“We are here to drink beer,
We are here to kill war,
We are here to laugh at the odds,
And live our lives so well,
That Death will tremble to take us.”
— Charles Bukowski, German American poet
I was stationed in Hawaii, after boot camp, and before Vietnam. 1st Battalion 27th Marine Regiment was located at what is now Marine Base Hawaii, on Oahu. I found my time there enjoyable, overall, and certainly preferred it to my trip to Asia.
I’ve travelled back a few times. On a trip to the Island of Hawaii (also known as The Big Island), my wife and I visited the Village of Volcano, just outside the boundary of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The park was established in 1916, and features both Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. The park ranges in elevation from sea level to 13,677 feet at Mauna Loa. It encompasses 505 square miles. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kilauea Volcano is much in the news at present, due to earthquakes and resultant lava eruptions. It’s an amazing part of the world, and I recommend visiting it. Just not right now.
It was different to walk around in the park, with occasional cracks in the earth emitting steam, sometimes scented with sulfur. While there are many that would guess that the sulfurous tang of brimstone might follow me wherever I may roam. I have no tail, nor horns, my tongue is not forked, and I would argue, that any hint of brimstone fragrance would be subtle, perhaps even faint. The gases emitted from the cracks in the earth were not always entirely benign, but they were easily avoided. Stay away from the steam.
There was lava. Sometimes it had flowed over roadways. Lava goes where it wants. And sometimes we would see little wildflowers that had found sufficient purchase in the lava to grow and take advantage of the plentiful sunlight and rain. We hiked around, and trod over different types of hardened lava.
At one point during a hike we came upon a sign that read, “Danger! Unstable Earth! Lava Flow Area! Do not proceed beyond this sign!” Wow. It looked like everywhere else we’d been walking. My brother-in-law was a worrier. I couldn’t resist. I had Mrs. B walk past the sign 20 feet or so, which clearly wasn’t dangerous. I thought. She did too. I have no doubt that continuing on would have been unwise, but I wanted a photo. The sign was in the foreground. Mrs. B was a bit past it.
I’m sure Andy loved it. It went nicely with another photo I’d sent to him, again with his sister posed by a sign. We were coming into the small town of Pacific Beach, Washington, where we had reservations at a place right at the ocean. In this case, the sign read, “Pacific Beach,” and showed an arrow pointed to the left <. And, “Tsunami Evacuation Route,” with an arrow pointed to the right >.
While we were visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, we stayed in the Village of Volcano. We rented a small bungalow. Which was very nice. Just outside the slider was a fern forest. There were tree ferns. This time I was the model, and Mrs. B the photographer. The picture shows me sitting on the trunk of fern that had fallen over. I suppose it was 18” in diameter. Ferns in Hawaii, like the centipedes, grow to gigantic proportions.
In the tiny village, there was a marvelous Thai restaurant. It benefitted from the abundance and high quality of produce, grown locally. We visited the local farmers’ market, and were dazzled by what was on offer. There was the highly esteemed Kona coffee, avocados, mangos, macadamia nuts, and flowers. It is said that Hawaiian marijuana is prized as well.
Within the boundaries of the National Park is the Kilauea Military Camp, where tiny cottages can be rented for low rates to those qualified to use it. E Club, however, was open to everyone. And it wasn’t just an E Club; it was not only for enlisted men/women, but officers and staff NCOs too. It was open to the public. We went in one afternoon for liquid sustenance, and engaged in friendly banter, primarily about military histories.
We spent five amazing days in Volcano. We felt fortunate to view this different, starkly beautiful landscape.
The present geological activity is both destructive and creative. New land is formed by the lava cooling as it flows to the sea. Homes are destroyed, new land mass is created. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on earth. It will be quiet for time. And it will awaken. One resident said, “When Pele comes, Pele comes.”
