Week 1 - The Big Island of Hawaii

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Hawaii is the island that lends its name to the entire 1,500 mile-long an island chain is where Mother Nature pulled out all the stops. Simply put, it’s spectacular. The Island has it all: fiery volcanoes and sparkling waterfalls, black-lava deserts, and snowcapped mountain peaks, tropical rainforests and alpine meadows, a glacial lake and miles of golden, black, and even green-sand beaches. The Big Island has an unmatched diversity of terrain and climate.  A 50-mile drive will take you from snowy winter to sultry summer, passing through spring or even fall along the way. The island looks like the inside of a barbecue pit on one side, and a lush jungle on the other.

 

It is also the largest island in the Hawaiian chain (4,038 sq. miles - about the size of Connecticut), the youngest of the islands, and is also the least populated. It has the highest peaks in the Pacific, the most volcanoes of any island, the newest land on earth and still growing!

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Five volcanoes - one still erupting - have created this continental island, which is still growing daily. At its heart is snowcapped Mauna Kea, the world’s tallest sea mountain, complete with its own glacial lake. Mauna Kea’s nearest neighbor is Mauna Loa, creator of one-sixth of the island; it’s the largest volcano on earth. Kilauea, the newest volcano is has been active since the 80’s and continuing eruptions make the Big Island larger each day, If you’re lucky, you can stand just a few feet away and watch it do its work.

 

Steeped in tradition and shrouded in the primal mist of creation, the Big Island radiates what the Hawaiians call mana, a sense of spirituality that’s still apparent through the acres of petroglyphs etched in the black lava, the numerous heiau (temples), burial caves scattered in the cliffs, sacred shrines both on land and in the sea, and even the sound the winds makes as it blows across the desolate lava fields.  But this island is not for everyone. It refuses to fit the stereotype of a tropical island. Its stark fields of lava and black-sand beaches take many tourist by complete surprise. You may have to do lots of driving and you may have to go out of your way if you’re looking for traditional tropical beauty.  On the other hand, if you’re into water sports, this is paradise.  The two tall volcanoes mean the water on the leeward side is calm 350 days a year. The underwater landscape of caves, cliffs, and tunnels attracts a stunning array of colorful marine life. The island’s west coast is one of the best destinations in the world for big-game fishing. And its miles of remote coastline are a kayaker’s dream of caves, secluded coves, and crescent-shaped beaches reachable only by sea.

 

July 7th - The Eve of Our Trip

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Four of our friends, Mike, Ruth, Crystal, & Sherrie, left for Hawaii the day before we did due to airline scheduling issues and costs.  Their scheduled take off was 5:30 PM and they were on

schedule, but about an hour into their flight, an electronic stabilizer failed forcing them to return to Oakland. Once there they spent another hour circling to burn off fuel before landing and it was not a smooth one at all! According to Mike they came down rather hard on the runway and bounced about 20 feet on the first touchdown.

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The runway was lined with emergency vehicles just in case something went wrong!  Once they had safely returned to the terminal all passengers had to wait another 2 hours in a very small room used for being sequestered from the public so that no one could talk about what just happened. They finally got airborne about 11:30 PM California time and flew to Hilo without further incident, landing about 1:30 AM Hawaii time. By the time they got their luggage, rented the van, and arrived at Uncle Billy's Hilo Bay Resort (Closed), it was three o'clock in the morning!  The trip was barely 9 hours old and already it was getting interesting . . .

 

July 8th - We Begin Our Trip . . .

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We had no problems getting to Kona, HI. We left on schedule nd our flight landed safely (and early) in Honolulu. After about an hour layover we headed for Kona and arrived there nearly 15 minutes early. One of the passengers on our flight was none other than Stan Atkinson a local Sacramento celebrity who used to anchor the KCRA news several years ago.

Our friends, who had arrived in Hilo just before sunrise had to drive almost 3 hours to get to Kona. According to them the road is long but very scenic. When we finally arrived in Kona, our friends were there to meet us at the airport and shortly after that we were greeted by a young lady who gave each of us a beautiful flower lei made from beautiful fuchsia Orchids.  Dot and I had ordered the orchid leis for each of our friends as they arrive on the island, so they were totally surprised by the gift!

