It’s 2:00 in the morning and I can’t sleep, jet lag I suppose. I thought I might write one final blog about my Hawaii vacation. I could tell you about how the key to our rental car was dropped down an elevator shaft on the day we were leaving… it’s a funny one ( or at least funny now…not so much at the time :))…but maybe I should keep some stories to share with you in person….

It’s so strange to be back in Ohio….I really feel like I just left. I thought I would feel more ready to be back, but I honestly could have stayed another two weeks or so. I don’t want anyone to think that I didn’t miss all my friends and family, because I really did, but it’s just that this vacation was so wonderful. It was exactly what I wanted out of the trip. It was perfect. I spent five weeks doing all the things I love to do. I got to hike almost everyday, I snorkeled, swam, surfed, climbed, jumped (:)), rode, kayaked….basically did every sort of physical activity imaginable….and had fun doing it. I was challenged in a lot of ways, and experienced unexpected thrills and adventures that I will remember forever. Besides that, I also lived basically stress free for 35 days. The biggest decision I had to make was which beach we wanted to spend the day at, or which bathing suit I wanted to wear. I guess that would explain why I feel a little bit overwhelmed right now with “real life.” Starting with opening all my mail…oh yeah, and the visa statement came…..yikes! :)

It’s hard to pick a favorite experience, or even a favorite island (although I’m sort of leaning toward Kauai for that one). Each day seemed to be special, regardless of where I was, or what I was doing. Even the days we didn’t do much, were perfect, simply because of the unbelievable natural beauty that we were surrounded by. The company I kept wasn’t half bad either:). Six different people shared this experience with me, and I can tell you without a doubt, that I wouldn’t have had near the fun I did, without them. I am grateful that they chose to come to Hawaii.
I feel especially thankful for Jessica, who was able to put up with me for the entire five weeks…what a trooper :). I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing traveling partner.

So what now?? So what’s next?? I find myself asking these questions a lot. What do I do now that this experience, this vacation that I spent the last 7 months planning for and thinking about, is over? I suppose I could get real depressed and think about how let down and sad I am that my “fun” is over, or I could start thinking about my next “big thing”… start planning for something else, some other place to go, some other “adventure” to pursue… or I guess I could maybe take a look at option number three…the option that has me excited about “life as I know it”, life in Canton. I feel like Hawaii may have helped to ignite a little spark in me that I feel has been missing for a long time…maybe this was just the thing I needed to refuel my energy for “living”…you know, the day to day stuff. I want to look at my life as the adventure….I want to find satisfaction in the normalness and consistency of it all….I want to find joy in the everyday.

I arrived in Columbus on Friday evening, warmly welcomed at the airport by two of my best friends, and their beautiful smiling baby girls. I sat on their deck under their sun umbrella eating pizza and sharing stories.

I arrived in Wooster at 10:30 pm. I opened the door to the car and immediately heard two little munchkins screaming my name. I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. I walked around the car and was ambushed with hugs and kisses from my adorable niece and nephew. My brother and sister in law were there too…staying up late just for me.

At 11:30 pm I sat at the kitchen table with my mom, showing her some pictures from my trip and rehashing all the details of each adventure.

At 11:45 pm my Grandpa called to make sure I was home safe, and to tell me how happy he was that I had such a good time.

12:00 The Fraziers arrived…Julie, Dave, Diana, Steve, and new baby Mya. We stayed up until 1:30 talking….they graciously asked all kinds of questions about my trip, and let me ramble on about my experiences…seeming genuinely interested.

11:30 am- I finally woke up…was given a big hug from my Grandma, who faithfully read my blog and emailed me several times during the trip

1:00pm- Went to pick up Mas- got more hugs, and “welcome homes”

2:00pm- Joe and Uncle Rob arrive- All commented on my tan, and said how happy they were to see me :)

3:30- Played lazer tag with my cousins and Uncle Dave ( a bunch of 25-30 year olds, with a 50 year old….completely destroying a bunch of middle schoolers with lazers…what fun)

5:00- Caris paints my nails with sparkles while JJ and I share skittles and honey nut Cheerios.

