Volcano National Park

We decided to make the 3 hour drive from the Kailua-Kona area to Volcano National Park.  It was a very long ride, which we broke up with a stop at South point for some cliff jumping and Punaluu Beach to see the sea turtles and black sand.

I should have realized that Volcano National Park was not a 3-4 hour excursion, but rather a whole day experience.  That being said, we didn't budget enough time here.  By the time we arrived and found out it was a 7 mile hike over dried black lava (in the hot sun) to see the lava flow, plus the 7 mile hike back, we just didn't have enough time.  Lesson learned for next time!

We did view the crater, Thurston Lava Tube and took the road to the 'end of line' where it meets the sea and the lava covered road.

A few pix.

 My brother and his girlfriend with the smoking crater behind them.

The entrance into the lava tube

The crater

The 'end of the trail'

Lava covered road

Not sure what this is...petrified something, maybe?  My brother's girlfriend snapped this pic.

Hubs entering Thurston Lava Tube

Miles and miles of cold, dried (?) lava

On Top of the World...Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Elevation - 13,803 +/- (depending upon the source) feet above sea level or 33,500 feet from the base of the ocean floor

Translation - the air is very thin!

Further translation - nausea and lightheaded-ness

A four wheel drive vehicle is required to head beyond the visitor's center.  Again, rent a Jeep!

The weather on the island of Hawaii (aka the Big Island) can vary from 80 degrees on the beach to 30 degrees at the Mauna Kea summit; raining in Hilo to sunshine at Southpoint.  We found that the temperatures and weather conditions were unpredictable (I'm sure they are predictable to a local, but we weren't there long enough to figure it out), so we had a bag in the back of the Jeep that had jackets, mittens, swimwear, snorkels, tennis shoes and flip flops.

In one day we went from driving down to Waipio Valley (sea level) to walking around the summit of Mauna Kea at 13,803 feet above sea level.  Talk about nausea and lightheaded-ness!   

Getting to Mauna Kea is relatively easy.  It's located off of Saddle Road, which traverses the island (east/west).  Drive up the paved road to the visitor's center.  Spend a little time getting accustomed to the altitude before heading up toward the summit.  You can take a four wheel drive vehicle up and do a self guided tour; however you are not able to enter any of the telescopes.  If you wish to participate in a guided caravan tour, check out the information on their website.  While four wheel drive vehicles are required, we did see several tourists taking compact rentals up...revving engines and all!

Photo Credit:  The above photo was taken by my brother using a pre-programmed setting on his Nikon Coolpix.

Cliff Diving on the Big Island, Hawaii

Cliff diving is a tad controversial.  You see people jumping off the cliffs at South Point, but ALL the literature says, "as tempting as it may be, cliff diving from south point is extremely dangerous.  There are rip tides and undercurrents...."  As you can see in some of the photos there is a ladder to climb up once you jump in and several platforms to aid in the jump.  My husband has no fear...or he believes he's invincible.

South Point Park is easy to access, just off of Highway 11 onto S. Point road.  It's about a 2 hour drive south from Kailua-Kona.  There is plenty of parking, a port-a-potty and a few vendors selling items out of their trunk / tailgate.

South point cliff jumping.  There's a ladder on the right by the buoys.

 South point shoreline near the start of the long walk and/or bumpy ride to Green Sands Beach.

 The view north from South point.

Chuck snorkeling at South point.

Just beyond South Point Park is Green Sands Beach.  There is a small parking lot where you (can) leave your car.  Just remember not to leave any valuables as this is a great place for vandals.  Once you gather up all your belongings hike southeast for about 1.5 hours over lava rocks and through prairie grasses.  Or, if you have a Jeep (remember I recommended the Jeep rental a few posts ago), follow a local through the bumpy and slow ride to Green Sands Beach.  We paid a local $20 and followed him so we knew which path to take.  It was definitely worth it and he helped lead us back out.  There are absolutely NO services here.  No bathroom, no snacks, nothing.  But, trust me, it's worth it.

Once you get to Green Sands Beach, you climb down into the bay area via steps and sandy paths.  It is a challenge, but definitely worth it once you get down to the beach.

Typically, you wouldn't jump from the cliff.  Actually, until I googled it to see how high it was, I couldn't believe that anyone would be foolish enough to jump.  But, alas, there are a few people out there willing to take risks!