 

We had rented two condos, both at the Kona Coast Resort.  A one bedroom private rental where Mike and Ruth stayed; and a two bedroom traded through the timeshare we own, where Dot and I, and our two singles, Sherrie and Crystal stayed. All of our friends joining us on this trip are members of our Choir at Capital Christian Center in Sacramento CA. Both condos were spacious with plenty of room to move around. We spent the evening grocery shopping and preparing for the rest of the week. We ended our day swimming in the resort pool and soaking in the jacuzzi. What a way to start our tropical paradise tour!  Tomorrow, we swim with dolphins!

 

July 9th - Of Golfing and Dophins

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Mike and I awoke early on Sunday to play golf at the Kona Country Club. They have two courses, the Ocean and the Mountain. We played the Mountain due to a tournament being held on the Ocean course. The mountain course slopes (sometimes severely) toward the ocean on each hole and the ball is guaranteed to roll toward the ocean on everyone. I had taken a series of six golf lessons for the past couple of months and was just beginning to improve ever so slightly. I played OK and even got one birdie on a par 3! Mike hadn't played in a couple of year’s so the course was not kind to him. The first few holes were a disaster for both of us until we got used to the unique rough and fairways. After that we started doing better and I did OK the rest of the round.

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In the afternoon our group drove north to the Kohala Coast and a resort called the Waikoloa for an adventure called “Dolphin Quest”.  There we donned swimsuits, life vests & masks and entered the resort lagoon to swim with actual dolphins. It was a very cool experience! Dot mentioned to our trainer that she had seen the DQ on a segment of Jay Leno and wanted to know if she could experience one of those behaviors. He said that he would make sure we did that. For the next 45 minutes we got to pet the dolphins, (yes, there were several), give them hand signals to jump and move the next group of people and such, feed them, and various other commands. We ended the encounter by having the dolphin lay between all 6 of us and we had our pictures taken as a group and individually while kissing the dolphin! We will get our photos later this week.

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We spent the rest of the day touring the Waikoloa Beach Resort which displays all kinds of Japanese art and such. We walked the entire length of the resort, then rode the monorail all the way back to the beginning. We then climbed aboard a boat and toured the entire resort from an entirely different viewpoint. We ended the tour by walking past the largest pool complex we have ever seen and crossing the pool over a rope bridge!  Oh, and as we were promised, the sunset was absolutely spectacular! While enjoying the sunset, we waited for reservations at one of our favorite restaurants, Outback Steakhouse.  Tomorrow Dot & I go for our first dives in the ocean.

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July 10th - We Dive For The First Time

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Dot and I arrived early Monday morning at a place called Jack's Diving Locker, greeted by our trainer, Larry. If you are ever considering diving/certifying on the Big Island Jack's is the place to go! They are a large dive operation and have a wonderful crew and quality   equipment. We had a great experience diving with them. We were doing the first two of four qualifying dives to earn our Open Water certification in scuba diving. After about 45 minutes of cruising north along the Kona coast, we arrived at a place they call the Golden Arches. It is a dive of about 40 feet with all types of coral over a wide area. After rehearsing the skills we would have to perform, we donned our gear, did a thorough equipment check and jumped into the water!

 

Once in we checked our weight distribution. We each had a bit too much weight and had to remove a couple of lbs each from our belts.  We then proceeded down to the bottom via the anchor line at the bow of the boat and once on the bottom, had to perform a skill where we had to hover about 3 feet above the bottom. Both of us struggled a little as there was a slight current and a small surge, something we never experienced in the pool! Anyway, after doing a couple of other skills, we spent the rest of the nearly 45 minutes just swimming along the bottom checking out all the fish and coral formations.  We spotted a Peacock Razor Warsse, a school of Juvenile Coris, a Collector Urchin, and several Black Spiny Urchins.  We got out of the water and I immediately experienced a little sea sickness. Yes, yours truly fed the fish! I recovered enough to take our second dive in the afternoon which we spent performing several required skills and really didn't have time for much site seeing.

