In most places people would steer clear of an active volcano, but not Hawaii.

So while in Hawaii we did as the Hawaiians and came to the caldera, the closest spot for viewing the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea. Madame Pele has been pushing lava from this volcano for more than 25 years while the nearby Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes stand quietly in full view.

Hawaii Forest and Trail brought the Elliott Family to Volcanoes National Park, through the Lava Tubes, along the sulfer trail and up to the Jaggar Museum. We stopped for dinner at Volcano Garden Arts, the best place on the island to pick up hand-made art souvenirs for family and friends.

We picked up turtles carved from bone for our cousins back in New Jersey and Connecticut.

Ever wonder where that delicious fresh fish comes from? The Elliott kids know.

We met Books Takenaka, assistant general manager at the United Fishing Agency early in the morning to see the freshest catch in Hawaii. The place was crowded with fish and serious fish buyers like George Mavrothalassitis, chef/proprietor of Honolulu’s top-rated Chef Mavro restaurant.

Check out the fresh catch of the day. We had breakfast at Nico’s at Pier 38 where fresh fish and eggs are always on the menu.

While on the Big Island, future scientist Aren Elliott had two questions: when do we go to the volcano and are there any scientist on this island. Well yes Aren, there’s plenty to interest scientists on the Big Island from the 11 out of 13 climates across the terrain, to the incredibly brilliant night skies perfect for constellation spotting. Not to mention those volcanoes.

But the science-technology hub of international interest is at Natural Energy Lab of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) Hawaii Gateway Energy Center. Why? Because when you live on such a remote string of islands you need to consider alternate sources of energy.

In Hawaii they look to the sea. Deep into the sea. 500 leagues into the sea deep.

After an introduction to the science behind Hawaii’s solar thermal energy concepts with Guy Toyama we learned how to boil a liquid with the heat of our hand then visited Keahole Solar Power to see first hand how surface water heated by the sun and cooler deep sea water can be used together to generate enough power to operate a generator or other machinery. You see energy operations manager Dean Towle starting up the machine and showing off the solar plates at the beginning and end of the video.

Afterwards we trekked to Big Island Abalone, which takes advantage of the rich nutrients found in the deep-water current to farm raise exceptionally healthy abalone – seafood revered in Japan. Aren didn’t like the sample served onsite but Iden did enjoy playing with his food. Our guide, Hiroshi Arai, found an exceptionally large shellfish for the kids to hold. It is much bigger than the ones they sell. Our travel companion, Chef Olelo pa’a Faith Ogawa, later prepared the most delicate breaded delicacy.

On we went to Cyanotech, an organization that uses the nutrient rich deep-sea water to grow microalgae. In the video you can see the waters behind Aren change in color from clear to light foam green to deeper green as the Spirulina are cultivated. The last “lake” is Haematococcus microalgae, which is a green algae that when stressed turns a deep red color. It is the red Astaxanthin shield that acts as a natural anti-inflammatory and is a unique antioxidant that provides benefits to the brain. Both the Spirulina and Astaxanthin are harvested and used in nutritional supplements.

Our video closes with the ocean shore where we enjoyed a light lunch and some splashing. Not to terribly scientific. Still, there is so much we gain from the sea.

Wiki means fast, Paniolo is cowboy and slow down is “Whoa.” Those are the key words needed when talking about Hawaiian ranch culture. The kids really enjoyed being cowboys-in-training at Anna Ranch Heritage Center in Waimea. We especially enjoyed roping, leather working and the on-site blacksmith. The herd of Charolais cattle stayed on the far side of the 110 acre property. They must have seen how well the kids could lasso and just wanted to stay out of harm’s way.

The ranch was the home of Anna Leialoha Lindsey Perry-Fiske who was known as the “First Lady of Ranching” in Hawaii. There are a variety of artifact and heirlooms on display, but the best part of the visit happened at the blacksmith and saddle-making workshops.

Special thanks to executive director Kay Kammerzell, blacksmith Ethan Froney and master saddle maker and leather crafter, Albert Moniz who made this visit unforgettable.

Aren, Iden and Erysse explore the micro-climates of Hawaii’s Big Island. Our first adventure drew us to Kapa ‘au and the arresting views of the Kohala Mountains found along Highway 250, breath taking beach-scape and historic home along highway 270 and the not-to-be-missed Pololu Valley Overlook.

We had lunch at the infamous Big Island Bamboo Restaurant and enjoyed snowball-sized shaved ice in Hawi. We finished the day with an amazing sunset from our condo at Mauna Lani Point.

We know you’re not supposed to do too much when you’re on vacation, but really you never know when you’ll have the chance to come back. So we stuffed as much as possible into two days at Hawk’s Cay – our favorite resort in the Florida Keys if you traveling with family – and here’s the result. Non-stop fun, even when it’s raining!

Okay, so we may have gotten a little carried away while visiting Beverly Hills, but who could resist Breakfast at Nate ‘n Al’s, the kids spa treatments at the Beverly Wilshire, the Beverly Hills Trolley, a peek inside the Greystone Mansion and a relaxing late afternoon swim at The Peninsula.

The Pacific Ocean is a bit cooler than the Atlantic, still the Elliott kids wanted at least one day at the beach. Who knew there was so much to do without even getting wet? Our favorite spot was the Marion Davies House and the beautiful Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach.

Why won’t anyone try the ceviche? Could be the prominent squid, complete with tentacles. Hopefully the kids can find something else on the menu at Neptunes Net in Malibu, California. Lack of a kids menu isn’t a problem as long as you also serve cheese burgers.

A rare treat, the Elliott family gets a guided tour of the Ballona Wetlands. This section of the park is currently being rehabilitated. We met up with a troop of boy scouts clearing some exotic grasses to make way for more native plants. Can you believe this is so close to Los Angeles?