Aloha, Paradise

Today is our last day in Hawai'i. Our flight leaves about 9:30 tonight, so we actually do have a full day here.

This morning, Steve and the boys headed to the beach for one last splash. The boys chose Hapuna, so that's where they went.

I stayed home to pack our 300 pounds of luggage. (You think I exaggerate? Not by much. I'm sure it's over 200 pounds, easily.) I also stopped by Kona Scrapbook to pick up some beautiful papers I've had my eye on since I first arrived. (Please don't ask me how my scrapbook is going. I'll tell you when it's done!)

For lunch, we made our last visit to Quinn's (home of the awesome ono and chips). Now it's time for the last-minute stuff--washing swimsuits, stuffing bottles of Jack & Pineapple Rum into my suitcase, making sure we don't accidentally bring home a gecko.

It's hard to believe that, by this time tomorrow (whatever that means), we'll be back at our real home in Colorado, and this trip will be a memory.

I'm planning to upload all of my photos (not just the ones deemed "blog worthy") to Kodak Gallery once I return. If you want to see them, please let me know and I'll send you the link.

This will probably be my last post to this blog. Mahalo for sticking with us. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about our trip (or that you quit reading weeks ago if you didn't!).

Aloha!

We Finally Found THE Beach!

OK, when Steve and I were here 6 1/2 years ago, we went to this beach. Some of you have heard this story many times by now, but some of you haven't, so here it is again:

We bumped down this horrendous 4WD road. (Keep in mind I was newly pregnant with David and a bit grumpy/worried about driving on these roads, despite my OB telling me nothing bad was going to happen to me or the baby by doing this.) At the end of the road, we then had to walk what seemed like miles to get to a beach. It was OK (and in fact, quite beautiful) but I was still grumpy about the bumping and walking, so I really didn't enjoy it.

Then, the naked people arrived. Suddenly, I looked over and there were these two young women frolicking (there's really no other word to describe what they were doing) while this old man took pictures of them and an old woman helped him out (with those photography umbrella things, etc.). We decided they must be doing some kind of photo shoot, and basically tried to ignore them (or, in Steve's case, tried to watch them without being too obvious). Otherwise, we had this beach all to ourselves.

Fast forward to this trip. We've talked about visiting this beach again, but thought it was a different one (see the post on Makalawena for details about that). So, on Tuesday, we head to Kua Bay. It's part of a state park and has a paved access road to it. It's supposed to be really nice, beautiful, etc., but no way do we think it could be THE beach. And it is!

Of course, now that there is a paved road to it, there were considerably more people there. But it was still beautiful, and I enjoyed it much more this time. Plus, since it's only recently become part of the state park, the bathrooms are brand-new, clean and modern. Very nice.

So, cool thing is that we finally found our missing beach; not so cool is that it was the day before we have to leave for home.

Snorkeling Fools 3

Steve and the boys made their last trip to the snorkeling beach today. Evelyn and I went too, but neither of us snorkeled. I am so impressed with how quickly they've picked up this activity and really enjoyed it. It is definitely something we'll try to work into future outings.

If you look closely in the picture above, you can find Evelyn, Steve and both boys (kind of like a "Where's Waldo?" game). Of course, Steve has a snorkel on (top right) and both boys are face down in the water near him, so you can pretend you've found them wherever you look!


After I made Michael take a break (he'd been snorkeling for what seemed like forever), I took this shot to show him how tight his mask had been on his face!

Steve & I went to dinner tonight while Evelyn kept the boys. We went back to Kona Inn (where we ate with Joe and Erin) and I had that yummy stuffed ono. Too good!

"It's Full of Stars!"

That quote, from "2001: A Space Oddysey," pretty much sums up our evening.

We revisited the VIS on Mauna Kea tonight. We worried that we had made the nearly 2-hour drive for nothing, since the sky was full of clouds when we arrived. After eating our picnic dinner of sandwiches and chips amid about 40 Asian tourists enjoying their rice, sushi and cup-o-noodles, we started talking about driving back home. One of the observatory employees told me that sometimes the clouds clear up after sunset, so we decided to stick it out a bit longer. What a good decision.

Steve and I hiked up a nearby hill (taking us to just under 10,000 feet, we were guessing) to check out the sunset, which was not at all visible from the VIS. There were several clouds, but that just added to the cool sunset. After it was over, we hiked back down to where Evelyn and the boys were waiting.

The clouds indeed cleared up, and the boys had another chance to peek at Venus, Jupiter (complete with at least 4 moons) and Saturn before the stars starting appearing, and appearing, and appearing. By the time the star tour began at 8, the sky was so crowded with stars it was hard to follow the laser pointer. Our guide must have pointed our 25 constellations, if not more. Plus, we could see the Milky Way -- totally awesome. (I tried to take pictures, but my little camera was overwhelmed by the sight and just showed me total blackness.)