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The rest of the group decided to find a beach and do some snorkeling. They went to Keauhou beach and attempted to swim in surf of about 4 - 8 feet. According to some in the   group it was quite an experience. One of our singles, Sherrie, had equipment that seemed to have a mind of it's own as the snorkel lost a piece that connected it to the mask, one fin kept coming off and with the surf being a little rough it started knocking her around. She ended up getting scraped up in several places, as she puts it, on her best assets and on top of that sunburned on her legs on top of the scrapes. She walked the rest of the evening as if she had been riding a horse all day! (Incidently, we have seen her walk like that before . . . Just ask her about her Animal Kingdom experience); In an unusual coincidence our other single, Crystal had scrapes and sunburn on the backs of her legs, exactly opposite of her friend Sherrie! We spent the rest of the evening talking about the trip so far and enjoying some deliciously grilled tri-tip.

Tomorrow we  visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park!

 

July 11th - Ow! That hurts! Wait, I feel better . . . OW! Now that really hurts!

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I hadn't mentioned it in my blog prior to leaving because I thought that it wasn't significant.  However, the Wednesday before we left, I had woken up early with a kidney stone. Great, what a time to get one of those! I have had them before, and they usually last a couple of days.  Hopefully this would pass before I left. My spirit wasn't dampened much. I was going no matter the cost!

 

Well, it passed in about 24 hours, and of course we left for Hawaii. But 5 days later, on Tuesday morning, that same pain I experienced last week came back with a vengeance! What a way to start the vacation of a lifetime. Well that will probably kill a day or two.

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Today was our day to visit Volcanoes National Park. I really wanted to go so I just took the pain pills the doctor gave me last week and sucked it up. Hey! What's a little pain among friends? Speaking of friends, they were great. They prayed that the stone would pass and that I would be able to join them today. I am grateful for my friends! The first couple of hours in the car were . . . interesting. . . from the pain standpoint. I was choking down as much cranberry juice as I could along the ride (Doctors recommend it to help move that little sucker along faster), and after about 4 hours the pain was reduced to a feeling. I expended a lot of energy but was willing to move forward.

 

Our first stop on our way to the park was the southern-most point of the United States. It is marked by a historical marker and a large pole sticking out of the ground that in the distance looks a lot like a microwave tower. We also had a 180 degree view of the horizon which gave a distinct view of the curvature of the earth. Pretty awesome sight.

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We arrived at Volcanoes National Park about Noon and headed for the Visitors Center. There we were given all the up to date information about the status of the lava flow which for the last several years has been mostly underground. Viewing was usually at the ocean where the lava was pouring in or by helicopter where you could see the lava through various “skylights”; where the tube had collapsed. Today was our lucky day! For reasons unknown the lava had broken through the surface and was flowing again on top of the land. It was recommended that to get a real good look we should view it at night. So we huddled together and determined that we could head down the road, visit Hilo then come back just before the sun goes down to see hopefully see the lava flows.

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Before we left for Hilo, we spent a couple of hours driving through the park stopping at different places to see the unique formations that the lava formed. This ended at the main vent of the currently active volcano. It is more than a half mile in diameter and has several steam vents rising out of it. Inside of that is a smaller crater where most of the action has taken place over the years. Currently there is nothing going on but there was evidence that that will soon change. We stopped in several places to take short hikes to the caldera's edge and at one point we were actually able to get to the very edge of the crater itself. There are nearly constant earthquakes in the area, what the scientists call “harmonic tremors”, and the evidence shows from the crumbling of the outer edge of the crater. We also were able to walk along the actual fault line that leads away from the volcano. Pretty Cool!

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Our last stop before leaving the park was the famous Thurston Lava Tube. This is an underground tunnel formed by lava that cooled on the outside forming outer shell and when the flow ended, it emptied leaving a tunnel.  The tube is unique because you can hike through it nearly a quarter mile. The first hundred yards or so are lighted but after that you are on your own. We had brought flashlights and so we ventured beyond the lighted area along with several other tourists to a point where we would have had to climb down into a slightly collapsed area to continue so we stopped. At that point we got everyone to turn out their flashlights and we were greeted with absolutely total darkness.

