To get to the beach you have to drive down a sketchy 12 mile road (B), the walk about 2.5 miles each way over lava without any shade and the wind is in your face. 
It took us a little under 45 minutes to get to the beach and climb down the rocks to it. It doesn't look so green here, but it really is. Oh, and way sparkly!
Rex played in the water, but the surf was too high for me. I had read that the current gets really strong here, so I only went in to the knees. In the half hour we were here, the tide rose to the top of the sandy beach.
Because it is so windy down here, the southernmost point in the U.S., they have windmills along the otherwise barren road.
After leaving we continued back towards the volcano, stopping at the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach along the way.
Next we went to Lava Rock Cafe for lunch. We had burgers and got a slice of Haupia cake to take back to the cabin for later. When we got back to the Volcano, we learned that we had missed a mini-eruption by about 20 minutes... bummer.
We dropped off the cake then went for a little drive around the open part of the park. (Half of the rim drive has been closed, highlighted in red, for a year since an eruption blew out part of the road and has been spewing rocks.)
Thurston Lava Tube is a short little hike, 0.5 mi, from the road into a short lava tube. You can go past the lit part into an extension that is pitch black and goes another 1000 ft or so. We went all the way. Yup, it was dark.
Rex really liked the Thai place so we went back and got carryout for dinner. We brought it back to the cottage, lit a fire, and had dinner and birthday cake.
Here's a weird thing in the room. They gave us a tiny coffee pot, one pack of coffee, and about a dozen coffee cups. Not quite sure why so many cups. The smaller room we were in the first night had a full size coffee pot, a couple packs of coffee and only 2 cups. It also had just a shower and 3 towels while the room with a shower AND jetted tub only had 2 towels. Not quite sure what the deal is with housekeeping here!
Tomorrow is Hilo and Lava Flow...
Rex played in the water, but the surf was too high for me. I had read that the current gets really strong here, so I only went in to the knees. In the half hour we were here, the tide rose to the top of the sandy beach.
Because it is so windy down here, the southernmost point in the U.S., they have windmills along the otherwise barren road.
After leaving we continued back towards the volcano, stopping at the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach along the way.
Next we went to Lava Rock Cafe for lunch. We had burgers and got a slice of Haupia cake to take back to the cabin for later. When we got back to the Volcano, we learned that we had missed a mini-eruption by about 20 minutes... bummer.
We dropped off the cake then went for a little drive around the open part of the park. (Half of the rim drive has been closed, highlighted in red, for a year since an eruption blew out part of the road and has been spewing rocks.)Thurston Lava Tube is a short little hike, 0.5 mi, from the road into a short lava tube. You can go past the lit part into an extension that is pitch black and goes another 1000 ft or so. We went all the way. Yup, it was dark.
Rex really liked the Thai place so we went back and got carryout for dinner. We brought it back to the cottage, lit a fire, and had dinner and birthday cake.
Here is the cabin we stayed in at the Kileaua Military Camp, it was a 1 bedroom cottage with jetted tub. It looks like they all have fire places and they provide the quicklight logs for cheaper than you can get them from the military shop. They have a pretty nice facility with a bowling alley, movie theater, gas station, restaurants, game room, gym, store, etc for military.
Here's a weird thing in the room. They gave us a tiny coffee pot, one pack of coffee, and about a dozen coffee cups. Not quite sure why so many cups. The smaller room we were in the first night had a full size coffee pot, a couple packs of coffee and only 2 cups. It also had just a shower and 3 towels while the room with a shower AND jetted tub only had 2 towels. Not quite sure what the deal is with housekeeping here!
Tomorrow is Hilo and Lava Flow...
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