgeous green vegetation but also my bedroom carpet never fully dries and every surface of every thing not vegetation also grows a mini green habitat. 

The kitten going on teenager grabbed the cord of my one ear functioning big purple headphones that had a heavy clip attached to function the non-functioning side. When she swung from it like a holler monkey I lost all sound. Bummed she’d now made them ear muffs, I removed the clip and replugged the headphones. Lo and behold, sound emerged from both sides. 

Birdie bird: food bandit, orchid destroyer, tech genius.  

She is now asleep on my camera bag. Perhaps next she’ll clean the mold growing inside the wide angle lens that crept up on me during my lax on recharging the silica. Fresh out of the oven the smokey opaque beads have returned to their resemblance of amber and ready to absorb moisture yet again. 

Gold Leaf

During an unexpected endurance hike with my second cousin, we came upon a muddy path of muddied leaves. Dramatic was the rich decomposing browns layered in black volcanic dirt. Then I saw the white one in near monochrome and gasped. Where did you come from? White as snow it was. How I wished I could jump as high as I can in dreams or a climbable tree had been planted on that spot so I could capture the great length of this path covered in inky leaves showcasing one solitary white one. As we continued along, some stories later, we saw the gold one. 

Gold Leaf ~

Nothingness ahead, emptiness behind

A pit I dug to get away had swallowed up the light

Strangling my heart the invasive vines

had made their way inside

I sat at the bottom sinking in the sludge

Crying out for help in utter insolvency

Immediately I felt Your saving touch 

Your steadfast love envelope me

A pin hole of light shining over my head

Yet still seemed too far out of my reach 

But a far reaching hand pulled me out

Washing away the shame besieged 

A river flowing continuously 

Gently it flowed, wildly it flowed

Turning, sifting, healing 

Hidden gold beneath 

Was suddenly revealing 

Isaiah 38:17~

Indeed it was for my own well-being that I had great bitterness, but You loved back my life from the pit of nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.