2ND TRIP / DAY 3: HAWAII ~ South Point

South Point
We've been here a few times, but something about South Point continues to draw us back here time and again. Sure, it's the southernmost point in the U.S., but that's not the reason. The lure is from the large roaring waves that crash & pound the lava basalt platforms. Along with flowing lava, this is Mother Nature in her rawest form. Like a calling, Locke & I pay another visit, but this time we take off our shoes and explore the basalt platforms in our bare feet. And that's when we make a discovery: a petroglyph!

Locke & I have seen petroglyphs from both the Southwest Pueblo Indians and the ancient Hawaiians. Each have their own story to tell and as I gazed upon our lucky discovery, I sought to imagine what the 3 "kite-like" pictograms meant to the ancient Hawaiians.

4-wheelin' SUV
After our South Point encounter, we depart for the famous Green Sand Beach. I got the the inspiration from a former boss, Tim, but on our last trip, we had a regular car and the road quickly becomes impassable. This time around, we were prepared and rented a 4x4 Jeep Wrangler to ensure we had the right vehicle for the assignment.

Green Sand Beach
Though it is only a few miles from South Point, the road is so rough that it took us quite a while to navigate the soft sands and deep trenches to get out here. First, DO NOT attempt this without a 4x4 vehicle! Second, make sure your 4x4 vehicle has really high clearance, like a Jeep. We saw a few vehicles get stuck and it took them a while to get out of the sands.

Locke is not convinced
When we finally reach the Green Sand Beach, Locke is NOT convinced this is it. He was stubborn about it even though I pointed out the entrance sign and maps! I glance out and explain to him that the green sand is more of a deep olive color from the olivene that precipitated out of the lava. He's still not convinced and it then occurred to me that Locke may have slight color blindness and just could not decipher the subtle green color of the olivene that I could clearly see before me.

It was time to head back, and the drive to and from the Green Sand Beach is a wild one! But you have to be careful...what is a wild & crazy journey can quickly become a miserable one if you get stuck in the sand. Understanding your vehicle's performance limitations and carefully negotiating the treacherous terrain are keys to a successful passage. Apparently, I made the grade and we get onto the main road unscathed...whew!

Ka'u District
In the Big Island's southeastern corner is the Ka'u District, the most remote and rural region. From Hawaii's Belt Road, we saw abandoned pickups and large horses ranches. But, besides tourists, a sighting of a local is as rare as the Nene!

Trekking out to the lava fields
We head back to the Puna District for a hike out to the lava fields before sunset. The hike is a long one and as Locke & I start out on the trek, we observe new life being born on the old lava beds that have since cooled. This was a metaphor for the circle of life: as much as lava destroys life, it also creates new land upon which plants and animals come in to stake a claim. After an hour hike, we get to the beach, but the trek is still at least one more hour beyond this point to the nearest sighting of lava. Given Locke's hip, we take a few photos and opt to turn around. I'm glad that we took the helicopter ride as it turned out to be our only opportunity to view lava!

>> Al