Lopers' Hawaiian Vacation

Aloha, Paradise

2007-07-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

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!"

2007-07-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-02T18:08:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Snorkeling Fools

2007-06-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

My kids love to snorkel.

I don't know why this should surprise me, as so far they have loved boogie boarding, swimming in the ocean, splashing in the waves, and basically the beach in general. (However, they are not fans of visiting rocky beach areas where you just watch the waves crash into the shore. "Boring," D says.)

As you might guess, we went snorkeling this morning. I've been hesitant to do this, since I still worry a bit about the boys drifting away, drowning, etc. (All part of being a mom, I think. Perhaps I need a t-shirt: "I'm a mom, therefore I worry.") I also worried about my own skills in the water, which is probably the bigger part of my neurosis.

So, as I said, my kids had a great time. Both of them float like it's nothing, propel themselves all over the bay to look at various fish, and handle the snorkel mask and tube with no problems. Steve took a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but he's doing pretty well too. And me? Well, let's just say I'm destined to view other people's pictures of all the pretty fish they saw on their snorkeling and diving trips.

It's not that I'm bad at snorkeling. It's more that I can't seem to get started. Putting my face in the water, quite simply, freaks me out. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I can't wear my glasses when I try snorkeling, so I feel really disoriented from the start (like, walking into the water from the shore). But, it's not all about me, so right now I am happy that my kids have found another thing that they love.

After snorkeling today, we had lunch again at Quinn's Almost-by-the-Sea, which serves the best ono and chips in the world. Then, we randomly stopped to watch some surfers take on some monster waves (and one woman with fake boobs frolicking in the surf) along Ali'i Drive.

The rest of this afternoon is being spent relaxing (read: Steve's taking a nap!) while we anticipate the arrival of the Turpens. (Their flight gets in late tonight.) Tomorrow we are planning to visit Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Wow, the sky is clear up here!

2007-06-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

We made it to the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station without incident. (Well, the Jeep apparently tried to overheat a bit on our way up the access road, but since I didn't notice until after we'd stopped, I'm not counting that!)

On our way up, the sun was starting to set. Talk about beautiful (and a bit blinding, since the air was so clear). Of course, I was driving and there really weren't any pullouts, so you're going to have to take my word for it. (Or come here yourself to see it, which I highly recommend!)

The staff at the center was certainly ready for us (and all the other folks who came up tonight): they had 3 very large telescopes ready to show us the celestial sights--Venus, Saturn (complete with rings - wow!) and Jupiter with several moons. The best part was that we basically had the place to ourselves for at least 20 minutes, so the staff and volunteers were very willing to explain lots of stuff to the boys, who ate up all the attention. (One guy asked me if I homeschooled, when I was asking M what he knew about Venus and he was rattling off about 20 facts. I had to explain that, no, he just liked space.) They also had smaller telescopes that you could aim yourself.

Last night was an almost full moon, which apparently cut down on the number of stars we could see. So, we only saw about 20 constellations during the laser-pointer enhanced star tour.

I had worried a bit about how we might handle the 9,200-foot altitude after being in Hawaii for a couple of weeks (high point previously on the trip--about 2,500 feet), but everyone did great. And the crisp 59-degree weather was a nice break from 85 and humid. (Not that I am complaining, as I hear it's topping 100 regularly in Colorado right now. I just enjoy not sweating sometimes.)

David loved the idea that we were above an entire layer of clouds as we watched the moonrise. He thought it was ocean he was seeing from the patio area:

Another high point (and another thing I couldn't get on film, despite trying several times) was the moonbow we saw on our way down. It seemed to only have about 3 different shades of light, but it was very cool. There also was a corona around the nearly full moon, which I am learning (from my Google search for a similar moonbow picture to show you) may be called a moondog. Again, my camera hardly does it justice, but here it is:

Looking to the Skies

2007-06-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the Lopers (Steve's parents, that is) have been dropped at the airport and should be well on their way home by now. Team Klida should be getting on their plane shortly, and we are getting ready to head up to the Visitor Information Station on Mauna Kea, the 13,796-foot high mountain where several world-class observatories are located. We can't go all the way to the summit because the boys are too young to deal with the altitude, but we will be at about 9,200 feet. It will be interesting to see how our bodies deal with that altitude, since the highest we've been in the past two weeks is about 2,500 feet.

