Meadow’s Musings: Meadow Martell

I am back home in Cave Junction after three weeks in Hawaii. Hawaii officially became America’s 50th state in 1959 and is an archipelago that consists of 137 volcanic islands. Spanning 1,500 miles, Hawaii’s ocean coastline is consequently the only state that is an archipelago and the only state in the tropics. Hawaii is the fourth smallest state and also the most demographically diverse state. I stayed on Kauai, one of the 8 main islands.
My travel buddy and I stayed on the Big Island, mostly in Kailua. We traveled around quite a bit and made it as far as the Kalani Oceanside Retreat Center for the Mana Fest. Three days of art, music, dance, workshops and much more. I felt like I was at the Oregon Country Fair with a Hawaiian twist.
In Kailua-Kona we stayed at a friend’s house on the beach. I saw a lot of surfers there from the back porch. Kailua is a historic seaside town, a few miles south of the Kona International Airport. There were many shops, farmers markets and restaurants. I have to admit the Kona coffee shop was another daily hang out. We also had an interesting experience getting mineral foot baths in deep ocean water at the Kona Visitor Center. Not sure what they changed, but it was relaxing.
We visited Captain Cook at Kealakekua Bay hoping to get in some snorkeling, but it was too rough looking for us. My favorite place was the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, one of the most beautiful places I have visited. It is a gorgeous rainforest preserve that showcases tropical plants from all over the world. On the way there we stopped off at The Painted Church. This is a small church built in 1889 with a beautiful cemetery, garden, and murals inside.
We were very fortunate when we visited Hawaii’s Volcano National Park at night. We got to see Kilauea erupt. It was a stunning sight that I will never forget. Shortly after that time it stopped and didn’t actively erupt again while we were there. Watching a volcano erupt is one of those experiences that will stay with me for a long time.
I enjoyed my trip to Hawaii very much and it was good to get home again. I missed our ever-changing weather, the peace and quiet of home and our lovely small community.