After checking out Hilo for a bit we headed to our destination for the next two evenings, Volcano Village. Years ago, the Missus and I spent our honeymoon at Volcano House and we have always had a great affection for the Big Island. One of our traditions is visiting Volcanoes National Park whenever we're on the Big Island, though we both had a hard time believing it had been a decade since our last visit!
I had been very excited about our visit because at the time I booked this trip, both Halemaʻumaʻu and Mauna Loa were erupting! Something that I had always wanted to see; especially at Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in Kilauea Caldera. Sadly, by the 9th of December, the eruption ended. I was kind of bummed. But to our amazement on January 5th Halemaʻumaʻu Crater started erupting again!
So, we headed right into Volcanoes National Park and stopped at the Visitors Center.
Our experiences with Rangers at National Parks have always been wonderful and this was no different. We were given info and told that the lava activity could be viewed from Kilauea Overlook. To my surprise we easily found parking and just a few yards away was the viewpoint. We enjoyed the view and stayed for a while.
We then headed off to check-in at our accommodations. I wasn't able to get reservations at Volcano House and decided we should stay in Volcano Village near the entrance to the national park. I picked Kilauea Lodge, which turned out to be a wonderful place to stay.
This was the former location of a YMCA Camp and the wonderfully comfortable rooms and amazing staff made staying here a pleasure.
The sound of the birds chirping, surrounded by rain forest…….so different from our "real world".
The Missus and I wanted to head back to see the eruption at night, so we inquired about dinner reservations. The great staff got us dinner reservations early….the place seemed totally booked, so we could head off to watch the lava action. We then took a short walk around the hotel grounds and rested up for a bit, before walking over to the dining room, which was a large rustic space with the "Fireplace of Friendship" as the centerpiece.
The customers were a mix of Kama'ainas and Tourists. Though it seems the locals come for happy hour and leave early.
We were happy to note that the focus is on local produce and ingredients.
We started with some Crabcakes ($14).
The crabcakes were on the dry and bland side and the panko crust just wasn't crisp enough for us. The crab just lacked the delicate sweetness we look for.
For Her main, the Crispy Tofu ($28). While the tofu wasn't fried and crisp enough, the produce was amazing.
The cauliflower was buttery and sweet and the mushrooms were so meaty and earthy, they were the highlight of the plate.
I got the catch of the day ($35) which was Ahi.
Again, the highlight of the plate were the veggies; the cauliflower and even the potatoes were so tasty. Sadly, the ahi was cooked to death and dry. The lemon-butter sauce could have used a bit more seasoning and acidity as it was quite bland.
Still, the service was so warm and friendly, our water was kept filled….no wine on this evening as we'd be heading back into the park. The staff here is amazing as we saw several very entitled and demanding customers and yet he staff still handled things with grace and aloha. The service made this a nice meal.
Kilauea Lodge Restaurant
19-3948 Old Volcano Road
Volcano Village, HI 96785
After dinner, we headed back into the park. And man, was it busy. We were guided to a field close to Kilauea Military Camp and then took the Kau Desert Trail, much of which is paved to the overlook. And what greeted us was breathtaking.
Words cannot express the drama, beauty, and grandness of it all.
It's something that I've waited all my life to see and it exceeded my expectations. Madame Pele really delivered.
The Missus couldn't understand why I was so taken by this, after all "you grew up in Hawaii, doesn't everyone see this all the time?" I tried to explain to Her how blessed we were to see and experience this. There are folks I grew up with who have never seen anything like this, locals who lived their entire life without being witness the power, the drama we were seeing. We're given a view into how our islands, nay the world, was formed. This was something special. Once you see something like this you'll never forget it. I know I never will…..
Thanks for stopping by!
dinner, She said, "I'd like some ramen…." So, my first thought was Menya of course. But then I remembered "FOY" Junichi's mention of enjoying having a bowl of ramen at Santouka. Santouka holds a special place in our hearts. We consider it to be the first "real" ramen spot to open in San Diego, which started what we call "San Diego's Ramen Renaissance" back in 2008. Over the years it's the 
Man, this was so much better than takeout. The noodles, which were the biggest issue with takeout was decently springy. Still not quite I recall it being in the "good old days", but much better.
We managed to get a high-top for two. And along with the standard menu, the menu del-dia was presented. There was a nice, easy going, yet joyous vibe here. Folks were having fun. There was a group of folks, it seemed like employees from a company having a "very" happy hour. They asked me to take a photo of them. Of course, being American, I told them to say "cheese"….perhaps I should have had them say "fromage"?
We started at the top right corner of this map (Green Line), changed to the Orange Line and after getting downtown, changed again to the Blue Line going North, ending up at the top left of this map. (Going home, we changed from the Blue to the Green Line)
It was sunny leaving Santee.
Then it got a bit cloudy when we hit downtown.
Many people left the Trolley at this stop, since it was closest to the Ballpark and the Padres had a playoff game.
By the time we were headed on the 'new' line, alongside Interstate 5, there was full fog.
We stayed on until the last stop, followed signage (and the other people who exited) to the Mall (through the parking lot) and eventually got to the Food Court, which overlooks the Ice Rink.
After checking all of the Food Court offerings, we decide on a meal and went off to order. The Mister stopped here, at Craft Pizza.
He ordered a Calzone with ham, sausage and mushrooms; an item going back to our dating days. This was excellent.
I went over to Kebab Grill and ordered a 'Lunch Special' advertised behind the cash register to the left in this photo.
Salad and
Lentil soup. Each was really good and made for a filling and complete meal. Then we started walking around the mall. 
The Mall has remained about the same, with new stores taking the place of old ones. There were some interesting vending machines.
Then we saw this. Had to stop.
A great selection of cookies, cupcakes, pastries and ice cream as well as hot and cold beverages. 
We shared a cup of coffee and a 
It was still overcast changing from the Blue Line to Green Line in Old Town.
Passing the new Snapdragon Stadium and back to sunshine by the time we got home.
We walked past places that would become all too familiar during our short stay in Edinburgh, like the St Giles Cathedral, which we'd visit the following day and the distinctive 
It wasn't a very large farmer's market, at least on this day. But the Missus did find some soap She loved. And folks were really friendly and nice.
