After leaving the Information Center at 4000+ feet we rode down the hill into lush tropical forests near the coastline. Then all of a sudden we round a bend and the road is blocked by a still warm lava flow that was only a little over a month old. The island was cut in half! They allowed us to walk on the flow, but is was too hot for sandals . There were several burned out houses in the area, and at almost every intersection we noticed people standing in groups. I asked the tour guide who the people were, and he said they were Pakalolo people . Aloha mean both hello and good-bye

Curse of Pele Here in the Islands they believe that if you take a piece of Lava with you when you leave, bad luck will follow you all your days.

Mahalo Mahalo means Thank You  The guide said Pakalolo meant literally Loco Weed . They were Marijuana Growers who were worried about their Pot crops that they had planted in the area. After we got airborne again I had a greater respect for the old Hawaiian Gods . We returned to Honolulu International at about 6 PM and plotted our next day.  A day trip to Maui sounds good.

We enjoyed a break from the oppressive heat and humidity as most of the island is up a little higher in altitude than the other islands.

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