7:00 pm- All my relatives huddle in the small kitchen to sing happy birthday to my aunt, preceded by cupcake and ice cream eating.

12:10- Arrive at my home in Canton. Spend time talking with my wonderful roommates.

This is my joy.
This isn’t a vacation. This is my life. This is a good thing.

A man we met during our trip asked us where we were from…we said Ohio, and his response was, “Ohio huh?, that’s a different kind of paradise.”

I love that

What makes a “paradise”? Is it the place? Is it the scenic beauty of something? Is it an activity? Or is it really just a combination of all the things in this world that make you happy, that make you smile? These are things to hold onto, these are the things to get excited about. Hawaii was beautiful, Hawaii was wonderful, Hawaii was a tropical paradise, but I think true paradise, is what awaits your return.

In Jessica’s Words

I suspected that Lauren really wanted to jump, or at least that she thought she did. And one of the most important things to me is not letting down kids. Plus, I was remembering 20 year old Jessica and how she would have jumped without much thought. Where did that girl go?

Here are thoughts that kept going through my head (not sure if everyone else had these thoughts): 1) This is perhaps the safest of the risky things we’ve done on this trip. 2) You have done this before. Why can’t you do it again? 3) What if we drive away, and I’m still dry because I never jumped? 4) I love the feeling of free falling 5) But the strongest of all- you do not jump off cliffs. Everything in my being was telling me this.

At one point Beth and I decided to jump together. The plan was to run and jump. I realized what a great feeling it would be to run and just leap out into the air. How freeing. But as soon as I got to the edge, the breaks were involuntarily applied. I think I made an audible screech. And then I saw Beth. She’d done it. She sailed through the air beautifully and glided into the water. At the moment she surfaced, I knew I was the worst friend ever. She’d probably break up with me. And I also knew that I had to do it now.

Sarah was a real riot. She has shown such little regard for staying on the safe side in the adventure department but she was so hesitant about jumping. What a mystery. But she did it. I don’t know what nudged her, but it was beautiful. I love that the jump is long enough that you have time to process what’s going on. It was wild to think about Sarah and Beth just falling through the air.

It’s hard to write about what happened between Sarah’s jump and mine. It’s just a mess of the previously mentioned thoughts. I know I stood at the edge, and for a reason I don’t know, I stepped off with one foot and then fell through the air. It was pretty amazing for a second. My eyes were closed for most of the fall, so I was pretty disoriented and didn’t know when I would hit. As soon as I hit the water, I knew Sarah had lied to me about it not hurting. What a good friend. I would have been more hesitant if I had known that my ass was basically about to be ripped apart.

Lauren was left. We did what needed to be done. We told her it didn’t hurt at all (not true) and that she would be fine (completely true). She jumped pretty quickly. She looked awesome. I loved the view from the ocean. We all swam toward each other to celebrate. Sarah and I apologized heartily for lying to her.

We fought with the ladder for awhile, and I realized that Beth is pretty scrappy for having made it up so quickly. We gave up when a local told us to swim around the rock cliff. We did, and with the help of Beth’s flashlight we climbed out easily.

Reuben called his daughter a Rock Star. He was genuinely proud and thrilled. I wish all 13 year old girls had affirmation from their dads like that.

Pretty scary, pretty fulfilling. Glad to have shared it with inspiring new friends.

