A few clips from today's race at the Chocolay Ace Hardware training center.

Goodbye sweet Hawaii. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the tastes and smells. It was fitting that our last glance was the majestic Mauna Kea volcano, the tallest and most active volcano in the world.


















Hualali is the island's third youngest volcano and produced the lava flows that we landed on at the Kona International Airport.


















There are over 200 coffee farms along the Kona coast. We stopped at one to check out the process and buy some 100% Kona coffee to bring home.























The coffee we drink is actually the seed of the coffee bean. This is what it looks like before it's roasted.


















Jeni's favorite photo of the trip. This gecco came within inches of our lunch plates.


















While Erik competed in the Ironman, Jeni and I hung out in town...enjoying the beautiful weather.


















If there is a World Champion cinnamon roll, this one from the Lava Java cafe in Kailua-Kona would win. It was the biggest and most delicious Jeni and I have ever eaten.


















The coral reef gouged up Mik's foot, and this volunteer firefighter helped bandage it up.























The guy in the sweater owned the surfboard rental shop, and as it turned out he was also a doctor....a doctor that played ukele..."you'll live to see another day."


















Escaping from it all? We might have been nearly 3,000 miles from home, but cell phones kept everyone plugged in.


















The last sunset of the trip. It was hard to say goodbye to the sights, sounds of smells of paradise.

The day after the Ironman, the gang headed to Kealakekua Bay, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona for a morning of snorkeling in paradise.




















































The waves crashed in all morning, making it difficult to snorkel for too long. But they were fun to play in.



































Nicole Lepinski and Chris Harvey put on their fins...Mik is ready.


















Erik Hemstead wasted no time, hitting the water first.


















Mik looks at the fishies and coral reef.




















































Another day... another beach.


















Mik has nearly mastered Stand Up Paddleboarding, and starts to catch waves.








































Jeni heads out to try her hand at Stand Up Paddleboarding.



































Balancing turns out to be tiring on the legs.


















Jeni about to stand up...she did it, but we didn't catch it on camera.


















Mik catches a wave to top off the day. Woot. woot.

And they're off. 1900 tri-athletes start the swimming leg of the Ford Ironman World Championships. Erik is in there somewhere.








































Erik at the start of the marathon.


















The week also included workouts, including swimming. Where's Erik?



































Practice swim at the Harbor.























50 mile training ride from Mauna Lea to Kailua-Kona.

In search of lava we headed to the southeast side of the Big Island to Volcanoes National Park, where the Kilauea Volcano sits at 4096 feet.


















These signs were everywhere in the National Park, but sadly we didn't see any Nene




















































The Halema 'uma' u Crater overlook was our first stop. There wasn't any active lava flow, but the expanse was still spectacular.



































The Halema 'Uma 'U Crater last erupted in 1972.







Highest point of our relationship....4078 feet.


















Nicole and Chris smile for the camera.























Topicgraphical map at the Jaggar Museum.


















Nicole at the entrance to the Thurston Lava Tube.

Looked like the inside of a mine addet.

When we drove across the park, to the Kilauea Iki Crater overlook, and saw people hiking across it's vast expanse. It didn't take long to decide to hike down into it ourselves.

Watch out for the cracks....

Nicole checks out a small steam vent. Don't stand in front of the steam too long. It's hot.

The two white dots on the horizon are Chris and Mik on a exploratory detour of a steam vent.

Enjoying a Hawaiian style sauna.

A panaromic of this colossal site where lava erupted in 1959.

At over a mile across, the crater just keeps going.

This steam vent holds intrigue for the group. Lava anyone?

Can you hear me now?

Chris and Nicole at the rim of the largest steam vent in the crater.

Erik took it to the next level and got a closer look at the steam in this steam vent.

And while the Kiluea Iki Crater did threaten any molten explosions, it did prove dangerous for Jeni who found that surfing down a volcano is gnarly...literally.

Oh well, it's a free souveneir of Hawaii.