Big Island Views

I'm back home in Monterey, but here are a few more views from the Big Island. This is Rainbow Falls, right in the city of Hilo. It was pouring rain the morning we visited...a not uncommon weather phenomenon in Hilo, which receives 130 inches of rain a year. The rain made the falls strong and muddy.

This is the house where we stayed my second week on the Big Island, called Orchid Elua. It's new...built in 2007...and has four bedrooms, each with private bath...perfect for a group. The pond in the foreground is a swimming hole shared with the neighboring house, which was vacant the whole week, so we had the pond to ourselves. It's heated to about 85-88 degrees by the volcano...sweet!

Onemanu Bay, on the coast north of Hilo. A quintessential tropical cove.

Whilst trekking in the jungle, a sighting was made of the Jungle Conster, a denizen of the rainforest only viewed on rare occasions. 'Tis a privilege to spot such a robust specimen of the species!