Green Sands Beach from the ridge

 Chuck contemplating some cliff jumping.  Note:  This is NOT advised.  No one else was jumping and there is a very small "target" area.

 And...he jumps.  I couldn't watch.  My brother snapped the picture.  The beach-goers all gasped, stood up and pointed.  I think they they he was jumping to his death.  Sigh.  Notice that he has a firm grip on his hat in his right hand.  Heaven forbid we lose the hat during the jump!

Dolphins, turtles, fishies...oh my! Big Island, Hawaii

While on the Big Island, we went to some amazing beaches.  Black sand, green sand, no sand, lava, you name it, we were there.

Kealakekua Bay State Park was about a 35 minute drive south of the villa on the Big Island.  After reading reviews, it sounded as though this was a good place to potentially see some dolphins.  Wow!  We were not disappointed.  Chuck and my brother grabbed their snorkeling gear and rented a kayak from one of the vendors in the parking lot.  Hubs didn't want to lose the kayak, so he snorkeled with it tied to his waist.  Those engineers...always thinking.

There were several other kayaks in the bay all swarming around a school of dolphins.  At one point the kayaks 'steered' the dolphins right to my husband...which resulted in all parties being startled...so much so that one dolphin did a little shake then shot up into the air and back down.  Apparently, the dolphins were in a sleeping phase where one eye was closed (thus allowing half the brain to sleep).  Some of the dolphins slept while the others kept guard.  Chuck said it was one of the coolest things he's ever experienced.  The guys snorkeled for a bit and my brother took some amazing shots of the dolphins underwater.

Count the dolphins!  There are parts of 10 dolphins in the following picture.

One day we drove a little further south to Punaluu State Park, which is known for black sand beaches and sea turtles.  This beach is located right off Highway 11 on your way to the Volcano National Park (from Kailua-Kona).  The little boy in this picture below is not ours, but the expression on his face was so precious as he sat there waiting for.ever...in all seriousness, he waited for about 30 minutes just staring at the turtle hoping it would move a body part and acknowledge to all of the beach-goers that he was, indeed, alive.

 A few underwater pictures of the fishies...

Note:  The underwater shots are compliments of my brother and his Nikon Coolpix tough waterproof camera.  It takes some amazing photos both underwater and above water.

First stop....Seven days on the Big Island, Hawaii

Our first stop was a week on the Big Island.  We rented a two bedroom villa called Kona View Estate.  It's essentially a duplex located on a hill with a coffee plantation that overlooks Kailua-Kona.  The owners live on one side and they rent out the other side.  The property has a pool, large deck, hot tub, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and bbq, washer/dryer, beach chairs/towels/snorkeling gear, and just about anything else you could possibly imagine.  The owners were around if we needed anything, but were not overbearing or obtrusive.  It was a great rental property.

We spent a considerable amount of our time on the Big Island exploring.  While our intention was to hang out at the pool and relax, we quickly found that there were more things to do than hours in a day.  And, the roads are terribly curvy so getting from point A to point B was slow going.  I spent the whole week doped up on Dramamine.  Sigh.

The weather was hit or miss on the Big Island, so the pictures aren't the best.  When I say hit or miss, I mean we could leave the house and it was sunny, drive 30  minutes and it was raining.  Taking pictures with beautiful blue skies was essentially non existent.

It took about 2.5 hours to get from our villa to the Hilo side of the island.  While on the Hilo side we went to Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, Umauma Falls, Waipio Valley, the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory and had lunch at Cafe Pesto in Hilo.  Below are a few pictures.

 Akaka Falls - this pictures doesn't do the falls justice.  The falls fall about 400 feet into a pool of water.  It takes a bit of effort to get to Akaka Falls.  The road to the park is a bit off the main highway, so follow the signs and hang in there.  Once you get to the park, there is a small parking lot which requires a $5 fee per car.  Alternatively, you can park outside of the parking lot on the side of the road and pay a fee of $1 per person.  There is a lot attendant at the entrance to the paved trail where you pay your fee.  The trail is about a half mile of asphalt, a few hills and steps.  Skip the stroller or anything with wheels.  The trail winds through some beautiful landscape, so enjoy the walk to the falls.  

Waipio Valley is located about an hour north of Hilo.  There is a small parking lot overlooking the beach and bay located in the picture below.  If you want to drive down to the beach, you NEED a 4 wheel drive vehicle.  While on the Big Island, it's best to just rent a Jeep.  You won't regret it.  The hike down to the beach probably takes an hour or so and you share the one lane road with vehicles also making the journey.  If you drive down use a low gear and go slow.  There are vehicles traveling in the opposite direction and very small pull off areas where you move over as you yield to traffic heading up the hill.  

