Hawaii Trip - July 13 to 15
Monday July 13 - cont'd
This is the western slope of Mauna Kea, heading north before turning onto the Saddle Road. The road between the Big Island's two mountains was disappointing only because we couldn't see through the clouds. Mauna Kea was enveloped in clouds and it rained as we came across the middle ground. There are military areas up there too so it makes for a pretty boring trip visually. The road is excellent and very safe. There were many signs about "watch for sheep" but we saw none.
Descending gradually towards Hilo the rain and foggy conditions continued, we passed some big smooth lava fields where people were getting out of their cars and walking out onto the hard lava, and then as we got very close to Hilo the downhill slope got steeper and the sky cleared. Hilo is a more established city, and is less obviously a tourist place than Kailua-Kona where we are staying.
In Hilo, being good tourists, we parked in the free parking area and went and grabbed a rejuvenating cup of coffee. Then we hung around for a bit and took our photos by an enormous tree, I think it was a banyan tree, and then after getting some good directions from the tourist rep at the bus station, we headed on north towards the Botanical Gardens. She said, "look for the sign that says Scenic Drive, 4 miles" which we found without too much trouble!
Hilo near downtown.
The air and everything on the Hilo side of the Big Island feels more "lush." When you get out of the city, the forest was thick and had that sort of smell where you know that there is decaying vegetation mixed with floral scents and sea air. The scenic side road wound back and forth and tunnelled through forests and hillsides. One lane bridges crossed tumbling streams. Soon we came to a spot where cars were parked on the roadside.
The trail went downhill from the road and soon we found ourselves looking out over the ocean about 500 below our feet, where there were crashing waves.
We followed the trail down to the bottom, where the river intersected with the trail at the point where it entered the ocean. It was an easy crossing if you timed it so that the waves weren't coming into the riverbed and reversing the flow of water. Brenda was a good sport to go to the trouble of taking off her running shoes so we could continue up the trail. I grabbed some big leaves that were on the ground to help her clean the sand off her feet. This turned out to be the highlight of the day from her point of view; this moment of goofy kindness on my part!
We didn't go any farther up the trail at that point, since it was getting pretty rough and we weren't sure how far it went.
There were sure lots of warning signs to stay away from the edge of the cliff, and to be very careful of the water. There is nobody around to save you here.
After the hike we had worked up an appetite for our chicken sandwiches, made from my leftover Tandoori chicken from the Indian Restaurant. That hit the spot!
We continued in our exploration of the area. The Tropical Botanical Garden was nearby and was well worth the time and the admission of $15 each. There is another article I created about that, with lots of pictures. What an incredible spot. It was created by a man who bought the land back in 1978. He toiled to create a valley oasis and I would say he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
We continued down the main Highway 19 and followed the signs to Akaka Falls State Park. Admission was all of $1 apiece, instead of $5 since we parked on the highway outside the gate. It's a pretty impressive drop, and the falls looked great since there had been some rain that day. We also came across a rat enjoy a snack. Stopping in at a local town called Honomu we waited patiently while local families lined up to treat their kids to shaved ice in a cup and ice cream. "That will be 250 cents please," said the owner with a smile, when we paid for our water and can of pop. He was an amputee who rested his stump on a little 3-wheeled cart which he trundled around with. Handbrakes and all. I expect he used it as a seat too. With a distinguished white moustache and goatee he reminded me of Colonel Saunders.
Here's the rat we saw along the trail. Rats invaded the Island in the 1800s and decimated the local bird populations. When they brought mongoose in to try to deal with the rats, it didn't work because the mongoose were nocturnal and they never bothered the rats which feed in the daytime.
Further along we stopped at some scenic viewpoints, and ended up in a town called Honoka'a eating pizza at a spot called Cafe Il Mondo. This scenic outlook is called Laupahoehoe Point. It's a historic sugar cane and tourist settlement that took a hit from a Tsunami back in the 1940s, and is an end point for the railway that was damaged in the same storm. The railroad was not repaired and is now a historic symbol of the changing industry, travel methods, and economy of the Big Island.
