Going for a walk to see a waterfall. The gorgeous, lush greenery is on the Hilo side of the Big Island.

The banyan trees on the Hilo side of the island are amazing! That’s Lara, Tony and Me at the bottom of the tree.

All along the water there is a rich and vibrant world in every nook and cranny. Dale was quite taken with the tiny world in the rocks along the shore.

Once it’s dark you can see the glow of the caldera. During the day it just looks like steam! We were about a mile away from the volcano when this photo was taken.

The weird mix of lush tropical life in the shadow of a volcano.

Shut up! A double rainbow! We sobbed about it, obviously.

I loved the luau! It was a really great show! I was actually quite surprised. I expected it to be totally cheesy! But it was awesome!

Jumping gentlemen at the luau!

The luau included fire! And this fire dude was super duper happy about it.

We spent one evening up on top of Mauna Kea, seeing the incredible huge observatories. Quite cold at the top!

We watched the sunset from above the clouds, which was pretty amazing.

After the sunset, we enjoyed a gorgeous view of the stars.

A strange little oasis in the midst of a hike across lava rocks. I was pretty much melting and sunburned like a freak in this picture (and for most of the trip).

The ocean crashing up against the lava rock shore.

The Big Island is a volcano–and much of it is barren!

Inside a lava tube. It’s a lot like a cave.

A gorgeous tree in Volcanoes National Park.

Some lovely lush plant life.

A lone turtle on the black sand beach. I loved her.

Our wonderful hosts, Lara and Tony. Would not have been possible without them! They are such lovely people! <3