Breezy Friday

Well, to say it was breezy today is an understatement. The swells out of the south were too much for us, so we ate breakfast & then packed up to head up to Two Step (The Place of Refuge), hoping it would be protected & maybe some snorkeling. A nice little stop at the Punalu'u Bakery..the southern-most in the USA, of course...and our first tasting of Malsaladas, a Portuguese donut that was really good! On toward our spot & the road is 55 mph, then 35 & really curvy, then some u-turns & finally here we are, and it looks good. A lot of people snorkeling & on the lava flow, and the in & out looks tricky, but we'll do it! I get in to test the waters & the surf & it's a little murky by the shore but clears up out toward the reefs. Lots of fish & there's a Picasso Fish ( a Humu with different stripes) & the usual yellow tangs, parrot fish and hey there's a barracuda! Back to shore and sure enough, getting out is the worse part, as the waves were pretty big, dropping & rising over 5 feet..ouch! I'm out & now to warm up & eat lunch. Now KK decides she'll try it, and I promise to help her get out. We stay in for about 45 minutes & see lots of fish, but no dolphins or turtles. Now the hard part, but it's easier this time & I give KK a hand & she's out! I'll go get the car, and we can head back to the condo & I'll bet there are turtles at the beach. Sure enough, just after we get back, KK goes for a walk & calls me, as there's 5 honu's resting together on the Black Sand beach! Quite a site! Ok, now for supper..some leftovers. We've saved some money this trip by eating in a lot. Out here in the back country it was almost a must!

Water Falls and Dip Cones

Good morning! We're up about 7:00 and plan to get some sun, jump in the pool & then hit the road. A quick breakie & down to the pool goes KK, as I blog & check e-mails. I'm down also & get in the pool & swim a few laps, before getting some wieners to grill for lunch & read a little. I finished my book.."Cahokia"..and I would recommend it to any history minded person. On to Mark Twain's "Letters from Hawaii". An easy lunch & load up for a trip into Hilo & a stop at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory..just over 250,000 trees in this orchard! On into Hilo & pick up rt 19 toward Waimea. along the NE coast. We do stop at Akaka Falls State Park & it's a massive $1 each too get in! It's a beautiful walk to see a large thin waterfall..Kahuna..and then a little farther to Akaka. It's over 440' drop and quite impressive & the tropical plants around the park rival the gardens we saw yesterday. A very nice stop! Back on the road and quite a drive up to Waimea, with switchbacks, rock falls & road construction. There it is! The Parker Ranch Mall & our DQ is open! Into the food court to have a dip cone, a sundae & a dilly bar chaser. Now to shop a little, and even a scrap booking store for KK! Gas up and head back to Hilo, but this time we'll take the saddle road over the top, as we know it's nice & fast. We do get to elevation and at sundown around 8,000' the temp is 52, but a beautiful sunset & a few goats. Now downhill to Hilo & a purchase of some tropical material for the upcoming baby's crib. We got the right stuff, due to I-phone hookups with Ashley. Now it's starting to rain..in Hilo?...so off we go toward our condo. We get there just in time to suit up & hit the hot tub for a couple of bubbles before cooking some Annie's for dinner..A GOOD DAY!