At the visitor center, we will be able to check out the nighttime skies using one of their telescopes. If the weather is clear, the viewing tonight should be awesome. I don't know what kind of pictures I'll manage to get from this, but I am looking forward to it. I really think that M will enjoy it, as he has been interested in space since he was about 4 years old.

On a completely different topic, have I talked about the geckos here? Apparently, geckos (yes, like the insurance commercials) are considered good luck and are welcomed into Hawai'ian houses. There are at least a half-dozen geckos that we are sharing space with, ranging from the teeny one that likes to sun itself on the porch steps to the big guy that runs around near the fridge. Since they are cold-blooded, we don't see much of them early morning or late at night, but come afternoon they scrabble everywhere. Today I got some good closeup shots of one guy that decided to explore our table and another that was peeking at me from the kitchen curtain.

Overall, the geckos seem to be pretty harmless. They eat bugs and fruit and are pretty much afraid of people. At night, they click and chatter (sounding a bit like frogs), which is so much better than the rooster that crows whenever he feels the urge (like at 3 a.m.)! Of course, they do poop, so you find little black balls around the house. Erin was freaked out by them for most of her stay, but D loves seeing them.

Relaxing in the Tropics

2007-06-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

We were going to go snorkeling today. We'd planned all week that we would go this morning, first thing, while the ocean was calm and the sun was a bit weaker. (I'm still a bit timid after scoring the killer sunburn.) But, when we awoke, it really didn't feel like a snorkeling day. Instead, it felt like a "hang out and do nothing" day. One of the true benefits of being here for a month is that we can have those at least once a week.

So, we took it easy. Reta & Ellis got back mid-morning from their trip to Kaua'i, so Steve picked them up from the airport. Joe & Erin went sea kayaking and snorkeling near Captain Cook, and they came back mid-afternoon. I did laundry. We hit Walmart and Safeway for the supply run. But mostly we vegged. I really like it here (to visit, not to live, but that's a post for closer to the end of the trip).

Last night we were able to go out AGAIN without our kids, this time with Erin & Joe. (Thank goodness for grandparents!) We hit the sunset bar, where we enjoyed pupus (appetizers) and Mai Tais, Big Island Ice Teas and Patriots, made up of Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada and Blue Hawai'ian. (Amy, that pic's for you!) Sadly, there was a bit of rain, but we did get to see lots of fish just by peeking over the rail at our table.

Next, we went into "downtown" Kailua (there's not really a downtown, but a more touristy strip/boardwalk kind of area) and decided to eat at the Kona Inn. After enjoying the sunset at the bar, we grabbed a table for dinner. Steve & Joe both had this awesome ono (also called wahoo, for those of you at home) stuffed with a cream cheese and lobster mixture. It was incredibly rich (and so full of dairy that I would have been sick for a week. I got a bite, though!)

Steve's parents and the Klidas all leave tomorrow, leaving us sans houseguests for about a day. (The Turpens arrive Saturday night, fresh off their dive trip to Bonaire, near Venezuela.)

The 2nd Part of our Beautiful Day

2007-06-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned yet how awesome it is to have house guests while we're in Hawai'i? We were so lucky to have Steve's parents keep the boys for us while we explored the north and east parts of the island last week. Then, tonight, Joe & Erin offered to take the boys to dinner (to Bubba Gump's--yummy!) and watch them while Steve & I went on a sunset dinner cruise.

For those of you who have never been on something like this, I have one crucial piece of advice--don't take your kids. I was so relaxed, especially since it wasn't my kids about to roll through the spaces in the rails every 10 minutes. (There were only 2 kids, and they were little, and the crew even had to tell their parents to keep a hand on them. SO glad they weren't mine.) Oh yeah, the Mai Tais, Pink Pirates and Champagne probably helped a bit too!

Our cruise was on board the sailing catamaran Seasmoke, which apparently was quite the stuff for many a year. (If you sail, maybe you know. If not, you could look here.)

Being on the ocean while the sun was setting was incredible. And the service was awesome. I don't think I went more than 5 minutes without a drink in my hand (unless I wanted to--like when I needed that hand free to hold my dinner plate)!

After the cruise, we sat on the beach at A-Bay for awhile to finish enjoying the sunset (and to sober up for the drive home). It was so peaceful and enjoyable.