In My Words

Holy cow that was the scariest thing ever! Every part of me was willing Jessica not to make the “lets do it” decision. But then she uttered those words and power walked to the car for our towels. She was determined. It was on, and I was afraid. I had experienced cliff jumping before in college, and hated it, but I tend to let peer pressure get the best of me, and so I slowly followed her, all the while muttering, “I don’t want to do this.” My legs were shaking as I stripped down to my bathing suit, and did the dooms day walk to the edge.
In every other situation on this trip, I’ve been scolded for getting too close to the edge of crazy cliffs like the one I found myself standing on that evening. Now I was suppose to tell myself, “go ahead and hurl your body off that cliff into the Pacific it’s totally ok” The battle in my head was so intense. I knew I had to jump (there was no way the others were having this adventure without me). I was actually kind of annoyed with myself for being such a pansy about it. Although I guess it showed that I still had some sort of common sense left…..YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSE TO JUMP OFF OF CLIFFS! Well, I’m not sure how I ended up in the air, but it happened. I vaguely remember yelling geronimo, and then all breath left me, my heart jumped into my throat…I was free falling. The impact was harder than I had imagined…my neck, chin, and ears took the brunt of it….then came the rush of saltwater…violently invading every opening….ears, nose, mouth…It wasn’t the most pleasant experience of my life, that’s for sure…but I’m so glad I was able to do it. It was also fun getting to watch Jessica butt smack, and Lauren’s look of “oh my goodness!” as she surfaced was priceless. J Thanks Jessica for picking this adventure…I suppose it’s payback for all the other crazy stuff I got you into….what an experience!….but let’s not repeat it ok? J

What a difference a day makes. Today I walked out of my hotel in Waiki with a laptop in hand, along with my camera, Hawaii guide book, and beach coverup on. My hair was down for once, and I was sporting my flipflops and clear sunglass (which for the record, have next to no real sun protection, but do look cool- oh, and I lost my real pair in Maui in case you care :)). I’m probably in one of the most touristy spots in the world and I actually don’t mind. It’s sort of a welcome sight after the remote settings on the big Island. Last night we walked around the city after sunset…Wow….we actually saw stores, and lights, and lots and lots of people…quite a difference from the other islands where the sun goes down, and then the towns shut down. We had pizza on the beach, and then margaritas at a super hip Mexican restaurant.
This morning we got up early to avoid the malahini’s (that’s Hawaiian for stupid tourists) at Diamond Head Crater. We wanted to get a hike in before our day at the beach. Well, apparently everyone had the same idea. It was a “people watching” hike… complete with starbucks in hand, I followed all sorts of people….families with cute kids, couples, teenagers….just about everyone was hiking up to the top of the crater for a view of the city and ocean from the top. I’m not sure this was the best hike to be enjoying and “extra hot” hot chocolate. The shadeless switchback trail continued to climb until it was replaced with steps going straight up, then a cool tunnel, followed by more steps that of course we just had to run up. By the time we reached the summit, I felt ready to burst into flames. The view was well worth it though.

Now I’m in the car, with Jessica behind the wheel (navigating expertly through the crazy traffic….she’s awesome (how’s that for your shout out? :)). I’m happy not to be driving, so I can enjoy the sights on our way to the North Shore. We have no real plans, just a beach, maybe some surf time, and one more hike just for good measure. We’re trying to fit in as much as possible before we fly out tomorrow evening- I’ll use another blog to whine and cry about that later..:) Until then I’m enjoying the warm sunshine in Oahu.

