Kilauea Lodge is in Volcano HI
How would you like to live in a place called Volcano? Seems like I’d be asking for “it”. But just outside the park is a little town called Volcano. Tourists stop at the post office to mail cards and letters so they can have a postmark “Volcano”. Also in Volcano is the Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant. That’s where we were headed for dinner. We’d turned in our dinner choices when we made our reservations for the tour. Dusk was falling and everyone was kind of laid back after our full morning and afternoon.
Nene Spotting
That’s when I spotted the Nene. It was on the left side of the road. The rain had started again and we had on headlights and windshield wipers. I said Nene and pointed . Zane said Where? But by that time we’d gone past it and I expect it had disappeared into the woods. I think Zane was skeptical but told me if I had seen a Nene I was very lucky because they were so rare. I was certain that was what I’d seen. Next time I’ll make sure to get a photo for proof!
The Restaurant at Kilauea Lodge
Surrounded by tropical gardens, this cozy, low-key lodge in a restored summer camp is a mile from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, 4 miles from the Thurston Lava Tube and 5 miles from the observatory on the rim of the Kilauea Volcano. We did run into a few problems with our handicapped guest. The lift on the stairs wasn’t working so Zane had to carry the wheel chair up to the porch while our guest had to slowly climb the stairs herself. Once in the restaurant the wheel chair didn’t fit in the restroom. After much maneuvering we did finally get it around the sharp corner and into the bathroom.
As for the meal, it was touted as gourmet at its finest. I guess I have a plebeian palette because I was not impressed. The steak was tough and the asparagus (one of my favorite vegetables) wasn’t just cooked al dente, it was hard and stringy. The vegetarian folks simply pushed their food around but didn’t eat it. The folks with the fish are the only ones to “clean their plates” They said the fish was excellent.
If You Go
Check out the International Fireplace of Friendship. The moment you walk into the Lodge restaurant, one of the first things that many notice is the fireplace. Centered in the dining room with a couch placed in front, you will notice this fireplace is not like most.Follow the link for the full story https://kilauealodge.com/blog/2016/08/international-fireplace/
Shortly after that the bus to bus radio crackled to life. There was a grizzly chasing a moose along side the road. The lead bus gave us the mile marker but by the time we got there they were gone. No sign of either moose or bear. A bit farther along the way we spotted another moose. This one was also trotting along the side of the road. Just as my window came even it turned and scrambled up the bank toward the woods. 
This lodge was pretty unique right down to the antler door handles. A shuttle bus took you around the property. The main activity here seemed to be Denali watching. It’s rare when the clouds clear to give a view of the peak. They even have an alert system so when Denali is visible you can check it out. We were lucky. A good portion of the mountain was visible the whole time we were there.
A pair of caribou raced across a frozen river as we passed by. At one stop some mushers came on to talk to us about dog sledding. About that time someone spotted a coupled of grizzly bears fresh out of hibernation. They were just tiny dots in the distance. After the first excitement of the train ride wore off it began to get a bit long. Lots of people used the time to nap. The 9 1/2 hour trip seemed endless. Probably because it stretched to 11 hours before we pulled into the station in Denali.
Off the train and onto a bus
The Return