Pictures from the lookout off of King Kamehameha III Road on the way to the snorkeling trip:

We spent Harvest Day/Thanksgiving snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay in a Hawaiian town called Captain Cook. I could tell Shea was excited. He took some footage on the way there.

The best snorkeling is near a monument where Captain Cook was killed by a Hawaiian chieftain after the locals had welcomed his crew with food and gifts.

Cook and his crew apparently returned the favor by accusing the locals of stealing a boat and then trying to capture their chief. Shea calls it a story of thanks and giving, so he took the opportunity to “dance” on the grave of a colonizer.

I took a video of Shea diving from the boat waving back at me, although I honestly wasn’t sure if that was him when I shot it.

Shea later found a picture of the monument with highly hilarious graffiti which made me laugh very loudly when I first saw it posted by him, and he didn’t even realize what was written in. Read carefully!

Technically he was not allowed to get up on the land from the water access without a permit, but he is a very accomplished swimmer and snorkeler. I was impressed. I snorkeled, but I was much more about relaxing in the water and taking in the goats on the hill, the ancient caves that were made by indigenous Hawaiians on the side of the cliff, and the general serenity of the cove we were in.

Anyone who knows me knows that my whole life I have loved being on the water, in the water, and on boats.

After a long day on a boat and in the car, Shea took some more footage on the drive back.

Beginning of trip with rain on the wet side of the island:

Singing along with Barbra and the sunset upon us while we drive back.

Right around the corner from these falls we stopped by this great kiosk for some awesome food and great customer service.

Pictures of the cauldron from the rim of Volcano National Park, one of two active volcanoes on the Big Island.

Panorama of Western Crater Edge:

A nice couple offered to take pictures of us outside of the main lava tunnel.

These pictures are closer to where the lava of this active volcano meets the water. Some of the parts were inaccessible and we had to walk to them because the road is now closed. That’s the nature of volcanoes! I also call this the end of the world, since it’s terraforming and making the Big Island bigger regularly.

This is one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to. The sand, water, and shade were just lovely, and the access to the beach while windy, was not treacherous. It was well-paved all the way down the hillside, even if the parking was a little bit hairy. There were nice bathrooms, but no commercial establishments. The water was calm and comfortably accessible with incredible views.

Up the hill from the beach park we stopped by a convenience store and this cool old church/school was just sitting there by the side of the road.

This wasn’t Shea’s favorite kind of sand, but I still found it intriguing and comfortable, even though I didn’t go in the water in part for fear of jagged volcanic rocks cutting up my toes again. You can see Maui in the background and there was barely anyone here. I’m not sure if this beach has a name nor would I know how to get back to it because it had such a hidden road to turn off from the main belt highway, but there is a campground. No one was really on the beach while we were there though.