(Tonight's pictures are courtesy of Steve, who took both of them with his phone, since our camera battery was dead by this point.)

A Beautiful Day from Start to Finish

2007-06-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Steve & I visited Waipi'o Valley the last time we were on the Big Island -- almost 6 1/2 years ago, and it was definitely on our "must see again" list. Today we made it, with the Klidas accompanying us. (And thanks to Joe for the great family picture, above.)

The valley is at the bottom of a 900-foot descent down a 4WD road that's at a 25 percent grade. Steep doesn't begin to describe it. Then, once you're at the bottom, you need to navigate ruts and rocks for another quarter mile or so. From the top of the road, the valley is beautiful. From the bottom, it's spectacular. (Now, there are a few residents in the valley. Steve equated it to Ward. Those of you in Colorado will know exactly what we mean!)

In order to get to the cool part of the black sand beach, we needed to cross a stream that, the last time we were here, was about a foot across. Today it was much wider and much stronger. Thank goodness Joe & Erin were with us, because I am pretty sure I would be floating in the ocean with M or D about now, hoping for the Coast Guard to send a rescue boat soon!

We spent an hour or so enjoying the beach and watching the boys play in the surf. Too soon, it was time to wade back across the stream and head up from the valley. What an awesome place to be.

After leaving the valley, we decided it was time for a different kind of beach--Mauna Kea (or Kauna'oa). This beach is hidden at a closed resort (complete with dead grass golf course) in the Kohala Coast resort area. There are only 30 spaces allocated in the parking lot for beachbound cars, so you know you will not have a lot of company here. With the same type of white sand as Hapuna, but a ton less people, this beach gets my vote for my favorite white sand beach. I think Joe has some pictures of this beach on his blog (or maybe in his photo album - look around). My camera battery was dying at this point, so I didn't take any here.

"Don't Hate Me 'Cause You Ain't Me!"

2007-06-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

That's the bumper sticker we saw on our way into dinner tonight. I think that sums up our trip -- having lots of fun, but missing our friends (well, the ones who didn't swing the trip this time).

This morning, the boys and I revisited the cool park we found last week. After that, it was time for a snack -- ice cream cones! I've never seen a child enjoy a cone as much as D did.

This afternoon, we explored Ali'i Drive, which is the main drag in Kailua-Kona. We wandered past all the historic sites (none of which we went into, since the kids were, well, being kids), shopped in a few tourist traps, and spent a few bucks at the Fun Factory. (Think Chuck E Cheese with a tourist trap spin -- every game was at least 50 cents, and the good ones were a dollar.)

For dinner, we chose LuLu's, which is basically a bar that's upstairs on Ali'i. Decent drinks and awesome appetizers, with a great view, except for a few power lines.

Sunset tonight took place during a downpour, so I just grabbed a quick shot from the porch. Since it wasn't anything great, I'll share a shot my father-in-law took on a beach in Kaua'i (another Hawai'ian island).

Another Day, Another Beach

2007-06-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Bet you think that by now we would be tired of the get up, eat breakfast and head to the beach routine. Nope.

Steve had to do some work this morning, so the boys and I explored some new areas. We hit a couple of the nearby hotels to see the (non-swimming) beach areas there. I took advantage of the settings to take some photos of the boys. It always amazes me how hard it is to get two kids to look at the camera and smile at the same time.

This afternoon, we decided to revisit Ho'okena Beach, one of our early favorites, for a short beach visit. The boys had a chance to boogie board, Steve got to relax after working, and I got to try out my new long-sleeved rash guard (to give me a chance to be in the sun without feeling like I was a vampire about to burst into flames!).

When we came back to the house, we caught up with Joe & Erin (They spent the day exploring South Point.) and grilled some burgers for dinner. Afterward, we enjoyed an especially gorgeous sunset.

Team Klida arrives!

2007-06-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Joe & Erin got here around breakfast time today, several hours earlier than they had planned. So, we met at Denny's and enjoyed some Grand Slams and such, then took them on the grand tour of Walmart & Safeway (required for every new arrival!).

Since I was still recovering from my bee-yoot-ee-ful sunburn, I chose to hang around home and veg while the rest of the gang hit Kekaha Kai State Park and the awesome beach there. (You'll have to check out the Klidas' blog at http://klidascope.blogspot.com/ for more details on their adventures.)