So, I’m back in my hotel listening to Friends on the “internet box” thinking about the day. Hmmmm let’s see, what to say about the North Shore? Oh, I know….you know that really cool, fun, summer, Hawaii activity called surfing that everyone thinks is so great….well, let’s just say, it’s not as easy at it looks. Oh sure, when you’re at your little rinky dink surf lesson and your instructor is pushing you into the puny shore waves and coaching your every move, you think you’re a stud. The real thing is a bit more challenging. We rented boards today from a guy named “Uncle Bryon” who claimed to be a surf coach for a lot of famous surf champions…I partially believed him…I also believe that he was trying really hard to sell us a surf lesson. We declined…after all, I had a surf lesson on Kauai and as a teacher I felt completely qualified to coach my friends on how to ride the waves…..Wrong again…..I told them everything I remembered and then left them on the high seas to fend for themselves…..nice. The water was so rough, it was like it forgot which way it was suppose to flow… “Go toward the beach stupid waves!” Instead the water was whipping us to the left….always away from the waves we were trying to ride. There was no time to rest. If you stopped moving your arms for one moment the wind and current would just take you more and more away from where you were wanting to be. I was determined to ride some waves so I continued to drive my way through the rough sea…all the while thinking how much my arms hurt, and how badly my eyes stung from all the salt water and sun screen….I began singing some beach boy’s classics in my head to try and liven my mood…that didn’t really help…the cheerful little surf ditties that they sing just sort of felt like lies at that moment…I needed some “I of the Tiger” rocky stuff to get me through this. Meanwhile, my surf buddies were struggling too. Jessica was tossed like a rag doll…I could hardly see her through the waves. She later told me that about 10 minutes into the “fun” she had abandoned the goal of riding an actual wave, and adopted the new goal of making it back to the shore, which was now about a mile away. I later had to pull a bay watch and rescue her…it was a good old fashion adventure at sea. (“yeah, it was bitchen”- Jessica’s quote- apparently she’s still a little pissed :)) I only crossed paths with Beth a few times, but the look on her face told me exactly what she was thinking, “this is the worst $20 purchase ever!” I think I rode maybe two actual waves- one of which was pretty awesome. I guess I could say that made up for all the hardships I encountered…..then again, maybe not. Did I mention it also started to rain (that really helped to calm the seas…) While attempting to stand up I fell and hit my chin on my board, another fall and I scraped my foot on the rocks below, the third fall I wound up under my board and banged my head, and then when I tried to get out of the water, the huge ass board attached to my leg (which I find quite dangerous) whipped around and hit me right in the ankle. I think that was my breaking point. I was done…get this stupid rash guard off of me, and take me home!

Alright alright, I’ve had my hot shower and my final mai tie of the trip….I think I’m in a better place to discuss the North Shore. I’m not going to erase any of my previous writing…my feelings were true about the surfing, however, I will say… “ I went surfing on the North Shore of Hawaii!” How awesome is that?….and let’s face it, you know deep down I loved every minute of it. I live for that….so hard you want to quit, challenge yourself, kind of stuff. The beach we went to was super nice and sandy. The weather held up until 5:00, so the tanning was good, and we took the long way around the island home, so I got to see some amazing mountain/ocean scenery. All in all I would say it was quite a good day. The drama queen stuff just makes the writing more fun :). However, I have an even greater respect for the “real” surfers of the North Shore….they are the true studs.

New Tires- 150 dollars
New Axle- 400 dollars
Replacement of dented door- 300 dollars
Visit to the chiropractor- 100 dollars
Driving off road to magnificent green sand beach….Priceless


I guess if I had to make up a discover card commercial about our most recent Hawaii experience it would go something like this….although luckily we weren’t in our rental car…rather a Volkswagon belonging to a crazy fun Mexican dad’s aunt (did you follow that?).

What was meant to be an easy trip to South Point (the southern most tip of the US) followed by a 2.5 mile trek to the green sand turned into an unexpected adventure (this line sounds a bit familiar :)).

We arrived at South Point around 4:00. The trip there was beautiful. Open fields, cows grazing, rustic fences, and then the big vast ocean in front, stretching out in every direction. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the ocean in such a farm like setting before. It was kind of strange, but very beautiful. Oh, and I forgot to mention all the cliffs outstretched along the coast…the waves crashing up against them….It was all very “movie scene” like. The three of us were wearing our “going out” dresses, and decided to take some pictures. I deliberated on keeping my dress on for the hike to the green beach (my attempt at making every hike just a bit different), but then thought of how irritated I would be if anything happened to it, (knowing my “hike style” that was pretty likely). I opted for the traditional tank and shorts. I changed in the back of the car while Jessica and Beth mingled with some of the local fisherman and other tourists (they were hiking in style, leaving the dresses on). When I exited the car, I found them talking to a man and his daughter about going to see the green sand beach. They wanted to see this phenomenon too, and invited us to ride in their 4 wheel drive car. This is where I need to be honest and say I was initially a little annoyed at this change of plans. I wanted a hike, I didn’t want to drive to the beach like a sissy….what’s the fun in that? Besides, I wasn’t in the mood to chat it up with a tattooed Mexican and his 13 year old daughter. What can I say, I was a little pouty as I hopped into the car….I can only hope that my feelings weren’t obviously written all over my face. Turns out, choosing to ride instead of walk was probably one of the best decisions we’ve made (funny enough I didn’t make this decision…..maybe that’s what made it so wise?- I tend to do a lot of not so smart things- maybe you’ve read a few of my other blogs?? :))