It was amazing the difference it made to have no moon on this visit, versus our nearly full moon visit of a couple weeks ago. Wow. (Oh, it was also colder tonight, dropping to narly 50.)

On our way to Mauna Kea, we stopped to take a little hike up a place called "Hairy Hill." (It has a long Hawai'ian name too, but I forgot it and am too lazy to look it up.) Mostly, it was a dirty red hill, and we didn't go far. Evelyn and the boys were not too thrilled about climbing it, and it really wasn't worth pushing the point. Probably would have nice views at sunset too, I'd predict. This shot looks down on the hill from our perch on the side of Mauna Kea.

And here's a shot of sunset from the same point.

Laid Back Saturday

Today we decided to stick a little closer to home. Steve and the boys went swimming (snorkeling, actually), while Evelyn and I did some shopping in Kailua-Kona.

Mom & I had lunch at the Kona Canoe Club, a little grill on the ocean (run by the Kona Inn folks, of the yummy stuffed ono fame!). While we ate, we were able to watch some outrigger canoe race heats at the pier.

The boys decided they wanted to snorkel, so Steve took them back to Kahalu'u Beach Park.

Later, Steve grilled and we watched the sun set. Lots of cool clouds tonight.

North Kohala Sightseeing

Those of you who know my mom probably know that she likes lighthouses. So, we've been looking for a decent lighthouse to show her on the Big Island. (Most are considered "minor lights" and are too small to be of any real viewing interest, especially if you have to hike or drive a 4WD road to get to them. We learned this from the Lighthouse People, a couple that has photographed every lighthouse in the United States.)

After much searching, we found Kauhola Point Lighthouse on the north end of Hawai'i. To get to it required a trip down a 4WD road, something Evelyn had never done before. In fact, she was ready to tell Steve that he could turn around and not bother--and that was on the still-paved part of the road. Once we got onto a narrow, rutted portion, I'm sure she thought we had all lost our minds. Soon, though, the lighthouse came into view and the bumpy ride was worth it.


The point was very windy, even huddled in the doorway of the (locked) lighthouse. So, we checked it out for a bit, and then bumped our way back out. This side of the island has been affected a great deal by erosion, both wind and water.


We drove on to Pololu Valley Lookout, which is at the end of the road. (Interesting fact: there are two 28-mile markers on this route. I like to think they decided it didn't make economic sense to replace the last mile marker, since the road ended there anyway. Who knows what the truth is?!) There was a hike down to the shoreline, but it didn't seem like a good idea with two tired kids in the late afternoon.

This valley reminded me of Waipi'o Valley (just a few miles away, but a long drive to get to it), but not quite as pretty.

On our way back to the house, we stopped in Waimea to eat at one of our newfound island favorites--Tako Taco. Yum! We got home right before sunset, but the boys wanted to finish watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version) and, honestly, I forgot! (Oh my, is that a sign I've been here too long? How sad.)

I promise to get a few more sunset shots before we head home. Scout (leader)'s honor.

Showing Off "Our" Island

This morning the boys and I took my mom around the island a bit, showing her some of the sites we've been enjoying--and a few we hadn't seen yet. (Steve had to work this morning.)

We drove south to Captain Cook and visited Kealakekua Bay, where the Captain Cook monument is located. (It's the tiny white sliver in the picture above.) Of course, it's on the far side of the bay, best accessed by sea kakak, which we certainly were not doing with this group! Instead, we looked for dolphins and watched the kayakers put in and paddle away.

Here's a snippet of the conversation you would have overheard if you were nearby:
ME: No, we're not going to kayak today.
D: But I really want to.
ME: No, I'd have to do all the work, and I'm just not up to that.
D: I'd help.
ME: Yes, I know you would, for about 5 minutes. But, we're not going to do it today.
(Now, continue this same conversation loop until you've gone insane!)

Next, we drove to the Painted Church, a Catholic church on the island where the priest went a little crazy and painted scenes (like "Hell") all over the walls and ceiling. (OK, I might have adapted the story a bit. He actually did the paintings to help non-English speaking Hawaiians learn about the Bible.)

After lunch, we took Evelyn to Ho'okena Beach (one of our favorites--great for boogie boarding, not too far away, ample parking, close access). The salt and pepper sand was really hot, since it was late afternoon, but we had a great time.

We took Evelyn to Bubba Gump's for her belated birthday dinner. (Her birthday was June 17, right after we left.) Yummy food, but portions were just too big. I didn't even have room for dessert.

No sunset pic tonight, as we were sitting at Bubba Gump's and I forgot to get up for the sunset! There were some killer waves, though.

Happy 4th of July!

Never thought we'd be celebrating Independence Day in Hawaii, but here we are. So, how does someone in Hawai'i mark the holiday? I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count. By going to the beach, of course!