A Baker's Dozen-Honu's

Yes, there are lots of Honu's (Hawaiian Sea Turtles) at this site..the Black Sand Beach at Punalu'u. Bus loads of people come here just to see them..on the beach, in the water, on the rocks, but HEY! Don't touch them! We do sleep in 'till 7:30 and it was cozy in the bed. Some coffee, coke & light breakie, before loading up & heading down to the beach to sun & maybe snorkel. KK finds a good spot & I go exploring, over by the boat ramp & some old wharfs. I must have walked by 7-8 Honu's on the way..in the water, on the beach, on the lava & people taking lots of pics. I find a reasonably good spot to get in, after chatting with a local and I am shocked at the number of reef fish, but also more turtles feeding along the shoreline. It's a little murky, but all-in-all, I'm pleased, and lots of old wharf debris on the bottom. Back over to KK & we walk around looking for Honu's & count 13 all over the place! To the condo to fix lunch..grilled burgers...and then KK goes for a walk, as I watch some of the OSU/Mizzou game. We're not doing too well, and the refs refuse to give us a break. A bad day for sports..OSU boys loose by 18; OSU girls loose by 31, and the OKC Thunder loose too. So we hop in the Jeep & drive up to Na'alehu but are just a little late for the famous bakery, so we explore a little & end up at "Shaka South"a sports bar..THE Southern most bar in the USA!..and have a drink & fish & chips...not bad & it's fried Ono. On back to room & some blogging & reading. There are some nice places around here, but it is a little too remote for our liking. see ya Thursday.

Fabulous Gardens

A good sleep for the "old couple" and up about 7:45 to get ready for a trip into Hilo & some sightseeing. A quick breakie & load up the Jeep for the hour-long drive through many Eco-systems to the rain forest of the BIG Isle. Our first stop is for gas.."only" 4.33/gal...& then Hilo Hattie's for beads & drinks. Now to find Rainbow Falls & KK's phone takes us to some other place, but we preserve & finally get to the State Park, just as a big bus pulls up, so we take our time & they're gone. The falls are not big but very nice & the massive Banyan trees are really cool. Now to find a DQ? Nope, let's go to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens! It's located just north of Hilo on the "Scenic Drive" at Onomea Bay. It costs $15 each to get in, but it turns out to be well worth the price. It's a two hour walk thru the gardens & we take lots of pics & KK's foot is better, but we rest a few times. The flowers, plants & water falls are great! Even a small parrot show..5 Central American Macaws,,by one of the workers. It was a FAB time but we are hungry, so we drive on & find a neat local spot.."What's Shakin?". Really good sandwiches, with fresh fruit & black tea! And a great setting with many large Ohia trees & the ocean in the back-ground. Now back into Hilo & where's the DQ? It was in the mall but is closed..yuk. Over to Wally & Safeway for a few things for supper..Tacos! Back to the condo by 7:30 and get our suits on for a quick stop at the hot tub. Man that felt great! Now for the tacos, beer & blogging...and HAPPY VALENTINE'S Day!!!!

Where the Gods Began Creation

ALOHA! And a good morning to all! We're up pretty early, with plans to go to The Volcanoes National Park...just up the road. A little coffee, bacon & away we go, with a slight climb to 4000' in about 30 miles to the entrance. A short line to get in the park, with our Senior Pass! (NC) And up to the Jagger Museum, thru some road construction, but no VOG. The Halema'uma'u Crater is steaming, but no lava flowing at this spot. There is lava but it's below the Pali (ridge) and not flowing into the ocean at this time. A few shots here & a cruise around the museum & chatting with rangers, and some purchases of course. I give Geoff a call to clue him in as to where we are today. Then off we go to some steam vents & more overlooks of the Kilauea Caldera & KK struggles to hike to the visitor center & I meet her with the auto. It's under construction here too..a new parking lot, so it's a mess, but we prevail & go in to watch the film about the volcano & Hawai'i. Now we're hungry, but the Volcano House is closed, so we exit the park & go to the Volcano Village and find a neat spot: The Kiawe Kitchen. Looks good, and is good! We get a oven fired pizza, the Margherita, with sausage & green peppers & two cheeses...it was awesome! OK, back to park to see the overlook & the Thurston Lava Tube, from an old lava flow that has turned into a tunnel for us visitors. It's Monday and there are two guys helping to park cars, as you have to wait for a spot..we go on. Since KK's foot is hurting we go back to the overlook & I walk back to the tube as it's one of my favorite places. The Tree Ferns here are enormous! They look like they're trying to be Palm trees, but they are 20' tall ferns! It's actually a tropical rain forest at this location & quite incredible. Back to the auto & southward toward the condo & this time, down to sea level & a poolside "pupu" party for all of the owners & guests (us). A nice gathering of about 50 people and most people are here for months, not just weeks. A lot of folks from Oregon, Washington, Canada. KK stays to load pics & rest her foot & then we have a "leftover" supper, and it's good! The PC looses the wifi but KK perseveres and gets it back! Good job! OK, let's blog! See yinz tomorrow...oh and speaking of yinz, I chatted with a guy from Homestead today, with a Steeler shirt on!!! Kevin, did ya hear that! (Joe Chioda--the bar in Pitt!)