We grilled some steaks and enjoyed some fruity drinks, caught the sunset, and had a chance to catch up with our friends.

Highs & Lows

2007-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday was quite the day for the Loper family. Steve's parents were scheduled to leave on a 4:30 flight for the next leg of their vacation, so we decided to spend a little time at Hapuna Beach State Park before they left. Hapuna is often voted the best beach in the U.S. by various travel magazines and guidebooks.

I don't know that I'd call it the BEST beach I've ever been to, but it is what you tend to think of when you think beach. Miles of white sand, clear blue-green water, and TONS of people. Not an ounce of shade on the beach, which I'm sure is why my back ended up scorched despite my excessive sunblocking. Sunburnt seems like too mild of a description for what I've got going on. Ouch. (Steve and D have a bit of redness too, but not nearly as much. And M seems to be fine.)

We didn't really realize the level of our sunburns today because we ended up dealing with another situation when we got ready to leave the beach. Reta & Ellis were getting ready to pack up around 2 p.m. when they realized that their rental car key was nowhere to be found. Apparently, it floated away in the ocean sometime when they were frolicking with the boys. Oops. (FYI, car rental companies charge big bucks to replace those electronic keys.)

Luckily, Steve was able to run Ellis to the airport to get an extra key for their car, and they made their flight after all. While they have enjoyed their time here, I think they will be very glad to be done with rental cars, airplanes and the like.

Tonight's sunset, while pretty, didn't really yield any spectacular pictures. So, instead, I'd like to offer this sunburn.

Joe & Erin arrive tomorrow, fresh (or maybe ripe) from their 18-hour layover in Las Vegas. We are excited!

Separate Ways

2007-06-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Reta & Ellis took the boys for the day today, allowing Steve & I to explore the island on our own.

Their group hit a beach on Ali'i Drive in Kailua-Kona for some wave time, and the boys had tons of fun, as usual. It was a great opportunity for them to catch up with each other--for the boys to hang with Grandma & Grandpa and for G&G to see how the boys are changing as they grow older.

After spending the morning at the beach, Grandma & M came home to relax, while D & Grandpa went back for some snorkeling. This was D's first time snorkeling, but Grandpa said he picked it up in about 5 minutes and was a natural at it. (Good. Now he can teach me when we go.)

Steve's parents leave tomorrow for Kaua'i, which is the fourth-largest of the Hawai'ian Islands and the farthest away from the Big Island. They'll spend several days there and then stop back by mid-week before heading back to Illinois.

Steve & I had planned to take a great (sounding, at least) hike just outside of Waimea. It was supposed to go to a sweet lookout over Waipio Valley. Sadly, the access road had been fenced off and an official government sign informed us the access had been closed due to "safety" issues. (This usually means someone local petitioned to have access closed because they didn't want so many people tromping around near their land.)

So-oo-oo, we found a nearby state park, where we took a slightly less exciting hike, then drove on to Akaka Falls (near Hilo), where we walked down LOTS of steps to a very tall waterfall.

Later, we went for dinner at a nearby resort, where we enjoyed a Kona sunset (slightly different from our Holualoa sunsets). The bar where we had some pre-dinner cocktails was awesome, and we plan to take everyone there to enjoy the view. So, my sunset shot tonight is from a different, but still beautiful, locale. Enjoy!

Dolphin Days

2007-06-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

The boys took part in a Dolphin Quest adventure today and had a great time. For about 90 minutes, they learned about dolphins (did you know they are a type of whale? that was new to me!), the proper names for all their various fins and such, and their habitats. For the last 30 minutes, they got to go into the water with the dolphins, touching them and learning different hand signals designed to tell the dolphins to swim different ways.

For the adults (Steve and I and Steve's parents, Reta & Ellis), the day was a lot of sitting around and waiting. But for the boys, it was chock full of fun. We took a few pictures (OK, I took about 150 pictures, but deleted at least a third of those) and watch the boys have fun.

During the time the boys were in the dolphin classroom (as opposed to the pool), the rest of us took a boat ride through the grounds of the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Wow, is that place a trip!

After helping grill BBQ chicken for dinner, Reta & Ellis got a chance to enjoy our nightly sunset ritual with us. Here's a sunset shot that Steve's dad, Ellis, took with their new camera:

A Lazy Day

2007-06-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

We chose to take it easy today. Steve worked in the morning, so the boys and I drove down to Kailua-Kona to check out the public library. For the grand sum of $10, we now possess our own Hawaii State Public Library System card, good for three months.

