Hilo Hawaii

Finally we see land on the 5th day and we are all excited about getting off the ship to explore Hilo. Coming into port was awesome as it had been so many days of just the ocean, a container ship and the air drop of blood. We were back in civilization and it felt good, not that we minded the sea days.

The first vehicle we see is the ambulance that took the lady to the hospital that had the medical emergency and had the blood drop from the Coast Guard. She was the first off the ship and rightly so.

While we were waiting for the bus to our excursion it rained to beat the band. It rains a lot in Hilo each year (about 130 inches per year).

We had already set up an shore excursion to Volcano National Park, so we were looking forward to seeing an active volcano...from a distance that is. Little did we know that a couple of people that we had met on the ship were taking the same tour, so we hung out together all day. Meet Dave and Linda from Alabama. We just loved them both. Notice the short sleeves? Yes, it's warm in Hawaii.

The next picture is a sight seen all over Hawaii. The ponds and gardens are just beautiful and most of all plentiful. Isn't this just gorgeous? I thought you'd think so.

Mauna Loa began erupting between 700,000 and 1,000,000 years ago and has grown steadily since then. Like all of the Hawaiian islands, Mauna Loa has its origins in the Hawaii hotspot�a plume of magma rising from deep in the Earth's mantle. The hotspot remains in a fixed position, while the Pacific Plate drifts over it at a rate of about 4 inches (10 cm) per year. The upwelling of the hot magma creates volcanoes, and each individual volcano erupts for a few million years before the movement of the plate carries it away from the rising magma.

The hotspot has existed for at least 80 million years, and the Emperor Seamounts chain of old volcanoes stretches almost 3,600 miles (5,800 km) away from the hotspot. Currently, the hotspot feeds activity at five volcanoes: Mauna Loa, Kilauea, and Hualalai on the Big Island, Haleakala on Maui, and Lo?ihi, a submarine volcano south of the Big Island and the youngest Hawaiian volcano. Mauna Loa is the largest of these, although Kilauea is currently the site of the most intense volcanic activity. Source: Wikipedia (Mauna Loa)