Cafe Il Mondo in Honaka'a. That's our table right inside the front window. The surrounding area is forested with tall hardwood trees interspersed with grassy fields and rolling hills. It makes you think at times you could be in the English countryside or anywhere else! The tropical lushness gives way to a more temperate climate, but still there is no shortage of rain. The cows in the fields have got it pretty good here.
Here's a little lizard we saw at the Botanical Garden:
This is what the landscape is like on the west side of the island.
Dry, scrubby ranch land on the Big Island's west side.
Some views of the small volcano called Pu'u Wa'awa'a and Mauna Loa in the distance made our drive back to the hotel spectacular.
We were home by 6 PM and relaxed on the balcony for the rest of the day.
Tuesday July 14
Checking on the lagoon this morning we saw the tide at its lowest. What a difference! Now that I've checked a tide chart, we know when to go for our next lagoon swim - 3PM today.
Here's what the cooking ritual looks like for the roasting of the pig for the luau:
We headed over to the Daylight Mind cafe again so we could connect to the wi-fi. I can't believe how much junk email I get. The rest of our afternoon was just relaxation, enjoying a very cool breeze coming across our balcony on what ended up being an overcast day.
Brenda agreed that it would be okay for me to do the helicopter tour on my own, so I went down to the concierge and booked my flight. Thursday morning they will pick me up at 6:25 AM at the hotel.
We went out to check out the Ross store. OMG. Literally millions of articles of clothing on endless racks, row upon row, like the military cemetery. Un.Be.Lievable. We got out of there an hour later with a half dozen articles of clothing, including a bikini for Brenda. Apparently it has been 40 years since Brenda wore a bikini. Some other nice shirts for the kids too, and underwear and a Hawaii shirt for me too!
Then we went over to Panda Express Chinese Kitchen for supper. Not a bad value, we ended up paying less than $25 for a huge dinner. We watched the sun set beautifully, and then headed back to the hotel.
Tonight's card game was two handed Euchre. I prevailed over my opponent handily. I think we're going to be up for a rematch.
Wednesday July 15
Today was amazing. We went snorkelling at a place called Two Step. Heading south past Keakekua Bay and right beside the National Historic Site we visited last week, we parked our car and walked over to this very popular public waterfront area. The bay is nicely sheltered so there were no big waves. It was still a bit tricky getting in and out of the water because it is jagged lava rocks only. There are stepped areas which help. As soon as you put your mask into the water the underwater world leaps into view.
We thought the lagoon at our hotel was amazing. This was Amazing Times Ten. I'll never forget the sight of hundreds and hundreds of fish of all types, and the corals. So beautiful! We saw a ray about three feet wide sifting through sand along the bottom. A few minutes after we got out, a group of dolphins came into the area.
We left around 11:30 AM and then found our way to the Kona Coffee Living History Farm in the town of Captain Cook, where we got an informative tour of an old-style coffee farm that was operative in the 1920s up to 1994.
The farm was run by a Japanese immigrant family, so we got a dose of Japanese pioneer living, as the house was designed in Japanese traditional style with very little furniture, sitting and sleeping on the floor etc.
Brenda got acquainted with the farm donkey named Charlie, and with some assistance offered by the kiosk guy, she fed him a couple of bunches of nice sweet grass. She was rewarded with a nice donkey nuzzle.
We walked around the area enjoying the countryside on what turned out to be a damp and cloudy, misty day.
Macadamia nut trees, banana and orange trees, and of course all kinds of coffee plants were everywhere. The coffee crop is still harvested and sold from this farm.
Arriving back at the hotel by 2:00 PM for cocktails and a siesta.
We ended up going to grab some dinner fairly early at a restaurant near us called Laverne's. I had the pulled pork, Brenda had the hot roast beef on a bun.
That was a nice happy hour meal. We came back to the sound of the luau in full swing.
Euchre tonight was a different story. I won the first game, but Brenda took the second.