After browsing the library for a bit, we went to a must-stop destination -- Hilo Hattie's. This Hawaii souvenir/clothing store has it all, including complementary shell leis when you walk in the door. (A few more trips there, and I'll have free souvenirs for all of you!) Then, a quick trip to Safeway (our home away from home, it seems) and we were headed back to the house.

Our original plan for today was to make a quick beach trip this afternoon, before Steve's parents arrived. (More on that below.) But, we quickly realized that we've been going pretty much nonstop since we got here and decided to relax around the house instead.

So, we played a little Uno, read some books, watched some Three Stooges and Pokemon (the boys, not me), and basically just chilled out.

Now we're waiting for Steve's parents to finally get here. They have had nothing but challenges on every leg of their travels. At this point, we hope their last flight (from Honolulu) will arrive around 10:10 tonight, putting them technically here today. I can only imagine how wiped out they will be when they get here.

Tomorrow the boys will be taking part in a 90-minute Dolphin Quest program that includes 30 minutes of time in the water with the dolphins. The program is being held at Hilton Waikoloa Village, known as the Disneyland of Hawaii. The resort features a tram (think of the Disney monorail) and boats (actually designed by Disney engineers) that sail through the canals throughout the resort. Last time Steve and I were here (in 2001), we spent an afternoon just riding around the place taking it all in. (Plus, the tram was air-conditioned, I was newly pregnant with David, and it was HOT.)

Paying for this dolphin program is probably the biggest splurge I've ever done for my kids (not counting paying for private school for M, which I don't really consider a splurge). But, we're on the vacation of a lifetime and, honestly, I will probably never do something like this again with them. So, watch for some photos from the dolphin time in tomorrow's post.

The sky started off very clear for tonight's sunset, but a few pesky clouds moved in right as the sun approached the horizon. Still, I think it was another beautiful night. Enjoy!

A picture of our house in Hawai'i

2007-06-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

This picture is of our house in Hawai'i. I hope you like seeing our house. I took this picture at night. I also took a sunset picture.

Tuesday's sunset

2007-06-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

OK, I didn't forget my sunset photo for the day. I just wanted to end the previous post with that awesome shot of South Point.

Are you familiar with the green flash? Apparently, at the moment the sun slides below the horizon line, you are supposed to be able to see a flash of green. (That's all I know, as I haven't bothered to look it up yet.)

Well, so far I haven't seen it, as most nights the sun has set into some clouds, rather than actually into the horizon. It was really close tonight, but no green flash yet.

Southernmost Point in the U.S.

2007-06-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

Steve's parents were supposed to arrive today. However, they encountered idiocy at its most idiotic in Springfield, Ill., where they were unable to check in for their flight because the ticket agent was busy loading baggage. Yes, folks, this is where Steve and Jennifer are FROM (key word here - from!). Long story short, they will be here tomorrow around dinnertime. The boys are so excited to see them, since it's been almost a year.

Today we decided to drive down into the Ka'u District of the Big Island. This area runs from south of Kona down to the south end of the island (basically, to just before Hawaii Volcanoes National Park). Our first destination was Road to the Sea, a 6-mile 4WD road that led to a black-and-green-sand beach.

(OK, the sand is not green like a golf course, but rather more of an olive color from the olivine deposits. If you want more details, Google it.)

D was pretty disappointed that this was not a swim-in-it kind of beach, but it was beautiful. If we lived here, I could see driving down, watching the sunset, and camping overnight. (As Steve pointed out, the road would be a bitch to drive out on at night.)

This area was quite desolate, with lots of rocky lava deposits and few trees. In fact, I felt like I was in a Jeep commercial. Check out this picture to see what I mean.

Next we drove to Ka Lae (literally, "The Point"), also known as South Point. This spot is the southernmost point of land in the United States. (Not the Florida Keys, as many people believe, which is the southernmost point in the continental U.S.) The drive is quite long, about 12 miles down a paved but narrow road, but it is worth it for the beautiful views. Craggy cliffs with waves splashing high combine with green, lush lands (this spot is out of the shadow of the mountains, so it gets more rainfall) to make a photographer's dream spot. Apparently the fishing is good too, as we saw several local fishermen set up in the area.

