Camping Club Trip #6 - Volcano Cabins!

Our little Tarzan

Ryan stopped sucking his thumb last December, but patiently waited three long months for his reward of getting to go camping at the volcano (it took that long to get everyone's schedules all synced up together).

The last time we were there was about 6 months ago with our nephew Zach and friend Paul, but the last time we camped there was over three years ago. At that time, we took the three boys on our inaugural Camping Club trip park cabins (Namakani Paio). Ryan wasn't even one yet and spent most of his time slurping away on the railing of his pack and play. ;-) Since that time, he's grown three years older, learned to walk and talk...and a private company was awarded the contract to manage the cabins. They wisely invested some money into the grossly neglected facilities...namely, replacing the dilapidated floors & bedding in the cabins and renovating the once grotty restrooms (thereby making me a very happy camper). And yes, pun intended.

As many times as I've been to the volcano (30? 40?), I am continually spellbound by the beauty and spirituality of the area. Here are a gazillion pictures of the trip-

On our way out to camp we stopped at Local Person Required Rest Area #1- Punalu'u Bake Shop! Rich fueled us all up on some guava and taro malasadas drizzled in a lilikoi-glaze while the boys took turns swinging from the roots of a banyan tree.

My parent's cabin (super cute, right?)

How cozy and adorable are the inside of these cabins?  

Once we got unpacked, it was time to explore the grounds!

Gathering firewood and wild orchids from the forest

The ever-creative Kenichi rigged up some punching bags with their sleeping bags and some bungee cords!

Uncle JJ & Aunty Lynne drove over from Hilo to hang out too! He taught the boys how to hide from us in the forest...nice!

Even my dad's cousin visiting from Oahu drove out! Here we are all scarfing down my mother's warm homemade beef stew and rice!

The lava lake in the crater...illuminated at night. Words and pictures don't do it any justice. Especially 1-2 year old cheap Kodak cameras that don't really zoom. ;-)

Plenty of beds in 2 cabins...but the brothers insisted on sleeping together in one bed like they do at home! Super cute.

Pounding a giant breakfast before their morning hike

At the top of the Kilauea Caldera, ready to descend! 

Grandpa taught the boys military maneuvers and lingo, so guess who kept getting ambushed all the way down to the crater by three very excitable 'soldiers' all bearing guava wood guns?

This didn't slow us down at all. :-)

Finally at the bottom!

It's always surreal to be in a crater...and even moreso to see plants thriving!

The beautiful ohia lehua blooming from the bottom of the Halema'uma'u Crater

Ripe ohelo berries...they always make me think of Aunty Lehua's lilikoi and ohelo berry lava jam. :-) I was so tempted to pluck one off the tree and eat it, but I kept flashing back to some film I saw as a child about how eating one before offering one to Pele (the Volcano goddess) can anger her. And since I'm not well versed in offering up food sacrifices and lack Hawaiian blood, I opted against taking the chance of having a lava flow diverted to Kona and left them all intact. ;-) 

Entering Thurston's lava tube

Breaktime!

And...scene! ;-)

The trip couldn't have gone any better. We're always grateful to help create and share these memories for the boys and their grandparents. I'm not sure when and where the next trip will be, but I do know that with only 6 down, we have many more trips and smiles to go.