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We left the park and headed for Hilo about an hour away. Just before we got there, we made a short detour stopping at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory. It is where all those delicious nuts are processed. We saw how they went from tree to packaging and of course my Dot had to buy a bunch of those tasty morsels! We didn't get to see much more as the girls had on their agenda a stop at Hilo Hattie's which was THE place to shop for everything Hawaiian.

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Mike and I were bored. After closing the store (everything closes early in Hawaii) we grabbed some fast food and headed back to Park.  We arrived just before sunset and out in the distance you could barely make out the lava!  Of course we all wanted to get a closer look so we drove to the point where you had to turn around, found parking and then hiked nearly a mile to the end of the road, a place where the lava had crossed. You could see those yellow center of the road markers still stuck to the asphalt but just moved down the hill toward the ocean. It was dark by then and we were still 3 miles from the actual lava flow.

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The weather had been changing all day. They have an unusual weather phenomenon called VOG here on the big island.  It is a mixture of moisture and volcanic steam and it appears in the distance like smog but without the orange color. It feels more like a heavy mist and with the wind gusting to 25 mph, it was like being hit by little pins. We ran into this during our hike to the lava flow and not 50 feet from the edge of the road I took a step and my right ankle folded beneath me. I heard a loud pop and searing pain shot through my ankle as I fell. Great, I thought. I just ruined my trip.  Well, I got up checked myself out and sure enough I had sprained my ankle. It swelled almost immediately, and I had over a half mile to hike back to the car. I took a few steps to test my ability to put weight on the foot and found that I could at least hobble back to the car. So, I left the group and headed back on a hike on a bad ankle over half a mile away.  OUCH!

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It took me nearly 30 minutes to get back to the ranger station. There I was able to get some water and a couple of bandages to clean my left knee which had been cut up by the lava when I fell. I then made my way back to the van and sat there for what seemed like forever but was only about 15 minutes when the rest of the gang started arriving. The vog was so bad that no one could see the lava pouring into the ocean and even the flows on top the surface were obscured at times. But we did see it none the less!

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We drove quietly back to the condo . . . well almost. We had been driving about 30 minutes and had just passed a police station in some town I can't pronounce when we heard what we thought was a siren. Mike, who was driving, looked up and almost immediately I felt him take his foot off the brake as if to pull over. Great! A kidney stone, a sprained ankle, and now a speeding ticket! It turned out that my wife Dot, had a flashlight that has a flashing red light on it and she had turned it on and made a siren sound. Took Mike entirely by surprise and when he looked in the rearview mirror, he really thought that he was being pulled over. Well, the van erupted it hysterical laughter for several minutes while Mike tried to compose himself, having been completely caught in a practical joke. It was one of those experiences that will be talked about for years, embarrassing Mike over and over without end.

We stopped at the Kona Community Hospital emergency center to have my ankle checked and after an hour we were home with some pain pills, an air splint, crutches, and throbbing swollen ankle.  Who knows what tomorrow, will bring.

 

 

July 12th - It Was This BIG! . . . Really!

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We awoke on Wednesday a little later than usual. due to the visit to emergency the night before. It was obvious by looking at my ankle that things were going to change with regards to the schedule of events we had planned for this trip. My ankle had about eight wonderful hours of rest to decide that it wanted to swell up as large as it could, and it now looked like something that you could enter into the Thanksgiving Day as a balloon entry!  Diving was out for today, and for the near future it would seem. I called Jack’s Diving Locker to let them know that Dot and I would not be able to make it for today’s dive  and because we gave less than 24 hours notice, we forfeited the money we had invested on today’s activities. Tough break, but who knew I would end up like this?

So, I spent the day on my back, leg in the air, icing it every couple of hours in hopes it would get better and I could continue my conquest of the islands. Dot and the rest of the gang went down to Kailua-Kona to do some shopping and  look for a snorkeling beach nearby. Right down in the middle of town was one of the more popular beaches in Kona, Kahaluu Beach. They stopped there and were greeted by several large green sea turtles upon as they entered the ocean. The swells were larger than normal though nothing dangerous, but enough that if you didn’t watch yourself, you’d probably end up on your butt in the sand and water and possibly getting scratched by the nearby lava rocks.