Spencer Beach State Park

2007-06-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Steve spent the morning working (and fighting fires with Joe), while Jennifer
and the boys went to a nearby playground. The boys met some kids their age and were able to run around for an hour or so. (In fact, M was so tired out that he fell asleep on the way TO the beach!)

After lunch, we took off for some beach time, this time at Spencer Beach State Park. This beach allowed camping, so there were some very interesting characters there--including a man who looked like Rip Van Winkle and his wife, who should not have been allowed to wear a bikini at either her size or age. (Sorry, no picture, as I need my camera for the next 3+ weeks!) We also saw what grandpas do when there is only 1 Walmart in the area--work as lifeguards! (The lifeguard at this beach was probably in his 60s, but he could still hoist the rescue board.)

M & D got another chance to practice their newest skill--boogie boarding, and of course didn't really want to leave. After a couple hours, though, it was time to head back to the house.

We had a bit of a scare when the tire pressure light came on in the Jeep. However, after stopping to check the levels and learning that, if anything, the tires were OVERinflated, we decided not to worry much about it. (The light quit flashing at us by Tuesday morning.)

In Hawai'i, you learn to just roll with the changes tossed your way. That's why we ended up at Denny's for dinner, rather than at the house grilling our teriyaki chicken as planned. Oh well, it was probably the best view at any Denny's, ever.

I like to end my posts with a sunset shot, but we were driving home during sunset last night. So, I'll just have to tell you that it was beautiful, as always.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

We've started today by taking Steve out for breakfast to Aloha Angel Cafe. Great food (breakfast burritos, loco moco and pancakes with coconut syrup!) and geckos hanging around everywhere. We'll go back again.

Right now, we're getting our fill of NASCAR on TV while we hang out at home for a bit. Later, we're off to a coffee tour at Royal Kona Coffee Co. No beaches today, as we all need to recover from a few spots of sunburn. (D looks like he has a huge birthmark on the side of his face, while M has raccoon eyes where we didn't quite get the sunblock close enough on the reapplication.)

Huge rainstorm last night (our house is at about 1200 ft. elevation, where it rains a bit more often), but that just helps keep everything lush and beautiful. We have papaya, mango and avocado trees just outside the house.

Here's a sunset shot I took from our house's deck two nights ago:

It's now about 4 p.m., and we're back from our coffee tour where, amazingly, we met a woman from Longmont. What a small world. She and her husband moved here 2 years ago and recently bought a coffee and macadamia nut farm. They hope to have their own Kona coffee available starting next year, and she offered us a tour of their farm during our stay. We thought we'd wait for some of our coffee-loving friends to get here before we go.

We also visited Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park this afternoon. This "Place of Refuge," as it is known, was a place where someone accused of crimes against Hawai'ian royalty could try to reach to be blessed and absolved of their crimes. (Sounds a bit like confession, huh?)

Kekaha Kai State Park

2007-06-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, June 16, and we've just finished another awesome day on the Big Island. Today we drove to Kekaha Kai State Park, located just north of Keahole Airport. The park consists of a a'a (pronounced ah-ah) field (which is hardened lava rocks) with a 4WD road running through it.

We made a quick stop at Ka'elehuluhulu Beach, which is a sharp sand beach that, while having a pretty view, was not the place for us to spend our day. Instead, we continued on to Mahai'ula Beach, for which we had to walk about 10 minutes on a hardened lava trail through the a'a field. Once we got there, however, we never wanted to leave. It was a beautiful beach, mostly white sand with a bit of black mixed in.

What excited us when we first arrived were the sea turtles! There were at least 3 of them that swam in our area for hours!

The boys spent lots of time running in and out of the ocean, and then they discovered their boogie boards (borrowed from the house we are staying at). I don't know if they will be surfers by the end of this trip, but they seem to be having fun trying!

Finally, after spending 4 hours there, we decided we had to leave for the day. But, this one definitely makes our list of beaches to return to.

EDITED on 6/19: I realized that I really want to share the gorgeous sunsets with you. So, I'm going back into my earlier posts to add a shot or two. I'm dedicating this one to Elvis... .

(Steve thinks my "Blue Hawai'i" reference was too obscure, so let me know what you think.)

