From low to high to low (visiting Hilo on day 9)

My travel companion is still not communicating and I have nothing planned for today, so I decide to explore the island further. The other large city (with a university) on the Big Island is Hilo, on the eastern coast of the island, where it is supposed to rain all the time and be green.  I will find out.

Half the route there is identical to yesterday’s trip to Mauna Kea.

The Mauna Kea Visitor Center sits 6 km off the Saddle Road, which is the road crossing the centre of the island, between the LARGE volcanoes Mauna Kea & Mauna Loa. While Mauna Kea has been dormant for something like 14000 years, if I remember properly , which seemingly is deemed sufficiently safe by astronomers to put 100s of millions of $s worth of equipment in its crater, no one would be crazy enough to put anything they don’t want to loose on top of Mauna Loa.  It last erupted in 1984 and people feel it's overdue.

Anyhow the Saddle Road is a rather barren area ;-)

 As soon as one approaches the eastern shore, the abundant rainfall becomes evident

 Cute little MONSTER weed !

Waterfront in Hilo

The hills above Hilo get plenty of rain and I'm driving through a downpour on the way back.

JUNGLE !

evidently back on the western half of the island again ;-)