By request again, here's our full-day meander to the Hawaii Volcano National Park. Eating explorations included the previously-mentioned Tex Drive Inn in Honoka'a, a power-shopping stop at Big Island Delights in Hilo and dinner at Huli Sue's in Waimea. We made our own sandwiches and brought along some wasabi doritos for lunch at the park.

Driving on the Big Island, while not far by Mainland standards, seems deceptively long. It's best to stay on the coastal roads (My sister calls it the "Circle Island Road.") It is lit and pretty well-maintained. Don't expect freeway speed, so give your lead-foot a rest. Finally, if you must drive Saddle Road, know that it can be a little treacherous. And at night, it can be flat-out dangerous and spooky.

Since we were staying north of Kona, we went around via Waimea, Honoka'a, Lapahoehoe, Keeau, Hilo, Mountain View and finally to Volcano and then back the same way. We left around 9:00 and got back around 10:00 pm.

First stop: Honoka'a Tex Drive Inn. Malasada and Rest Stop. 
Look for the BIG sign on the left. Click here for malasada assessment. 

Next stop: Hilo at Big Island Delights and another Rest Stop. 
762-4 Kanoelehua Avenue (on the main road, in a small strip mall)
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
www.bigislanddelights.com

A great place to stock up on local-kine snacks. Nothing says "I love you" quite like heart-shaped li-hing kaki mochi (arare).

Destination: Hawaii Volcano National Park
Volcano National Park is a 'chicken skin' place where you immediately realize and gain utmost respect for how powerful the earth and Madame Pele are. To make the most of your visit, here are our suggestions:

1) Bring your own food, good shoes (no slippers!) and flashlights. Food is very important because there are are no food places in the park or nearby. We were fully stocked with Tex malasadas, homemade sandwiches (no mayo because it is a long day) and wasabi Doritos. The spring water taps are a great way to refill your water bottles. No, you won't get sick from it. Volcanic filtering produces some of the cleanest water in the world.

2) Go to the Visitor Center first to decide what you want to do, and more importantly, to confirm what's open or closed off. Kilauea is very much alive and conditions vary daily. We did a 4-5 hour highlights tour. 

3) Start easy with the steam and sulphur vents. This is a very short, flat walk on a clearly marked path/walkway. Get a free steam facial and clear out your sinuses too! Look along the ground for the sleeping grass too. 

4) Take a hike. We chose Kilauea Iki, a moderate 4 miles with a 400 ft ascent/descent. You hike down into the Kilauea Iki crater, cross it and hike back up. The change in plant life from rainforest top of crater to steaming lava vents and no vegetation is amazing. It's also best to go in order of the trail markers (1-15), rather than reverse order, which you see first.

5) Check out the Thurston Lava Tubes. This is where the flashlight comes in. Half of the lava tubes is lit, and the other deeper half is a dark flashlight tour. There are times when the flashlight portion is closed off, but when it's open, it's a lot of fun. Just go slowly.

Dinner at Huli Sue's
On the way back to Kona, we stopped at Huli Sue's in Waimea. It's a family-oriented place with homestyle food. 4 grubby, hungry kids and 4 equally grubby and hungry parents would not have been a good scene at Merriman's! Next time...

Huli Sue's was the perfect place to end the day. Picnic tables and an easy-going atmosphere, plus hearty portions and friendly service. We all had a combination of BBQ, and one amazing seafood curry.

Just another day in Paradise. Eat Well. Be Well.

Malasadas.

The mere mention makes me swoon. When I'm in Hawaii, I'll take a box of fresh, warm, light and oh-so-fluffy Leonard's malasadas to my cranky Dad, who sneers and gruffly harrumphs, "Hmmph. I ate already." Two minutes later, he's got that happy/guilty "I swallowed a canary" sugar-caked grin on his face.

Not all malasadas are created equal. I've sampled Portuguese bakeries in Santa Clara and Rhode Island/Massachusetts and nothing comes close to fluffy awesome pastry confection of Leonard's. Even on the Big Island.

We've been wandering around the Big Island this vacation. For malasadas, the guidebooks tell you to go Tex Drive Inn in Honoka'a, about an hour from Kailua-Kona going toward Hilo via Waimea. But for an Oahu girl, this is not a malasada.  Gasp! And sorry to all the awesome Big Island folks and 912 Facebook friends of Tex. 

There are definite positives--the dough part of Tex malasadas have a nice, just-slightly-sweet flavor. The fillings--apple, Bavarian creme and guava in particular are very good. They have a Krispy-Kreme-style viewing area to watch them make these little pillows of pastry and the bathrooms are very clean. This is important on the long drive between Hilo and Kona.

But Tex malasadas are more like square jelly donuts. Tasty and sweet. With out-of-control, amazing fillings, but jelly donuts nonetheless. It was still worth the stop get a few to snack on for a long drive to or from Volcano. But I just can't think of them as malasadas.  

While we would stop at Tex next time we are driving through, my heart and taste buds belong to Leonard's.

Eat Well. Be Well.