Hawai'ian Animal Update 1

2007-06-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

We have seen animals in Hawai'i. This daily section will tell you what animals we have seen since the last update.
1. Gecko
2. Roach
3. Rooster
4. Chicken
5. Mongoose
6. Small grey bird
7. Grey bird with yellow markings
8. Turtle (Is in picture)
9.. Fish
Items with two dots are questionable

1st Full Day in Hawaii

2007-06-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today was our first full day in Hawaii. And I definitely mean FULL. After our late night arrival on Thursday, we were in bed by about 8:30 p.m. or so and up around 5 a.m.! (The boys actually woke up closer to 3:30 a.m., but they kindly played quietly in their room for awhile.)

After getting up, eating breakfast and showering, we felt like it should be time for lunch (that 4-hour time difference meant our bodies were still pretty messed up). We spent the rest of our morning doing all those settling-in kind of things -- unpacking the suitcases, hitting Walmart and Safeway for some groceries and then having a quick lunch of hamburgers grilled on our house's deck. Then, even though our mind's thought it should be about time to start thinking about dinner and bed, we decided to hit our first beach: Ho'okena.

Ho'okena is a salt and pepper colored neighborhood beach south of Kona. The surf was a bit rough, since the tide was coming in, but the boys enjoyed their first exposure to a Hawaii beach.

After the beach, we decided it was finally time for dinner. Talk about a comedy of errors! The first two places we tried didn't open for dinner until 5 p.m. -- and it was only about 4:15. The third place, although highly recommended in several guidebooks, seemed to be closed (or at least renamed and unable to be found!) We finally ended up at a Thai restaurant on Alii Drive, where we sat outside and watched a giant cruise ship turn around and head out to sea.

Overall, it was a great first day in Hawaii.

The Longest Day, Part Deux

2007-06-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday truly was the longest day we've experienced in quite a while. Between three airports, messed-up seat assignments, flight delays at every opportunity and pouring rain on our arrival in Kona (the open-air airport), you'd think it must have been awful. But, it really wasn't.

The boys really seemed to enjoy themselves while traveling, probably because we made sure they didn't get to spend a ton of time together. Michael sat with Steve and mostly played his GameBoy, while David and I drew pictures, listened to the in-flight music stations and napped a little bit. Both kids were real troopers to last through such a long day.

One of the neatest parts of my day was meeting a sculptor from Maritius named Dick Jean Lewis. He was our seatmate on the San Francisco-Kona leg of our trip and was on his way to take part in an artists' competition in Waimea. He and I talked about his art -- he uses wood to carve realistic figures often based on historical events, as well as the school he started in his village of Bambou to help give new options to children who otherwise would be lost to drugs or prostitution.

His government paid for his ticket to the artists' competition, choosing the cheap but long route of Mauritius to Dubai to London to San Francisco to Kona. When we talked, he had been flying for about 27 hours, including a 5-hour layover in London. And he was going to begin his demonstrations and competition work the next morning!

We had some other interesting conversations as well. He asked me if I thought Hawaii would be like "Hawaii Five-O," and if there were lots of cowboys in America like J.R. from "Dallas." I explained how what he was doing by operating his school was a way to pay it forward (great book; awful movie).

While I was talking to him, I really felt like I was in one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments. I mean, how often do you meet someone who is basically an activist, someone who saw a real problem affecting his world and did something to fix it? Honestly, I felt a little ashamed as well to be taking my hard-earned, long-saved-for vacation trip, when I started thinking about how many causes out there could have used this money. But then I realized that, had I not come to Hawaii, I probably would have never met Lewis.

So, long day, long post. See you tomorrow.

The Longest Day

2007-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up at about 5:30 AM on the day of our flight to Hawaii. Not for any really good reason, just because my mind started thinking of all the things I needed to do. So, by the time Jenni's mom showed up (early), we were all just sitting around with nothing left to do. So, we ended up loading up the car and heading out to the airport at 10 AM for our 1:30 PM flight. So after flight delays, baggage delays, switching planes in San Francisco, etc., our travel time from Longmont to Hawaii was about 13 hours. Needless to say the kids were exausted! Jenni and I were a little cranky as well, but very happy to be in Hawaii.

Going to the Big Island!

2007-06-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

We're going to be spending 4 weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii this summer. We're flying from Denver International Airport on Thursday, June 14th. (Actually, we're already there, but we didn't get around to setting up the blog beforehand.)