"The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin
At the risk of overkill, let me tell you about another adventure on Hawaii. Many cruise itineraries visit both Hilo and Kona, giving passengers the convenient opportunity to explore both distinctive sides of this beautiful island. The Hilo side of Hawaii is where most of the rain falls, creating lush jungles with dramatic waterfalls, whereas on the Kona side the beaches and undersea world along the shores provide an entirely different vacation experience.
While vacationing in Kona, we decided to visit Volcanoes National Park on the Hilo side of the island, and in doing so, we came to appreciate what a tremendous favor the cruises do for travelers. It's not so much that the winding drive between the two sides is terrible, but compared to either coast, the drive is somewhat bland. What's worse is the lack of restaurants, gas stations or any other facility to use a restroom or get a drink en route.
At Volcanoes National Park, we watched a movie about Hawaii and then walked through a lava tube. After driving on a meandering road through the rain forest, we came to the coast from which we could see steam rising from the volcano in the distance. 
There wasn't any molten lava spewing into the air. Even after a long, hot hike to a vantage point, we couldn't see a red river spilling into the ocean to cool and increase the size of the island. The mere fact that this was somewhat disappointing, in light of the fact that nature could have broken up the black lava rock below our feet and swallowed us up, tells us how invincible we must feel. All in all, this is a nice place to visit, but I enjoy seeing waterfalls and hiking through jungles on the Hilo side more than visiting Volcanoes National Park.
---Benjamin Franklin
At the risk of overkill, let me tell you about another adventure on Hawaii. Many cruise itineraries visit both Hilo and Kona, giving passengers the convenient opportunity to explore both distinctive sides of this beautiful island. The Hilo side of Hawaii is where most of the rain falls, creating lush jungles with dramatic waterfalls, whereas on the Kona side the beaches and undersea world along the shores provide an entirely different vacation experience.
While vacationing in Kona, we decided to visit Volcanoes National Park on the Hilo side of the island, and in doing so, we came to appreciate what a tremendous favor the cruises do for travelers. It's not so much that the winding drive between the two sides is terrible, but compared to either coast, the drive is somewhat bland. What's worse is the lack of restaurants, gas stations or any other facility to use a restroom or get a drink en route.
At Volcanoes National Park, we watched a movie about Hawaii and then walked through a lava tube. After driving on a meandering road through the rain forest, we came to the coast from which we could see steam rising from the volcano in the distance. 
There wasn't any molten lava spewing into the air. Even after a long, hot hike to a vantage point, we couldn't see a red river spilling into the ocean to cool and increase the size of the island. The mere fact that this was somewhat disappointing, in light of the fact that nature could have broken up the black lava rock below our feet and swallowed us up, tells us how invincible we must feel. All in all, this is a nice place to visit, but I enjoy seeing waterfalls and hiking through jungles on the Hilo side more than visiting Volcanoes National Park.
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