Hawaii island has two very different sides. The Hilo side is wet, and has rainforests and waterfalls, with everything being lush and green.
The Kona side is dry, and has miles of lava fields which to me look barren and hostile. There are Wildlife Crossing signs in many places, but you know what the wildlife is here? Goats. Chickens. In one certain place on the highway, the sign is specific that there are Donkeys crossing at dusk and dawn. Fascinating.
There are cliffs and gorges along the edges of the island, with rather sheer rock cuts going along the sides of the mountains. All the mountains are actually volcanos, and are rather gigantic, and are not round cones or pyramids in shape. Most of the roads go around the edges of the island, with only a couple cutting through the middle between the mountains.
Waimea is 2500 feet up the side of Kohala, an extinct volcano. The peak is only 3500 feet high, but the view is pretty spectacular from up there. To go down the mountain to the beach it is a 12 mile drive, and it is all down hill. (it is VERY easy to speed down these roads, even if you aren't stepping on the gas!)