We started to drive down the road, that wasn’t really a road, more like a motorcycle /BMX off road course, complete with huge ruts, rocks and hills. We had no idea where the beach was, we were just trying to keep the car from flipping over. Reuben was hilarious. He was so incredibly witty. He referred to our vehicle as the Ninga Car. The interaction between him and his daughter Lauren was so funny, very typical father daughter stuff….but super sweet. The car was making all kinds of not so good noises…the three of us girls in the back just kept exchanging worried/funny looks. At one point we gunned it up this rocky mountain, all the while scraping the crap out of the bottom of the car and nearly tipping. When we reached the top Reuben exclaimed, “We are so bad ass!” We all put our hands in the air and cheered. After a lot of “choose your own adventure” route picking, we finally made it to the cliff that was the supposed home of the green sand below (just a few minutes before the “Henderson family” named by Reuben, made it by foot…interesting). We now began the hike down to the sand….our expectations were high…far too high considering the black sand beach and the red sand beach I saw in Hawaii were all sort of let downs….for some reason I was picturing this emerald green sparkling beach……bummer. The beach was brown from afar….and brown up close. It did however look greenish when I put it in my hand…I can appreciate the science in the green olivine mineral composition, but seriously people after nearly dieing in “aunties SUV” I was kind of hoping for something a little better.

Reuben put things in perspective though. The man had a new outlook on life…after spending 6 years battling a disease, he was given 5 weeks to live. He underwent a liver transplant, and is now going to see his daughter graduate from high school. In his words, “colors look different now.” It was a pleasure meeting him, and being around someone with such an enthusiastic spirit for life. Regardless of the sands color, the journey to the beach had been worth it, and the surrounding beauty of the cliffs, golden fields, and sparkling blue water will remain in my memory for a long time.

The road back was a tad less precarious. We found a flatter route to the north, and then a real road leading back to where we were parked….something you think the Frommers guide, or the gypsy lady selling us water might have mentioned earlier!! :) We got back just in time to see a beautiful sun set and just in time for Lauren and Jessica to decide we were going to go cliff jumping…..Ahhhhhhh.
That’s a whole other blog entry.

Based on the types of themes I’ve been writing about during this Hawaii trip, one would think that I had some sort of freakish death wish, or some kind of overwhelming need to do crazy stuff “just to say I did it.” Well, I suppose that’s partially true…not the death wish part, but there’s something so great about that adrenaline rush you get when you’re doing something so challenging, and a little stupid, and a little scary…something that not everyone does all the time….something thrilling. And I want you to know….some of the predicaments we’ve gotten ourselves into were not our fault…they weren’t planned…..others, well, most of the truly insane things we’ve done have sort of been my idea….but just for the record….I didn’t make the others follow my lead….they chose to follow my crazy path, so I guess that makes them just as nutso as me.