Black Sand Beach

WOW! What a night that was! We'll talk about that evening on Mauna Kea for a long time. As for today, "not much happened today"..per my Lewis & Clark quotes. We slept in a little but only 'till 8:00 & let's get the coffee going. KK is up & working on the computer and downloading pics. I'll cook the meat-bacon & sausage-and KK will handle the eggs & a nice breakie on the lanai, watching the BIG surf roll in. Let's just sit by the pool & relax today...read, snooze & enjoy. We did get in the car and drive down to the black sand beach & it was crowded. People surfing, snorkeling, cooking & tour busses coming through. There are a few Honus in the rocks, resting, but people have to get close & take a few pics. Back up to the house to get supper ready..I'll grill the steaks & KK handles the salad & rice..a great meal! And it's a long walk down to the pool area & the grills, but I can take it! Write some postcards, bills & plan tomorrow..maybe Volcanoes National Park! see ya..

Star Gazer's Delight

Well, it's our time to check out of the Sea Village & head toward Hilo, and after a little lanai sittin'( HEY, there goes an ultralight!) and packing we're out by 9:30 & up to Safeway to get grab for our "isolated" next stop near Punalu'u. We spend some big bucks at Safeway, but since I join their "club", we save $70 ! That was the best minute I ever spent! (Filling out the form.) A call from Cami that she & David are going out to visit Dottie tomorrow, weather permitting..it's a bit chilly in OKC (20), but no snow. Pack up our groceries & head toward two-step for some snorkeling as it's on the way. A couple of stops before that & down to the water and the usual 150 or so people here, and lots of fish. A little bit of lounging but I go to get the car as KK has stubbed her toe (me too) and it's painful to walk. A lunch stop at an L&L BBQ place and it's a so-so meal, but gas has dropped to 4.32 a gal!..WOW! The fuel comes into Hilo & is trucked over the mountain to Kona, hence the bigger price there. YEA! We find our place, the Sea Mountain Resort, by the black sand beach & more roaring surf. (But will the Wifi be better?) Unpack asap as we want to head toward Hilo & up to Mauna Kea & the telescope night with the University Of Hawaii Astronomy students. It's just over an hour to Hilo & then another hour up to the visitor center, over a very rough & windy road...BUT ALAS! What do we have ? Just about 5 miles up Saddle Road from Hilo, the road is brand new, with 3 lanes & 55 MPH! UNBELIEVABLE! Then a Right turn and 6 miles up to the Ellison Onizuka Center ( named after Hawai'is astronat who was killed in the Challenger accident.) We get up there just in time as all of the telescopes have been put in place and trained on distance objects like Jupiter, Venus, Orion (my favorite) & other nebulae. At this point folks, I could write 10 pages of detail on the things we saw, but I'll keep it down as it was quite unreal. First the big 16" scope was trained on Jupiter, which is fab, but the old guy (my age) who was running the telescope was pretty excited & an expert astronomer & we got his life story every 10 minutes or so. Another scope is on Orion & very good but things are getting better! When it gets darker, and the big one turns toward Orion, it is awesome! We are looking right at the Nebula and we can see the gas clouds! He has an enhanced filter that pushes the power up by 100 times! So it's like one of the really big ones just a few thousand feet above us. We also get some pictures with KK's phone! The astronomy students at Hawaii University at Hilo are helping out and leading discussions & it's a great night and clear as a bell! Now we look at the Andromeda Spiral Galaxy , M37 , M79, the Eskimo Nebula, and the "Horse head" Nebula, a black looking nebula that has "light" around it, but the light is another nebula that is 1000 light years beyond ! (This is all located in the Orion Nebula.) OK, that's all we could take, so back down the mountain, about 9:45 to Hilo & a late supper at Ken's Pancake House..I had Kokonut pancakes with coconut syrup & KK had a burger. A quick stop at Wally during a rain storm..in Hilo?..and on the road back to Sea Mtn. We arrive at 1:00 am and what a day! Let's sleep in!! MAHALO!

