Having just returned from a fantastic trip to the Big Island of Hawaii (also called Hawaii), I wanted to list a few things that are must do’s if you go there.  Well, they are must do’s for Diane and me, but I think others would like it.

First, you have to visit Volcano National Park.  There’s nothing quite like it that I’ve ever seen.  To see how an eruption can utterly change the landscape, and then see how nature fights back to regrow grass and trees is incredible.

Second, the most southern point of the entire US is on the Big Island.  In the Continental US, it’s Key West in Florida.  But, for the whole country, you have to head out to South Point, Hawaii.  The first thing that’s cool is the lack of commercialization of the spot.  It’s tacky as hell in Key West but not a single marker in Hawaii.  I guess we can thank Buffett for that.  :-)

But, what’s really impressive is the wind farm.  It’s very breezy there and there are four tiers of wind turbines on a cliff near South Point.  Some of the farm has been in disuse, evidenced by broken turbines, missing blades, etc.  But, the line of turbines closest to the cliff were in full motion while we were there.  It was amazing to see cows laying in the grass below the field, trees whose limbs were bent by the wind for years and nature being turned into power with nary an impact on the environment.

And, if the blending of technology and nature isn’t enough, along South Point’s cliff is a place for campers and cliff divers.  A woman had jumped into a lava tube that lead out to the ocean while we were there.  There are ladders to climb back up.  A little too much for me, but definitely cool.

The next must do is to take the northern highway, Rt. 19, from Kona to Hilo.  You are on an island, but as you travel the coast, up into the mountains and then back down to Hilo and Volcano National Park, you travel through an amazing changing landscape.  We felt like we were in Ireland, upstate New York, Maryland, southern Arizona, Boulder (Colorado) and various ocean communities.

Along this route, you will pass another must do for dinner.  Go to Merriman’s, a fantastic restaurant that tries to draw all its menu ingredients from locally sourced places.  They boast 90%+ of their ingredients come from the island.  Their fish and salad specials are killer, their wine list broad and affordable, the desserts utterly sinful and the service top notch.  What a fantastic place to have a romantic evening meal.

Finally, and this is for the beer fans, you have to visit the Kona Brewery.  Amazingly, it’s in Kona, on the northern side.  They brew kegs onsite but the bottled stuff is all done in Washington and Oregon states.  I appreciated their integrity and honesty in explaining all this during the brewery tour we took (daily at 10:30 & 3 pm).  Funny thing was, I bought some Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale about 6 miles from our hotel and about 25 from the brewery.  It was brewed in Oregon I think.  But, we drank great stuff on tap that was brewed not more than 50 feet from where we were sitting.  If you go, try their Fire Rock Pale Ale, Castaway IPA and Diane’s favorite, Wailua Wheat Ale.