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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Gene, you still there?
  • Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007 10:22:41 -0700

Gene,
Did you get to walk through a lava tube???Did you see the bamboo that seemed a mile high? Did you go to the southeran most tip of the island and see all the "not in use" windmils and the trees growing at right angles from the wind? Spent almost a month on the big Island in 2002 and you brought back all the memories. The farmers market was a gardeners dream. Did you try any of the street corner Huley, huley chicken???
Did you snorkle among the beautiful fish? Did you go on a whale watch or had they left already?
Jeanne

Yeah, you have been there.

In addition to the dripping but tourist popular Thurston Lava Tube in the active volcano area I saw several other tubes and caves that resulted from lava tube construction. The eerily wooded Puako petroglyph area has a low cave that is the result of a tube. A few hundred yards to the south, on the way to the fish ponds, one walks through an area of many collapsed tubes. One with a good roof was no doubt used as a home as it is of adequate height and has through ventilation and a flat floor. The formation of lava tubes is unique. For those curious, a thick layer of lava flows to the sea, at some point the top layer cools sufficiently to solidify while the hot stuff continues to flow below, the flow stops because the volcano stops belching or the flow is diverted, and the hot stuff continues to flow and empty out the tube as it slides into the sea. Everything cools down and a long tube has been formed. Much later, thin roofs collapse, making the tubes accessible. Some tubes originating high in the mountains carry rainwater and create freshwater springs near the sea. Such areas are often identified by small palm groves.

Huley chicken? Didn't see or smell any of that. Farmers market vendors were happy to provide samples of seductive fruit, though. High bamboo, yep. Banyon trees that grow to the sky and full of flowering vines. Avoided the extreme south end where the big-money boys built it and the condo buyers did not come. Maybe the wind is the reason.

I no longer snorkel. I have enough memories of that in Japan to satisfy. Whales, yes, lots of them. Chris started watching them with the binocs when we were going through Lapakahi State Hist. Park, the 600-year-old village south of Kawaihae Harbor. She was so taken by them that I finally walked back to the car and left her there. Fortunately she became tired of holding up the binocs.






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