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Sherrie was having trouble with one of her flippers and so she spent a lot of time just going around in circles. & Crystal was having a ball, so much so that she nearly went out to sea.  Mike had to go and pull her back in. Both Sherrie & Crystal got burned and whined about it  all evening!  In all it was a good day to rest as we were heading north tomorrow, for a really unique adventure. 

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July 13th - Look Ma! I’m Flumin’ da Ditch!

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Catchy title huh? Well, be surprised because that is the name of a very real event here on the Big Island and that is what we did today.  Flumin' da Ditch is an experience that everyone who visits the island should have. Back at the beginning of the 1900's sugar cane was the main crop on the island. But there was never enough rain to sustain large crops so an engineer from the mainland came up with a huge idea. He would build a series of canals & flumes that would re-route the water from the rainy side of the island to the sugar cane crops on the drier side. What was built was a 26 mile long system that flows in troughs, flumes, & ditches through open valleys and long tunnels that brought more water than they needed. Over the last 20 years though, sugar cane production had been reduced to nearly 0% due to the high cost of labor here. Kids on the island used to jump the fences and tube down the ditches and one of those kids became an adult and devised a very interesting tourist activity that we really enjoyed.

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The trip starts the little town of Kapaau and is preceded by a trip in a 14 person 4-wheel drive van that at times I thought was going to tip over. Everybody on the van was swaying back and forth and you had to protect your head from banging into the windows of the van. Once we arrived at the starting point you put on a waterproof jacket and your life vest and climbed into a 4- person inflatable kayak. The front and back persons - paddle the boat and we all wore miner’s lamps to help light the way through the 10 tunnels we had to go through. Our guide, Ka'anoi (protector in Hawaiian) was wonderful and had many facts to share with us while we were floating down stream.

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The tunnels we went through are low and at times you lay down in the kayak to get through. They are only about 4 ft wide and the longest was over 1800 ft. We were constantly having to push away from the sides to protect the inflatable boats. The flume portions are in areas that go over creeks & canyons and at one point we stopped to look over the side at a 40 ft waterfall directly below us. The ride lasted nearly 2 hours and we got to taste wild guava and cinnamon plant along the way. The rides ended with the same van trip back to the town. On the way back to our condo, the cloud cover we had nearly all week finally cleared and we were able to see all four of the volcanoes esponsible for helping to create this island: Kohala, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa & Hualalai.  We could even see the Haleakala volcano on the island of Maui for the very first time, only 26 miles away! And the color of the ocean? Well, it is the most royal blue I could ever describe and along the coast where the sand is was the most brilliant turquoise color ever.

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On the way back to Kona, we stopped in the Waikoloa area for a visit with Sherrie's cousin who happened to live on the island and was working there.Oh, and the plant life was pretty cool! It really is our paradise on earth! Friday, we visit the Waipio Valley, formed by the island’s oldest volcano, Kohala, and a tidal wave.

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July 14th - A Horse, A Mule, A Lot of Really Tall Waterfalls

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Friday was our last full day on the Big Island. We have had a great time so far and we hoped the rest of the week would be just as big. Well, we were not disappointed. We traveled once again to the very north end of the island, this time on the east side of a canyon they call the Waipio Valley. It is one of 3 large crevices in the island that were created by the lava flows of the first volcano, Mt. Kohala. Waipio Valley is the largest of the three and by far the most beautiful. Years ago, when the island was first being inhabited, the entire islands food supply was grown right here in this valley. The valley was hit by a tidal wave in 1946 and though there was no loss of life that day, it nearly ruined the farming there and most of the population left. During the 60’s and 70’s the      valley became populated by the “hippies” who grew all kinds of wonderful stuff (read between the lines) but eventually they all became farmers and their children have mainly taken over the valley.

