It will be good-bye to Hilo tomorrow morning. Met Katey at the Hilo Coffee house, a cool place where they brew their own Kona and have a museum/farmers market. Delicious coffee with almost no acid taste. We left our car there and let Katey drive. We proceeded down in the "nose" of the Big Island to the Ahalanui Hot Ponds. This is an area in the Puna district that has natural hot springs fed by an inlet from the ocean. The water gets refreshed every day and i...

Had a wonderful day at Volcano National Park and visiting Katey. We first drove to the local post office to mail home some souvenirs. Then, through Hilo town and up the volcano. We met Katey at a little deli and transferred ourselves over to her car. Then, to visit her homestead. She and her sister have acreage here and are living completely off the grid. They have built their own homes and it is fascinating to observe a completely different way of life. Th...

We are in Hilo! Actually, 16 miles north of Hilo. Katey Quinn, an old friend from Key West, surprised us by meeting us at the airport complete with leis and welcome gifts. One of the nicest surprises ever! We went food shopping as the place we're staying is fairly remote. But what a place! Two "cottages" are on the property, each about 700 square feet with king bed, little kitchen, flat screen tv and large bathroom. Pool and hot tub 20 feet away and expansive vi...