Leaving Hawaii

It's been a brief stay in Hawaii with a mixed bag of weather and emotions. We got a 4wd Jeep for exploring the big island when we landed in Hilo, and it was great having a vehicle to run errands, but afternoon rain made it a soggy first day so we didn't get to go up high to the peaks of the 13,000+ volcanoes. However, on the second day, the sky was clear early in the morning, and we could see the tops of the mountains, looming way above. The volcanoes are called shield volcanoes because over the millennia, the gradual addition of new lava causes a more gradual rise rather than jagged mountains caused by plate shifting or other geologic events.

So, on our first day, we ran around, stocked up on sodas in town, then headed out to Volcanoes Nationals Park to see much of the smoldering volcanic activity partially obscured by rain and fog. There was also vog, which is volcanic smog, and that might be the reason that today my throat feels like I swallowed sandpaper. Here's a few shots:

Lava flows spread out for miles on the mountainside and work their way down the mountain into the sea.

This would be an unwelcome sign to slam into on a bike ride.

Hilo has a fantastic farmer's market, and the produce there is great since the weather is so nice year-round. We hit the market in the morning of the second day while we had some sunshine.

Then we went to 'Akaka Falls for some sightseeing. It's a pretty set of waterfalls with a short walk that views multiple small falls and one spectacular 400+ foot waterfall that goes straight down and has eroded a big crater at the bottom. What made this poignant was that this was one of the last spots that Ellen's mom got to see on her trip to Hawaii when she died there about 10 years ago. Ellen carried three Birds of Paradise flowers to the falls and tossed them over the side in her mom's memory.

We've docked in Honolulu for a few hours to refuel and take on provisions for our longest stretch at sea; we'll be about 9 days at sea from Hawaii to Kobe, Japan. For me, it was great to land on solid ground even after getting accustomed to the rocking of the ship and the din of the big diesels. We may be in for some rough seas because the crew has strapped down some of the fixtures including the books in the library.


So, it's beautiful here, and in a lot of ways I like the ship and the folks onboard, but it's definitely been an adjustment. I miss riding, I miss folks back home, I don't miss the weather than cancelled Albemarle public schools. I also have a huge amount of respect for Jasper's teacher; trying to not undo the information they've sunk into his brain has been my biggest challenge on this trip. I'm wondering if I bit off more than I can handle with two classes and schooling Jasper, but I'm learning some management strategies and will come up with more strategic teaching approaches because winging it just isn't working. I need to teach myself to teach, and that's a tall order, but I do have great notes from Jasper's teacher that I can use to build outlines, so that's the next step for me. He's doing well with the other kids on the trip and is doing great with writing assignments and other subjects, and it'll be even better once I organize my teaching notes into a logical order.

Until later,
Scott