Steve & Josh started the day by trying to tour a coffee place. Since it was the 4th, the coffee place was closed (so everyone could go to the beach, of course!), so they ended up stopping to drink coffee and then bringing home doughnuts for all of us. Yum!

Josh & Caroline prepped to go home, while we decided to visit a beach that Steve & I remembered from our visit here in 2001 (so we thought). Makalawena is a secluded beach that's only accessible by a rough 4WD road or by walking about a mile from another beach area. After bumping down that road, we were there. But, it turned out this wasn't the beach we had been to before (unless it had changed quite a bit since then -- possible, I guess). It was still an awesome beach, with only about 30 people on it, pretty amazing considering the day.


We saw three sea turtles, quite close up, while the boys were playing in a tidal pool area at one edge of the beach. We also could see schools of tiny fish swimming, and a few larger fish the boys recognized from their snorkeling time. (And I got to see them too, since the water was so clear.)


After we left the beach and bumped our way back up the road, we headed home to grill burgers and wait for my mom's plane to arrive and the fireworks to start. Evelyn (my mom) got here about 7:30, and fireworks started at 8. We were lucky enough to be able to see them from the yard of our house. I'd never seen fireworks from above before, so this was kind of cool. (Way too short, though, only about 15 minutes long.)

Little Bit of Shakin' Goin' On

Steve and I felt an earthquake today, around 12:30. I thought it was just the couch wiggling like it does when the washer is doing the spin cycle, but then I realized the washer wasn't on. Plus, an artsy thing hanging on the wall rattled a bit.

Later, I looked on the USGS Recent Earthquakes page and found that there actually was a decent-sized earthquake (3.2) at that time, near Hilo.

Kind of cool.

The rest of today has been pretty relaxed. Steve worked this morning, while the boys and I shopped a little and hit the library for a new stash of books and videos. By the way, if there is something you want me to bring back for you from Hawai'i, you need to be making your requests soon. We have to leave this paradise in 8 days.

Tonight we are headed to dinner with the Turpens. Not sure where we're going yet, but I'm sure it will be good.

The Turpens leave tomorrow night, about the same time that Evelyn (my mom) arrives. Plus, it will be fireworks night! Yippee! I hope to be able to see them from the deck at the house.

My pics today are from earlier in our trip. The top one was taken by David and overlooks the snorkeling beach that the boys love. The second one is a shot of the boys during their dolphin class.

Return of the Snorkeling Fools

The boys got to snorkel again today, this time with Steve, Josh & Caroline. (I chose to sit in the shade and read a book. Amazingly, I am reading a great deal less on this trip than I normally do at home.)


They took our underwater camera (from Walmart) with them today, so hopefully we'll have some nice fish pics to add to the blog at some point. Apparently they saw a lot of cool ones today.

From where I was sitting, I was able to see a big sea turtle that decided to waddle ashore for awhile. Honestly, it looked like he had his head stuck in the sand to tune out all the people who were oohing and aahing over him!

After snorkeling, warming up, eating lunch and snorkeling some more, the boys & I shared a ginormous Shave Ice--with strawberry, banana and grape flavoring. It looked so good that we forgot to take a pic first! Sorry.


We grilled steaks at home tonight with the Turpens and then enjoyed another beautiful sunset. We leave for home in just over a week. It's going to be hard to leave all of the wonderful sites we're encountering here.

p.s. Lava started flowing again today at the Pu'u O'o vent! Check out the details here.

Volcanoes, Here We Come

Today we decided to visit Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, even though the current lava flow has been paused since a series of earthquakes on Father's Day. Josh & Caroline made the drive down with us, before going their own way (and ending up on the northeast part of the island before the day was through).

Seeing the various craters was cool, despite the sporadic spitting rain that accompanied our day. Plus, the boys did the requirements to receive Junior Ranger badges (various activities at locations throughout the park), their second badges since we arrived. (The first were at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park within a few days of our arrival.)

So, since I think I finally got the whole hierarchy of the volcano park figured out, I thought I'd share it with you. Kiluea is a volcano on the island of Hawai'i and is located on the southeastern part of the island. (Mauna Loa is another volcano, but is not currently active.) The Kiluea caldera (the area formed after the collapse of land after a volcanic eruption) is like one giant crater that has other craters inside of it. The biggest of those is called Halema'uma'u:



Other craters include Keanakako'i and Kiluea Iki (or "little Kiluea").


To be honest, Volcanoes is a place I'd like to hike and explore more -- without my kids. They have just enough patience to handle the Crater Rim Drive and maybe a 1/2 mile hike somewhere. But, that's probably not meant to be on this trip.

On our way to Volcanoes, we drove past some awesome Whittington Park, an old pier that made for some great landscape shots, including the one at the top of this post.

After finishing at Volcanoes, we grabbed some dinner out and caught the sunset at home with the Turpens.