Stepping off the plane it was hard to believe what my eyes revealed. I was expecting lush, tropical vegetation. I was expecting waterfalls, high clouds and rainbows. I was expecting a varietal plethora of plant species.




Instead I was greeted with a landscape not unlike our southwestern deserts, something you might see in Arizona, New Mexico or one of the other "Four Corner" states. It could have been the moon for all the black chunks of volcanic rock strewn about everywhere. A dry desert wind blew past my face as I took in my surroundings.

What I came to realize, and what I hope to impress upon you through this next series of articles following my adventures on the Big Island of Hawaii, is that this unique geological anomaly has many distinct and wonderful faces. Whatever preconceived notions that I had of an idyllic, tropical island paradise were both met and squashed within the same trip!

ER Harris