Aloha From the Big Island

We're hanging out on the Big Island of Hawaii, and have been having lots of fun. On our first day we took a kayak out on the sea to what is considered the best snorkeling place in all of Hawaii. The water was amazingly clear and the fish were spectacular. We also were helped by a nice local who helped us get our kayak out the dock, and then gave us tips on where to go. After we returned he gave us a hand getting the kayak on top of our car. Granted, he wanted a tip, but it was still really nice of him to help tourists like us.
The next day we had breakfast at a great little place called Aloha Cafe and found it to be well stocked with vegetarian friendly food! We sat out on a small balcony with little lizards running around everywhere. Then we hit Greenfield coffee plantation for a short tour of the plantation and had some really great coffee. The Kona coffee is much less acidic and we found it more enjoyable than what we usually get back home. After that we headed on to the Volcano. The big thing we wanted to see was some lava, and the best time to see it is in the evening when the glow is more visible. So we drove down to the end of the park, where the road is closed due to a lava flow. From there you are allowed to hike for a few very uneven miles to a roped off area where you can see the flow hitting the ocean. The steam plumes coming off were unreal, and as the sun set we could the bright red glow of the lava from afar. Occasionally there would be big splashes of lava like fireworks in the water.
After a flashlight led hike back to the car, we moved into our cabin for the evening near the national park.