This last hike, the Kiluea Iki trail, was a bit too tame for my liking, so I decided to jazz it up by suggesting an off the beaten path climb up a nearby mountain with a great view into the volcanic crater we were hiking. It would just be a small detour and then we would catch the trail again and be on our merry way. (I definitely have Jason tendancies)

Later on the mountain- Jessica- “this is by far the dumbest thing we’ve done on this trip”

So, remember before how we hiked up that really big hill…not knowing that it was actually covered in briars?? Well, we were fooled again….you would have thought that we had learned our lesson…apparently not. Lets just say, it was a lot like hiking on shards of glass. The fear wasn’t so much that of falling off the mountain, but more falling into the pile of volcanic Aa Aa lava (more like ow ow lava) that was wicked sharp, and eroding away, causing small little landslides with every step. Oh, and the new rock was very unstable…lots of cracks and crevices to fall into….not a wise move Sarah. It was a very cool, and also kind of painful little adventure. The view from the top was amazing, and windy as anything. We tried to go down the other side and catch up to the trail, but learned that the other side was a sheer cliff drop off….I guess I didn’t notice that before we started….my bad. So we had to back track. Going down glass shard mountain wasn’t a picnic either. It was a welcomed relief to be back on the trail and hiking through the crater on flat, semi stable land. I felt glad to have done something that the other tourists had missed….I’m also glad that things worked out so well. I feel like maybe someone is watching out for me. Maybe I shouldn’t push my luck anymore :)

We celebrated our mountaineering success by putting on dresses and heading to a winery (the southern most winery in the US.) We got to do some free wine tasting with a portugease woman who was very friendly and fun to talk with. I surprisingly enjoyed every kind of wine we tried…what is it about Hawaii?? We ran into the same cute bike guy we saw in the parking lot of the trail head…..very ironic. He was also fun to talk to and he gladly took our picture. Another great day on the Big Island. Next we headed to South Point where our adventures continued.

Today Barry was being sent back to the mainland, so before he left we decided to do something very “Hawaii”, and give him something great to remember the island by. I’m not sure what is more “Hawaii” than volcanic lava flows…so that’s where we went. Unfortunately the lava viewing is officially in the evening, and there isn’t a lot of red hot stuff to be seen during the day, just a lot of billowing steam, according to some of the people we asked, but we decided to try anyways, in the hopes that the locals were wrong….they weren’t. We didn’t see any molten hot stuff exactly, but it was still pretty risky business….considering we completely ignored about 8 different DANGER signs prohibiting us from going where we were going. We were walking on brand new…or at least fairly new land…still soft, still super unstable….still hot. We ran into a guy who apparently lives on the lava field….weird….and we asked him if it was ok to be where we were….he rattled off about 10 different dangerous things that could happen, ranging from sulfur fumes to fiberglass gasses, to cave-ins….then he said…. “Well, have fun!” So the crazy live on lava guy seemed to think we were ok, so we ventured further…funny how my biggest fear was getting arrested, and not getting burned to a crisp by the hot steam, or the gooey molten rock…..hmmmmm?? So we walked along the restricted area for a bit….I was able to collect some lava rocks to give as souvenirs (sorry if you were hoping for a dashboard hula dancer :)) Then those “this is kind of a bad idea” voices in our heads started screaming at us, so we decided to leave…one of our smarter moves I’d say. We got in the car and listened to Johnny cash sing about the Ring of fire, and Jimmy Buffet sing about Volcanoes. I thought about what a neat experience I had. To be walking over such new, fresh, rock was pretty cool… I felt lucky to be able to experience something that few people get to….seems to be somewhat of a theme for the trip.

My day began at the dining room table of our two bedroom house in Volcano, eating banana pancakes with my roommates, and ended at a local graduation party in Hilo doing the electric slide and drinking pineapple wine….Not a bad day.

First I should say that the place we’re staying for the next 4 nights is so great. It’s an actual house that is so cozy…which would sort of explain why I spent most of the morning in my pj’s just being lazy (and getting caught up with the bachelorette online :)) I will post the link for the house so you can see pictures. It’s called hale I’iwi, and the owner is an artist with all of her original artwork hanging in the rooms….very cool.