Umauma Falls or Umauma Falls and Zipline Experience as it is advertised is located about a 5 minute drive from Highway 19.  Parking is free near the visitor center and then you walk up a driveway/hill for about 10 minutes to view the falls.  There is a small parking lot at the top of the hill, but the spots are reserved for those individuals that require additional assistance.  There is a fee (I think $6) to view the falls and the gardens, but the admission is good for 7 days, so if the weather isn't cooperating, you can always go back again.

Near Umauma Falls is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens.  While we didn't go to the gardens, we did take the Scenic Drive and pulled off to hike down a little hill and check out the beach on Onomea Bay.  This hidden little cove is adjacent to the park and even has an 'entrance' into the park....but depending upon who is guarding the entrance, they may not allow you to pay and enter.

After leaving Hilo and heading north on Highway 19, we stopped at Laupahoehoe Point Park and Beach.  The water here was a beautiful aquamarine blue with large pieces of lava rock jutting out into the sea.  I could set up a chair and sit there all day.  It was rainy overcast day, so again, the pictures really don't do it justice!

Chuck learns to surf on Oahu, Hawaii

When I was planning our trip to Hawaii, I started looking into surfing lessons, stand up paddleboard (SUP) lessons and other highly recommended activities.  I am a heavy user (and contributor) to tripadvisor and place a lot of value on the reviews that other people provide.  Obviously, you have to read all / most of the reviews and use your best judgement with regard to making purchasing decisions.  In general, I have been happy with my decisions based upon tripadvisor recommendations.

I was searching for surfing lessons on the island of Oahu and found Island Style Surf and Sergio in Haleiwa.  My husband loved his surf experience.  Sergio had an ease about him and provided amazing instruction.  The location was perfect for a first time surfer, yet had more advanced surfers nearby.  After a quick on-shore lesson, Sergio and Chuck paddled out.  A few reminders and Chuck was off, catching his first wave.  There were a few spills over the course of the 2 hour lesson, but many more waves where he was hanging ten!

Hawaii 2012

We have never been to Hawaii.  I know, gasp!  In all our world travels over the years, Hawaii has never percolated to the top of our list.  So, in 2012, we decided that we'd take the plunge and head to Hawaii for 2 weeks.  I think the reason we kept putting off a trip to Hawaii was because I knew the planning was going to be stressful.  Which islands?  Rent a house or stay at hotels?  One island, two islands, more?  Are our expectations too high?  Yikes.

In March 2012, I started the research and planning and by May our trip for two weeks in late November/early December was booked.

Here's our itinerary.

Days 1-7:    Stay on the Big Island and rent a villa.  We stayed at Kona View Estate in Holualoa, just outside of Kailua Kona on the west side of the island of Hawaii.  On the agenda - south point, dolphins, turtles, volcano national park, Hilo, Mauna Kea observation, waterfalls, relax, beach. 

Days 8-9:    Fly to Oahu for two days.  Early flight in and a late flight out, provided for 2 full days of exploring.  We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the Rainbow Tower in Waikiki.  On the agenda - Pearl Harbor, surfing, north shore, touring the island.

Days 10-14:  Fly to Maui.  We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea Resort.  On the agenda - Road to Hana, sunrise and biking Haleakala, beaches, sunset sailing, relaxing.

Up next....the posts!

Stitch - Raleigh, North Carolina

I've been on a bit of a 'kick' lately to find and support local businesses.  While perusing the Raleigh, North Carolina tourist brochures,  I stumbled across an article about Holly Aiken, a local artist, who creates purses.  This ticked all my boxes....local, purses, and another Holly.  I had to seek out her store, Stitch, in downtown Raleigh.

As soon as I walked in, I knew I was in trouble.  Over the course of a week, I shopped there twice and since I've been back in Illinois, I shopped online and bought a few as gifts.  There are too many options with too many color combinations that caught my eye, that I had to buy more than just one handbag.

The tomato/gunmetal bag with the abstract flowers and the green/avocado bag with dots are both Holly Aiken purses.  Now, if only I could convince her to branch out and make a zip close wallet to match :-)

So, if you're in Raleigh, North Carolina, check out Stitch.

And here they are....