Oct 7, 2012 - Trans-Pacific Journey Day 8

Sunday, October 7, 2012 Early this morning we arrived in Hilo, Hawaii at the pier in the heavily industrial area of town. Our friends we met on the Cruise Critic forum organized an island tour for us and so we joined about 30 others (3 small vans) for a wonderful full day tour. We went to the Volcano National Park and saw the Kilauea volcano,, walked through a Lava tube, saw lava beds, looked through an Orchid Farm, went to a black sand beach (where Steve saw a couple turtles), and finally to a Akaka Falls—over 450ft beautiful falls! It...

Dec 7, 2011 - Aloha to Hawaii

Aloha in Hawaiian can either be a greeting or a goodbye. So, for me today, it's Aloha a hui hou aku. "Goodbye, Hawaii, until we meet again." I am already looking forward to coming back to this magical paradise one day! We're back in the usual winter weather here with the trade winds bringing showers quite frequently throughout the day and night. Although yesterday morning's sunrise looked promising, it wasn't long before the clouds moved in and we were dodging rain showers. Carolyn and I were out for a few errands and then lunch at her...

Dec 6, 2011 - Hamakua Coast and Saddle Road

Our road trip last Tuesday (Nov 29) took us on a circle route through vastly different landscapes - rain forests, waterfalls, gorges, Eden-like valleys, spectacular coastal views, ranch lands, mountains, lava fields, old sugar cane fields, desolate desert-like scenery. I have already covered some parts of it in previous posts - Onomea Bay, Akaka Falls, Laupahoehoe. We began with the scenic drive up the Hamakua Coast (Hy 19), It is one of the most stunning roads in all Hawaii, rivaling the Maui's famed road to Hana. One of the Big Island's...

Dec 5, 2011 - Volcano glow

Wow! Amazing! Incredible! None of these words are strong enough to describe our experience last night! In spite of the somewhat misty conditions, Tara, Shaun, Carolyn and I left home about 5:00 heading up the mountain to the Kilauea Volcano. We arrived at the Jagger Museum at dusk to watch the Halema'uma'u Crater put on its nightly show of billowing smoke and blood-orange glow from its lava lake 300 feet below the surface. The glow constantly varies in intensity and the experience becomes magnified as darkness falls. We, and the other 50...

Dec 4, 2011 - Akaka Falls

Another one of our adventures last Tuesday (Nov 29) was a visit to the Big Island's most popular waterfall, Akaka Falls, which plunges 442 feet down a circular moss and fern lined gorge. Walking to the falls is an experience in itself as it moves along a paved path through a lush rainforest of towering bamboo groves, draping ferns, twisted banyon trees, giant gingers, heliconias, and all kinds of tropical plants. Although the loop trail is less than a mile, it is somewhat strenuous as it winds up and down through ravines and over...

Dec 3, 2011 - All About Tsunamis

Despite the gray and sometimes drizzly day, Carolyn and I set out in late morning for Hilo town. We had an outstanding lunch at Cafe Pesto and then headed for the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Tsunamis are simply a fact of life here in the islands. The residents of this area of the Big Island are especially wary due to the two devastating tsunamis that occurred in recent memory. On April 1, 1946, an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands sent a 25-foot wall of water (some sources say 55 foot) into Hilo and the surrounding areas claiming 159 lives and...

Dec 2, 2011 - Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Rain, rain and more rain! That's what's been happening today (Friday). Actually it didn't start until mid morning so we were able to get in a short walk on the roads here in Hawaiian Acres before it started. Since then, it's been a great day to stay tucked inside, reading and listening to the rain on the roof and now, after dark, the coqui frogs singing. Even though the sun was shining, it was a cold and WINDY day on Monday, when we decided to visit the Big Island's most popular attraction..... Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, where you...

Dec 1, 2011 - Orchid Gardens

Yay!!!!! Three days in a row of absolutely perfect Hawaiian weather! These are the kinds of days people come to Hawaii for! I'm getting behind on my travel blogs.... Daily blogs worked okay when it was Doug & I doing it together.... when he did the writing & I did the photos. I'm finding it hard to do both. I admire those of you who do it and faithfully keep up with it every day. We had major touristing and photo days on Monday and Tuesday... Volcanoes National Park and the Hamakua Coast. Since it's taking me awhile to get through all the...

Nov 29, 2011 - Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Saturday night, Carolyn and I, along with Carolyn's friend, Carol, went to a concert at Kileau Theater in the Volcanoes National Park. The musicians were The Brothers Cazimera, a very popular Hawaiian duo, along with 3 lovely Hula dancers. The concert was great! The weather was freezing at this 4000 foot elevation!!!!! Because the theater building does not have heat (which is typical in Hawaii) we were even VERY cold inside! However, we enjoyed the concert in spite of our frosty toes! Another of the Big Island's "not to be missed"...

Nov 26, 2011 - Hilo beaches

We had a wonderful Hawaiian Thanksgiving with all the usual American traditional food.... turkey, dressing, vegetables, salads and 3 desserts. Very yummy! Two friends who live in this area joined us. Although we had planned to have dinner on the lanai, the not unexpected shower (what the weatherman calls "splashes) forced us to eat inside. I have so much to be grateful for!!!!! Yesterday(Friday) Carolyn and I avoided all the shopping areas and instead did a tour of some of the beach areas around Hilo. First on the agenda was a scenic drive...

Nov 24, 2011 - A Hilo Day

Wednesday was a day of touristing around Hilo for Carolyn and me. Hilo (the closest city to us) is an interesting town with a mix of the old and new Hawaii. We drove through neighborhoods of beautiful homes with lush tropical landscaping mixed in with older wooden houses with rusty corrugated roofs. Hilo is often called the authentic part of the island, with significantly more residents than tourists. The population is a mix of Hawaiians, Haoles (us), and descendents of the contracted work force brought in to work in the sugar cane fields...

Nov 23, 2011 - Part 2

These are the remaining photos from the previous blog. Yesterday was pretty much a rest day after our touring on Monday. We did manage to get in a morning walk here in the neighborhood which is called Hawaiian Acres. I've added a few pictures from our walk. The remainder of the day was a combination of showers (which the weatherman calls "splashes") and bits of sunshine.