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The coastal town of Hilo is
the largest on the island of Hawaii and overlooks Hilo Bay. It is
the wettest city in the U.S. and one of the wettest in the world.
They have an average rainfall of 127.77 inches. Downtown Hilo was
almost destroyed by a tsumani on April 1, 1946, leading to the establishment
of the Pacific Tsumani Warning Center with an early warning system
to prevent such widespread loss of life again. The last of the Hilo
sugar plantations closed down in the 1990's. Today, Hilo's biggest
production is Macadamia nuts, which, along with tourism, helped
them make an economic recovery. Volcano National Park is about an
hour's drive from Hilo. Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory is about
2/3 of the way back (from VNP to Hilo).
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| Nothin' like cruisin'
Hawaii in a Mustang Convertible! |
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| Much of Crater Rim
Drive was closed due to the new vent that opened within Halema`uma`u
Crater in March 2008, so we could not circle the entire crater. We
did not see any flowing lava but we did see steam vents, volcanic
geological layering, and hardened (cold) lava. Shortly after stopping
at the Visitor's Center, it was closed due to volcanic gases in the
area. |
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| A short
but demanding walk from Crater Rim Drive down through
the lush rain forest brought us to The Thurston Lava Tube, a cavelike
natural structure, which we walked through (about a thousand feet
long). Lava caves like this are formed when a river of lava gradually
builds solid walls and a ceiling. When the lava flow stops and the
last of it passes downhill, a cave is formed. This tube was discovered
in 1913 by local newspaper publisher Lorrin Thurston. At that time
the roof of the tube was covered with lava stalactites, but those
soon disappeared to souvenir collectors. |
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| We stopped
by the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory, had lunch (including Mac
Nut ice cream) and bought some goodies.
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