Postcards from the Big Island

My first visit. I hope to return before too long.

We stayed on the west coast near Captain Cook, up the road from Pebbles Beach. Ancient trails extend north and south from the beach, across lava flows from Mauna Loa. Lava flows are a dominant feature of Hawaii, which of course is still growing, although apparently there is a new baby island on the way in a few hundred thousand years...

Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. Wikipedia: "The historical park preserves the site where, up until the early 19th century, Hawaiians who broke a kapu (one of the ancient laws) could avoid certain death by fleeing to this place of refuge or puʻuhonua. The offender would be absolved by a priest and freed to leave. Defeated warriors and non-combatants could also find refuge here during times of battle. The grounds just outside the Great Wall that encloses the puʻuhonua were home to several generations of powerful chiefs."

Kilauea Iki Trail / Crater. An awesome hike across the floor of a crater that last erupted in 1959, right next door to the active crater at Kilauea. The native ʻōhiʻa lehua tree is trying its best to colonize every nook and cranny.

Makuala O'oma Trail. Fantastic trail through the cloud forest above Kona. The native hāpuʻu tree fern is abundant here, lending a Jurassic Park quality to the place. Invasive ginger plants are a real problem, though their flowers are pretty and fragrant.

Mangos of many varieties and awesome smoothies can be had at the South Kona Fruit Stand. Don't miss it.

South Point, the southern-most point in the United States, is thought to be the first place of landing and settlement of the original Polynesian voyagers to Hawaii. It's a pretty windswept and bleak part of the island, but apparently the fishing is good.

Economic malaise and blame

This post from Paul Romer sums up my own impression of current macroeconomic conditions in the United States, which are not all that bad but widely perceived to be so, and for which it is predicted that Biden will be blamed by the voters even though little of it is his fault or under his control. The Fed appears to be planning to make matters worse. Grrr.

Carson Pass country, again

Last week MK and I camped for a couple nights up at Woods Lake CG. I try to go every year, and this year for the third time I hiked what may be my favorite "day hike" in the Sierras: From Woods Lake up to Lake Winnemucca, then to Round Top and 4th of July Lakes, down into the Summit City Canyon, up to Forestdale Divide, and finally returning around the base of Elephant's Back to Woods Lake. "Day hike" is in scare quotes because this is a 16.5 mile round trip, with a total elevation gain of somewhere around 3,000 feet– a combo that pushes my physical limits, at least at my current level of non-conditioning. That said, the vistas and abundant and diverse wildflowers and other plants are breathtaking nearly every step of the way. Along the deep, rugged, and spectacular Summit City Canyon, you are alone in the wilderness– we encountered not another human soul after Round Top until we reached the Pacific Crest Trail at Forestdale many miles later.

Photos can't really do it justice, but here a few snapshots with the Pixel anyway. The lichen picture is a cheat, having been taken near the Meiss Col on the other side of Highway 88... but such lichens!