Hawaii then home - 8-12th September 2010

Well, it's our last few days before getting back to the real world.  Had an early flight out of Calgary at 6.30am where it was about 3c and raining.  We had a change of planes in Seattle where it was the same (cold and raining) so I think we are leaving at the right time.  Didn't want to be in Calgary for when it gets to be -40c.  We can't even imagine that temperature.  We arrived in Honolulu to 30c and then transferred planes again to get to Hilo on the Big Island.  This place is much more laid back than Oahu.  We had a lovely couple of days walking around the town and driving to the Volcano National Park.  Yes, we had to do one more NP before we came home.

This is the beautiful park beside the hotel where we stayed

The cauldera where all the steam comes out

Lava Tube

This is where the lava flowed across the road in 2003 and buried a village

This is where the town used to be and the steam in the background is the moulton lava still flowing into the sea

Some of the houses didn't get destroyed and the people have moved back in, of course there are a lot for sale.  Now I don't know who would want to buy one of these houses, you definitely can't grow anything in the yard

Well, the holiday has finally come to an end and what more fitting way to leave the US than to fly on the last leg home at 9.42am on September 11,  we didn't realise when we booked it and it only dawned on us the day before we left.  Never mind we made it home safely,

THE END