Aloha! and Happy New Year

Every other year, Keith and I take a trip to Hawaii. This year was no exception. We left for the "Big Island" on December 26th (2008) for a 20 day Hawaiian holiday. Boy, was it rough leaving the Utah snow behind.

We landed on the Big Island (Kona) about noon, picked up our bags and rushed off to find our rental car was not to be. That's right - no car. Oh my gosh, whatever can we do? Sit on the beach?

After checking in at our hotel, we made several more calls to the Car Rental place, took a walk on the beach, called the Car Rental place, ate some dinner, and called the Car Rental place. Keith is pretty easy going, but when there is a whole Island to explore, he can be pretty persistent (I was just impatient!). After a few hours, the Car Rental lady called to say she was in the parking lot with our new 2009 Ford F-250 pick-up. A quick inspection, signature on the dotted line and we were on our way!

It had been 32 years since we had last visited the Big Island of Hawaii. We drove around the Island, stopping at every wide spot in the road to take pictures and breath in the wonderful sweet ocean air. We drove through coffee groves and macadamia nut groves and beautiful cattle ranches. One day we took Saddle Road, a long curvy, wavy road, that cuts through Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. If you didn't watch the news in January, you may not of heard about the big snow storm that hit Mauna Kea. Oh yes, we were there on the mountain, playing in the snow with the locals. It was great to see the Hawaiian kids in their surf shorts and parkas, snowboarding down the mountain. We had to laugh, watching the locals shoveling snow into the back of their trucks and hauling it all down off the mountain. We live in the mountains and try to get rid of the fluffly white stuff and they were taking it home to play in!

We had the opportunity to hike in at night and see the lava flow. It was amazing! Part of Volcano Park was closed because of high gas levels but we were still able to see most of the area.

A week later we left the Big Island and flew to Lihue, Kauai. A short drive from the airport and we were "home". The condo was on the third floor looking south-southwest. We were immediately met by Humpback Whales right off our shoreline!

We had cameras, spotting scopes and binoculars set up on the lanai. Keith had opportunities each and every morning to take some pretty amazing pictures of the whales. We were entertained daily with waving flukes, flippers slapping, spouts all around and very acrobatic whales!





Each day we would stroll the beaches and watch the Monk Seals resting in the warm sand. Many of the females had pups close by.


The kitchen counter was lined with pineapple, papaya and mango. Nothing better than fresh from the field! The days started with a sun rising over the mountain behind us and ended with the most beautiful sunsets off our lanai.

We walked the beaches, the canyon and drove every side road we could find. Our quest was to find all the hidden beaches of the Island. Only 5 hours before our plane left for home, we succeeded!

The Island and the People of Kauai are so very special. It is certainly one of our most favorite places to visit to rejuvenate the spirit and the mind! Aloha!