Sorry About "Dean" and "Erin"

I hear our namesakes in the Gulf are causing great concern. I can only say, "Nothing personal!"

As promised, some photos from our trip yesterday up to Mauna Kea. Here's Dash and his friend Nathan with his broken wrist).

We traveled down the "belt" road to Hilo, cut North and got on the "saddle" road. The saddle road climbs from sea level to about 6,700 feet (not the 9000 I stated below) as it crosses between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. As we drove up, we hit the cloud layer and could see nothing. The landscape looks fairly young at this point (maybe 150 years of tree and fern growth over a lava flow), and then changes to a more recent lava flow that has very little but moss growing on it. It's like being on another planet. We stopped at mile marker 21 where there is a protected kipuka (an older area like an island that didn't get inundated with lava). Most kipukas are hills, but this one was a big cavity. It was one of few spots where you can still see I'iwi, a kind of rare honeycreeper ( a photo I pulled off the web, by Chandler Robbins). Dean and the boys saw one but I missed it. This kipuka is also the home of the native hawaiian raspberry that grows to the size of a small plumb (see Dash below before he eats one).

We had a snack on the 'a'a (very sharp lava that cut up my toes and fingers) and hollered at the boys to stop exploring on the rocks. This is not a safe place to send kids rock climbing. We continued on and drove above the cloud layer. We emerged onto the saddle with the two mountains towering on either side of us, in a clear blue sky. At about mile marker 28 from Hilo, you can take a right turn and head to the summit of Mauna Kea, over 13,000 feet! We drove up another 6 miles to the Visitor Center at about 9000 feet, where the air was perceptibly thinner and headache producing.

Dash and Nathan played on the computers, learned about the telescopes that are up at the summit, hiked through the protected silversword area and ate some astronaut ice cream. This red hill is neither Mauna Kea nor Mauna Loa, it's one of many pu'us on the saddle that I guess must be remnants from the original eruptions thousands of years ago. It was very red and imposing.

This photo is Mauna Loa viewed from Mauna Kea. Can you see all the black lines? Those are fairly recent lava flows (last 100 years). Our home is on the other side down at 4000 feet. Eeek, I just spent a few minutes Googling "Mauna Loa Eruptions Map" and got myself all freaked out.

Hurricane/Earthquake/Tsunami Follow-Up

The storm was a bust. It's windier here when the tradewinds blow. It got much calmer with the storm. Although it did rain for 4 straight days and nights (this is nothing compared to the 40 days and nights of rain that often happen during the rainy season). Our water catchment is full, which means long, guilt-free showers, even possible car washing. Another earthquake woke us up at about 3am Wednesday morning, my new best friend is http://tux.wr.usgs.gov/Quakes/quakes0.html where I can see all of the area earthquakes. Oh, I see there were two last night fairly close. I don't feel them unless they're in the high 3s. The thrills of living on top of a magma system. The earthquake in Peru put us under a tsunami watch, but nothing happened. I feel so close to nature here.

We're headed up the Saddle Road for some sight seeing today, I promise photos later. The Saddle Road goes up to about 9000 feet and runs between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea between Hilo in the East to Kona in the West. It's narrow, bumpy, windy and winding. Dash's friend, Nathan, is coming with us. Nathan broke his wrist riding his bike in front of our house yesterday, falling in the grass. It's not too serious or he wouldn't be coming with us. It hasn't stopped either of them from talking on the phone with eachother or playing Nintendo.

Storm's a comin'

The outcry of my fans has finally reached my ears. Just a quick note for those of you living vicariously through the Gallaghers, don't want you to lose hope!

I really should be working! As I write this, hurricane "Flossie" is heading this way. I should be nailing plywood to the windows! I should be buying Spam! Did you know it comes in about 10 different varieties? We're trying Hickory Smoke flavored if the power goes out. Did you know we are bracing for a Category 3 hurricane? Did you know we experience our first earthquake? Yep, 5.3. Very exciting. No damage, so I can say that it was exciting.

We had our first Florida visitors last week, the Appelson's-Gary, Susanna and Jessie, from Gainesville. We hiked across Kilauea Iki, went deep in the Thurston Lava Tube, down Kilauea via the Sandalwood trail to the base of the crater floor. We celebrated our 21st anniversary at the Kilauea Lodge (brie fried in coconut with pinapple salsa, Parker Ranch steak, hossenpfeffer, macadamia nut cream cake...). YUM!

Dash had a great first day at school yesterday, but school was cancelled for two days until the hurricane passes. Does this sound like Florida?
Last week, Dash and I went on a new hike together. We drove down Chain of Craters road in the National Park to the Mauna Ulu turnoff (I think Mauna Ulu means Growing Mountain) and hiked across a 1974 lava bed out about a mile to Pu'u Huluhulu (Shaggy Hill) which we climbed up. From its summit we could see east out to smoking Pu'u 'O'o (Literally, "hill of the 'o'o" (a species of native bird, a black honey eater, that is now extinct). It's the farthest hill in the picture of Dash and I. Pu'u 'O'o is the currently active vent.(Dean flew over it in a helicopter a few weeks ago)
Along the trail we saw the biggest ohelo bushes that were "Choke ohelo" which is pidgin english for "many ohelo berries." Ohelo is a kind of cranberry, very tasty, beloved food of the endangered nene (Hawaii's State Bird.) The trail also has many lava tree molds that look alot like Easter Island statues.

Dashiell absolutely loves living here. He and his best friend Nathan ride bikes through the neighborhood, go on hikes in the National Park, take "Dame Chuck" for walks up to the Volcano Winery and of course - Nintendo DS.


Ohelo (pronounced Oh - Hello) is the native Hawaiian cranberry. It grows directly out of lava flows and it tastes delicious! The bushes are protected in Volcanoes National Park so the endangered Nene can have plenty to eat. In our neighborhood across from the park - they are fair game and if you ever get the chance to sample ohelo jam you'll know why.

Dash has already started growing three bushes in flower pots in our back yard.


If any of you are planning a trip to Hawaii be sure to include the Big Island and Volcanoes National Park. We would love to see you and there really aren't many places where you can go from an alpine habitat (sometimes with snow), through tropical rainforests, hike waterfalls, traverse a dry desert and then hit the beach all within one day!

Plenny Alohas!