The Island of Hawaii
Thanks for all of your comments, words of encouragement, humor and, best of all, taking this journey with me! Although we are wrapping up the final leg of our adventure in Colorado, this blog will focus on our exploration of The Big Island — the largest, but not the most populous of the Hawaiian islands, as that honor belongs to Oahu. The Big Island comes by its name honestly, as it’s twice the size of all other Hawaiian islands combined. To give you a sense of the size and amount of driving that would be involved to explore the entire island, one article put it best — "many have compared driving around the Big Island to that of a nine state road trip; it’s so large and diverse". As such, I sought to strike a balance between exploring the highlights and allowing the girls (and myself) a little downtime by the pool. Even within these parameters, we were able to explore the Kohala Coast (our home base with a mix of the island’s best beaches and nicest hotels), North Kohala (lush with a beautiful overlook), Waimea (picturesque, quaint town surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and pastures), Kuahala-Kona (a little too touristy for my taste), Hilo (quaint town often described as "the old Hawaii") and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (breathtaking)! Not bad at all, but the green sand beach near the southern tip of the island and all the great coffee farms will have to wait until our next visit. Here are the highlights — enjoy!
Our Plane
We chose Moluleke Airlines, Hawaii’s number one island hopper, because it had a flight time closest to Lloyd’s departure time. I should have paid closer attention to the term "hopper", as our plane was a single-engined turboprop with only 9 seats! When we arrived at the terminal we each had to get on a scale with all our carry-on items to get our weight, which would determine our seat assignment. Once we were all weighed in and I had presented my identification, we were escorted to the tarmac to board the plane. No TSA, no removal of shoes, nada, zip! Our safety spiel was delivered by the pilot from his seat in the cockpit, the only separation between us being a curtain. I am an adventurous soul, but I was more than a little uneasy (internally, of course, so as not to upset the girls). Thankfully, the girls saw it as an adventure and our flight went off without a hitch. Welcome to the Big Island!
Pololu Valley Lookout
We decided to spend our first full day poolside, which was a pleasant and sunny treat, but ventured out in the late-afternoon. We drove north to North Kohala and were rewarded with an unforgettable view from the Pololu Valley Lookout, which looks down on Pololu valley and a beautiful black sand beach. Here is a photo that captures the moment. The view may look familiar to you, as a little research reveals that it often appears on travel posters. You be the judge.
On the return trip home, we drove the backroads along Highway 250, a 27-mile ride along the volcanic ridge that climbs to 6,000 feet, with spectacular views of the ocean below. Below is a picture of the night sky. Beautiful!
We Swam with Dolphins!
I cannot emphasize enough both the fear and exhilaration we felt swimming with wild spinner dolphins off the coast of Kona! Fear, because it was a true open water ocean swim, our only comfort being the fact that dolphins give sharks a real run for their money, so sharks tend to give them wide berth. Exhilaration, because I cannot adequately describe the feeling of being surrounded by dolphins as they dive, jump, flip and swim within feet of you! And, the water was so blue and clear! The girls absolutely loved it and it was truly the highlight of our trip, even if the combination of boat movement, salt water and sun led to my eventual demise (fancy words for seasickness)! If you ever have the opportunity to do a wild dolphin swim, I highly recommend it and would suggest you choose a smaller outfit, such as the one run by Roberta Goodman. She keeps her groups small and has a great crew and deep knowledge and affection for dolphins. A special thank you to Jill Bolstridge, Sydney’s drama teacher, who recommended her!
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
It was exciting to have an opportunity to visit a second national park in Hawaii — Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Originally created as Hawaii National Park along with Haleakala National Park in Maui, it was made into a separate national park in 1960. The park is home to two active volcanoes — Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes and Mauna Loa, the biggest volcano in the world. The park stretches from sea level to Mauna Loa’s summit and on the slopes of Kilauea, a lush green rainforest borders stark, recent lava flows. All of this diversity makes for an incredibly rich visit. We walked through Thurston Lava Tube (a 500-year old lava cave formed when an underground channel of molten lava drained from its cooled walls forming a massive, hollow chamber) and drove the 18-mile stretch of Chain of Craters Road (a scenic drive that takes you from an elevation of 4,000 feet to sea level past many craters created from past eruptions), but the real highlight was a nighttime view of Halemaumau Crater, Kilaueau volcano’s most active vent. During the day a robust plume of volcanic gas is a dramatic reminder of the molten rock churning in a lava lake within the crater. However, after sunset, it takes on a vivid glow that illuminates the clouds and plume. It is an eerie, awe-inspiring sight and a must-see when visiting the Big Island.
This is a picture of the Hiloe Sea Arch near the end of Chain of Craters Road. This beautiful formation was cut into the cliff of an ancient lava flow, about 550 years ago. It will eventually crumble and will no longer be a feature of the park. However, another will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland.
Did You Know?
Although many of our national parks were established over one hundred years ago (the first being Yellowstone National Park in 1872), the national park system is still growing? Pinnacles, the dramatic volcanic-spired national monument in central California, is now Pinnacles National Park. President Obama signed the legislation to upgrade the monument on January 10, 2013, making it the nation’s 59th national park. So, if you are a national park enthusiast like us, you will have to add one more to the list!
Hamakua Coast
We took the scenic route to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park so that we would have an opportunity to drive along the Hamakua Coast on the northeastern side of the island. With 84 inches of rainfall a year, this is a lush area that was once covered with sugarcane, but now offers a glimpse into the past, along with tropical rainforests, waterfalls and stunning ocean vistas. The highlights included a stop for a fun photo in front of one of the country's smallest post offices, a hike to the spectacular cascades of Akaka Falls and best of all, the Onomea bay scenic drive — a four mile stretch of highway that snakes through lush tropical forest and gives some stunning views of Onomea Bay.
Books
We have all been reading on vacation and, somehow, in between all the driving, packing / unpacking and taking in as much as possible, I have managed to finish two books. The first book is "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. While I love historical fiction and enjoyed learning about Biafra’s struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria during the late 1960’s, I had little interest in the characters and found the book tedious. Just my two cents. I then moved on to a lighter read — "Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. While it was billed as "a gripping, down-the-rabbit hole thriller" and often compared to "Gone Girl", I was left wondering what all the hype was about! Speaking of disappointments, anyone else upset with the Game of Thrones season finale?! Seriously, please send any book recommendation(s) my way!
Sydney May be a Tween, but She is Also an Awesome Big Sister
During one of our many driving adventures, I had the opportunity to listen to the following dialogue between Sydney and Peytin. I love the fact that Sydney had the opportunity to debunk the myth of Santa Claus, but consciously chose not to.
Peytin: "Do you believe in Santa Claus?"
Sydney: "No."
Peytin: "Then who do you think delivers all the presents?"
Sydney: "I don’t know."
Peytin: "How do you not know what you think?"
Sydney: "I just don’t."
Peytin: Gets distracted and moves on to the next topic….
My Thought Bubble: Priceless!
Okay, that's all for now. We are wrapping up the last part of our road trip, so stay tuned for my next and final blog that will focus on the great state of Colorado! In the meantime, enjoy a fun and safe holiday weekend!