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The Waipio Valley is private, in that there is no real public access. The road in is so steep that only 4-wheel drive vehicles are allowed down into the valley. The farmers there know everyone there so only tour companies are allowed for sightseeing purposes. There are basically three ways to see the valley, helicopter, tour bus, and horse and wagon. We opted for the horse & wagon and were not disappointed. You can walk down to get to the beautiful white sand beach but those we saw attempting to climb back up didn’t look all that happy!

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Our trip started from a little town (a really small town!) in a building that looked a little like a converted barn. The six of us were joined with another couple and their child. We all loaded into a large 4-wheel van and headed through a gate and down a very, very, very steep road. Did I say the road was steep? It was so steep that at times it felt as if the van would flip forward if you hit the brakes too hard. You need to stop for traffic coming up because they have the right of way. You don’t stop when traveling up the hill, otherwise you won’t get started again and will roll down the hill. Did I mention that the hill was steep?

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We finally arrived at the bottom and after about a mile we arrived at the home of the driver. She works as an employee but maintains the horses/mules. We transferred to an old wooden wagon that was drawn by two large mules. Mules are the offspring of a horse and a donkey. They make great work animals and these two seemed ready to pull us all over. We took off retracing our path to the bottom of the great hill and then turned around and traveled across a couple of creeks that run across the road and into a place where we could look into the very back of the valley.

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WOW! what a view. It was as green as you could ever want. Several    waterfalls fell from the top to the bottom. There are 27 falls during the rainy season in January, February, and 7 that run year-round. The best of these are twin falls that are over 1200 feet tall and rise just behind the driver’s home. What a view to wake up to every day!

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The plant life is extraordinary. Everything grows larger than normal and we even saw a rare Rainbow palm which has bark of varying color. We saw taro root, Kona coffee, guava, papaya, and many more fruit and vegetable plants. There were mimosa trees that were as large as a city block. They even have a River Road that is an actual creek that you travel up several hundred feet to get to some of the homes. That was a strange site at best!

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We ended our trip traveling back up the steep We didn’t stop once . . . though all the traffic coming down stopped for us. Again, if you gunned the engine it felt like the van might flip up on its end. Did I mention the road was steep? 

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We got back to the starting point and decided we had enough time to travel Akaka Falls. It was about a one hour trip heading toward Hilo which is the opposite side of the island from where we were staying. We got there, ate some lunch, and because my ankle was really swollen from not having it raised up, I let the other 5 go down and see Akaka Falls  while I stayed at the top and observed the people coming and going. The girls got pictures which you can see in the slideshow.

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We spent the next 2 hours in traffic trying to get back to our condo to change our clothes. We were supposed to be at a Luau by 5:00 PM which we were late for. By the time we got there and found parking it was 6:00 but we were early enough to witness the entry of the Hawaiian King and his royal court. and then we sat down to eat.

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The Luau is the Island Breeze Luau and is at the King Kameimea Hotel outside on the shores of the Pacific Ocean right next to the Kona harbor. We were the next to last there and the only seating they had available was at the very back and not together. We had to sit 4 at one table and 2 at another. We told the greeter that that was fine and happily settled in to prepare for the meal. They had a wonderful prayer prior to eating that told us they were Christians and that make the seats even better. However, we were in for a blessing we would have never expected. Just after the prayer, the greeter came and to us and asked us to come with him. We followed and when we got re-seated we were placed near the stage in the Preferred Seating section. What a treat! No reason for the move. Just God blessing us at the end of a great week!

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The food was totally Hawaiian and very tasty. We had Kalua pig, rice, all kinds of fruit, (the pineapple is to die for), poi, salmon (sushi style), and coconut pudding, cake and salads of every kind. The food was some of the best we had ever had for a luau. After dinner they had a show included a the dances and ceremonial dress of several islands that helped populate the an islands. We witnessed and enjoyed dances from Fuji, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti, and Polynesia. The show ended with a fire dancer from Samoa that twirled and tossed sticks with fire on both ends which really excited the audience.

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In all it was an exhausting day and we had to get up early, and pack for our move to Maui.

Just click on the "Week2 - Maui" map at the top to join us in Maui!