Good 'Ol Two-step

A lovely morning here in Kailua -Kona..up about 7:30 & enjoy watching for "blows"(only one), but the ocean is so calm & lots of boats out there. A little coffee, cookies & get ready for some snorkeling at Two-step (The city of Refuge). Pack a couple of sandwiches, water & off we go..oops, but first up to find the fabric store for some tropical prints..for Ashley. Yea! we find it & e-mail the photos..now off to snorkel. An easy drive to the spot & quite a few people today, but we park and go down to the lava flow, get a spot & suit up for some serious snorkeling. KK is getting good at this and we go out for the outer reefs, where we see thousands of reef fish, both just below the surface & deep among the coral. A few schools of yellow tangs feeding, trigger fish & needle fish schooled. Of course the coral is fabulous as usual. Back to shore to warm up, have some lunch & walk around the flow to take some shots of this setting. Now we pack up and head back as we have a "date" to go up & visit Minnie, Kim & Tom for some drinks & pupu's. It's not a bad drive but almost to the airport & up the mountain (Hualalai, an 8500' volcano) to their house at about 1100'. Yea! We find it and the drinks are ready....not mai-tai's but some new concotion by Kim. UMMMMM, good! But guess what? The pool is gone and they are working to fill it in and make a grassy area for croquet. Kim grills some delicious k-bob's, and looks like we won't need supper. A couple of hours of visiting & bashing the libs & we say Aloha/mahalo & off we go down/down/down & some shopping at Macy's, Ross & a DQ! Downtown Kona is a hoppin' place but we go on through, back to our room & start packing a few things for our move to the Punalu'u area, on the southside of Hawai'i. We have to be out by 11:00 tomorrow, so we'll get a few things to take on down the coast for grilling, and maybe snorkel on the way.

Kahalu'u Beach

Yea! The wind had dropped considerably & we may be able to snorkel today. I'm up at 7:30 & put on the coffee & sit on the lanai to check on any whale activity. A couple of blows, and at least the bay is smooth & a few boats are out. There are a few spinners out there. What's for breakie? Sausage biscuits for me & cheerios for KK. A lone paddle boarder goes by..what a workout! (Felesa calls & is having car trouble & has AAA come to her rescue. OK, use our car if ya need to.) Up to town & a couple of markets before heading up to the beach & some snorkeling. It's pretty crowded, but room for all & it's low tide, but will start coming in soon. KK gets in first & I chat with some "Duck" fans before easing into the bay. Still a lot of great fish here , despite the number of people, and one turtle, but the current is really strong & hard to get around. Back on the beach to rest a little & I go back in as the tide starts to come in, so more cover, but it's still tough swimming. Load up & back to room to clean up, have a sandwich & go out shopping, but first a DQ! (A dip-cone & a cherry blizzard!) Then to BIG K, Hilo Hattie's & down Ali'i drive to the condo, but lots of action in downtown Kona. A few sunset pics & back to room for some stir-fry , using the grilled chicken from last night. It's a great meal! Now to try and pull the Thunder thru, but doesn't look good..lost by 5..too many turnovers. See ya tomorrow..our last full day in Kona, as we'll head southerly to Sea Mountain for another week.

