Mountain View to Hilo

Today was just a long plane flight to the Big Island. I got to the airport ridiculously early, even for me, as I was concerned about securing transport early on Christmas morning. I had a four hour layover in Maui, which put me into Hilo later than I would have liked (6 PM) as I still had to collect my luggage and my rental car and drive up the mountain to my lodging. It was another dark and foggy drive, fortunately not too long.

I’m staying at Volcano Rainforest Retreat, in a small cottage that features a wrap-around view of the surrounding rainforest. Danyelle was kind enough to meet me at 7 PM on Christmas night. She oriented me to the wonderful property and my lovely cottage, which features many amenities, including an outdoor shower and bath. This small property is close to HI Volcanoes NP, which I plan to visit tomorrow.