Today we lingered over coffee, having covered most of our Volcano must see list yesterday. We drove 13.5 miles to the end of one lane Mauna Loa Road to an overlook that ended up just being a picnic shelter and very rustic facilities There is a rain measuring device up here, and an intriguing little house with antennae on top, a locked door, and rubber-sheathed conduit leading inside, shades of the television series "Lost". There is also a trail head for an 18 mile one way back country trail to the Mauna Loa summit. We walked a mile or so up the trail, thinking that just over the next ridge we'd have a view of something other than lava cinder formations and new-growth forest. We got as far as the goat gate and fence at the top of the first big ridge, only to find that the trail meandered over the same type of land to another ridge. Ultimately we knew the trail would descend around a thousand feet and cross a crater and desert. We turned around, having no desire to get too far from the car and our drinking water. We met one car on the way up the road, and two on the way down. We saw four human beings and three other cars during our brief stay at this remote location, 6600 feet above sea level.
We stopped back in our room at Volcano to pick up the laptop, and had lunch at the Lava Rock Cafe, which features free internet if you buy a meal. Our 232 photos uploaded to our web album in a few minutes, and we were able to update and catch up while we ate. Another quick stop to drop the laptop off, and we moved on to the Volcano Visitor's Center to watch the movies about the park and the lava flows. At least we got to see on film what we couldn't see in person!
We went to see the steam vents near the Visitors Center, but didn't do any walking because by now there was a steady mist and we clearly were in the middle of a cloud bank. We went the the Volcano Art Center, next to the Visitors Center, and admired the work of local artists. The Art Center is non-profit and helps support the local art community. It's located in a historic Volcano Lodge building built in the 1920's. We purchased several smaller pieces including a painting to add to the nature array over our couch.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Cocktails and reading in our room, then dinner at Kilauea Lodge in Volcano. We were disappointed that they didn't have the same chocolate cake we enjoyed on Monday evening, and opted out of dessert.
We only took a few photos, and can't upload till we get a better internet connection, so will add them later.
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