Wet and Windy

OK, you know what day it is when you see the BIG Cruise ship in the harbor in Kona...Wednesday! (and I 'm sure the shops love this day.) We slept ok, but KK's eye is pretty swollen up, a "cold in her eye?" Where's Dr Wine when we need him? The Ocean is still rough despite the cold front moving through & rain all night, and the cruise ship had to re-position (or are they just leaving?) in order to tender people off this morning. The gardeners are working in our courtyard. What shall we do today? Maybe two-step is our only choice. A nice breakie of eggs, sausage & toast before loading up & heading toward two-step, and even Kahalu'u is rough and really low. On to the City of Refuge & the surf is massive here too & nobody in the water , except for spinner dolphins. We just decide to sit and enjoy the day, read & have a picnic. It's so rough the National Park even closes the Historic site..sounds crazy to me..it's all on shore. Back to the room , change & go to the Royal Kona, and Happy Hour at "Don the Beachcomber's!" A great view of the roaring surf & it even splashes us way up here at our table! The Mai-Tais are 1/2 price & reduced prices on pupu's. OK, let's have a couple, plus some coconut shrimp. There's also a Luau going on, so it's a great setting, plus a pod or two of spinner dolphins in the bay. And of course a lovely sunset. Now a little shopping in town, but nothing much purchased. Back to the room to get the chicken ready to grill, and we have dinner about 8:30...perfect! It's actually a little cool this eve,,about 66 & the waves are still huge. Oh, called the Watts and Ruth didn't go to the OSU girls game this eve..WHAT?!!!@* They did win over Tech...YEA! oh, and the cruise ship left and nobody came ashore..bummer. Heard they went back over toward Maui and went whale watching, before going on to Kauai. Hopefully we can snorkel somewhere tomorrow..if not, maybe up to Waimea & a DQ!

Whale Tails & Eagle

ALOHA from Kona! Ok, we've been here since Saturday, but we got up so early today (Tuesday) that I lost track. We got up at 5:45 to get to the Honokohau Harbor & Capt Dan McSweeney's Whale watch cruise. He's an expert here in Hawaii & has studied these creatures for over 40 years. We get there plenty early & looks like everyone else did too. Down to the dock to sign in & pay. Thirty-three people on the boat, about a 40 footer & KK has taken her pre-trip meds to avoid the seasickness issues. Off we go at 7:05 & out into the open sea to stir up some humpbacks. Right away Capt Dan spots a pod of 4-5 whales & we get some good blows & tails. We continue to follow them & see more action but now toward shore & more. The ocean continues to get rougher as the south winds have come up & we've got some big swells. More whales but the same old rolling, no breaches & no dolphins. A pretty good trip & KK's ok! Back to our slip by 9:40 & a trip to town to shop at the Internat'l Market. We're meeting Minnie (mom's friend from Morris , OK-circa 1930's) & Kim (her daughter) at the Kona Canoe Club for lunch at 11:30, so we'll finish after lunch. A great place for a meal, and what a view of the harbor! We have a good visit are are even invited to their house on Friday afternoon for Kim's Mai Tais & pupu's. Back out to shop & I get a painted coconut to mail to the nursing home..hope they all like it! Across the street and the Farmer's Market to get fresh cut flowers for our room..$12 for a FAB bouquet! And a fresh pineapple! To the room & take a short power nap & then down to Kahalu'u Beach Park to check out the snorkeling conditions. For whatever reason, traffic is horrible & it's only 3:00..maybe it's the fire we see in the north. Oh well, to the beach, by the Out Rigger & it's crowded , and big surf , but also a little protected. I get my stuff & slide into the water & it's great! Lots of fish & I see my first "Ray"..an Eagle Ray & it's cool lookin'! A few Humu's, a couple of Picasso Trigger fish, schools of butterfly fish, parrotfish & cornetfish..this is the biggest variety I've ever seen in one place! Out for a rest & then back in before the sun gets covered by the clouds. A good ending to the day & back to the room, but it takes us 45 minutes to go 3 miles..this is crazy! Cleanup, have a sandwich, relax & KK gets updates on the Thunder Vs the Kings..we win..119-116! Oh, and OSU boys win too!!! GO POKES!!! A nice day!!!