Big Island Hawaii

It is amazing to think that we are currently on the most isolated land mass in the world. We are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Big Island is one of the only places on Earth that is currently getting larger each day. In a few days we hope to be up close to active lava flowing into the ocean. We are staying on the west side of the island, and due to the rain shadow effect, the driest. Yesterday we drove around the north west tip of the island and watched amazingly as the landscaped turned from a dry, rocky, moon scape into lush rainforest within a few minutes. We have already encountered the "aloha" spirit meeting a few very friendly locals that have given us great tips on can't miss snorkeling and hiking spots. We are about to go way up in elevation about 13 000 feet to the astronomy observatory on the top of Mauna Kea. Driving is scenic - as the landscape changes every ten minutes and we play "count the feral goats" game and spot the donkey crossing signs. The donkeys used to be used in the coffee plantations and I'm not sure why the goats are here exactly.
Paul