In the afternoon we headed north to Hilo and stopped at the giant farmer’s market for fruits and veggies. It was the biggest market I’ve been to so far…they had all sorts of things…not just food, but also clothes, jewelry, etc…My indecisiveness decided to show-up, and I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to buy for souvenirs, so I’m sorry, but none of you are getting gifts….sorry :)

The next stop was to Arnott’s Lodge. It’s a hostel, but we basically were using them for their cheap excursions. The one we chose was sunset and stargazing at the top of Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain/volcano in the world (I think that’s what they said…either way it’s really big ). One problem….rain. It has been raining for the past two days straight. Apparently that’s what it does in Hilo…the rainiest city in the US (thanks for the heads up…would have been nice to know earlier :)) So, I was a little nervous about the stargazing part…it wasn’t looking good. When we got to Arnott’s we learned that we were the only 4 people going on the trip…score! We had our own personal tour…with our own awesome tour guide…Keoki, a native Hawaiian who was super fun, very cool, young, informative, and just a real good time. Keoki gave us such a good overlook of not only Mauna Kea, but Hilo, and the surrounding area….and he promised that 90% of what he was saying was actually true! :) We got to see Rainbow Falls, and went into an actual lava tube, all before ever reaching the volcano. He even let us stop at a gas station for snacks..it was the best! :) We drove to the visitor station, all the while listening to Keoki telling us funny stories. At the visitors center we hung out for a bit, getting acclimated to the high altitude before climbing to the summit at 13,927 ft (give or take). The weather was getting a bit chilly…good thing Arnott’s provided us with some super stylish outerwear! (see pictures below :)) We climbed to the summit, and had fun taking lots of goofy pictures… all the while surrounded in white clouds…..we basically couldn’t see anything around us…it was still neat, but a little disappointing. Then, all of a sudden I turned to see the most beautiful thing. The sun miraculously appeared, descending below the clouds….and then everything came into view. It was fantastic. I saw all of the observatories, back-dropped in reds and pinks. It’s hard to explain how truly awesome the scene. We were the only ones on the summit….how lucky (people were actually taking pictures of us!) Every time we turned around, we got a new exciting view of the clouds, Mauna Loa (the other volcano) and the volcanic cinder cones….it was breathtaking…..and freezing, and hard to breathe. So many feelings at once. After the sun set, the clouds rolled back in…so bizarre. I felt so lucky to have witnessed such an amazing site. (I feel like I’ve gotten to say that a lot on this trip). It was as if, the clouds parted just for us…amazing. Our experience wasn’t over though. We traveled down the mountain a bit, and then did some star gazing. As I mention in an early post, the stars are phenomenal here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the sky look so majestic, so filled. The stars literally used up all the sky space. It was fairy tale like. Keoki, gave us some great info….some of the things completely new to me (even as an 8th grade earth science teacher….impressive…way to go Keoki!) What a great night. On the way home we learned a bit more about our tour guide (man can he talk). He shared with us his future plans…..one of which is to have an amazing sunset/stargazing restaurant (I’ve already committed myself to being a waitress/tour-guide (see ya later AMS). Then, the oddest thing….he invited us to his nephews graduation party. Weird huh? We of course didn’t want to pass this up, so we went, met some people, had a great time, and that’s where the electric slide comes into the story. I couldn’t stop smiling, thinking that I was in Hawaii, at a strangers graduation party, dancing……unreal (Have I already said how much I’ve enjoyed this trip? :) ) Oh yeah, and the pineapple wine actually comes in now….good stuff…hope you could follow my rambling. Another fine day in HI.

Ok, I just need to preface this post by reminding you that I’m having an amazing time…everything has gone perfectly, best trip ever….yadda yadda….

Now about the horseback riding.

Most miserable experience ever.

Ok, that’s a bit harsh.
To be fair:
I was on a horse….fun
I was in Hawaii….great
I was with friends…..bonus
I did laugh a lot……always a good thing
I did spend 1.5 hours looking at an extremely good looking Hawaiian cowboy….can’t complain


However….let’s talk about the weather!

It rained….no, scratch that….it down-poured
It was windy
It was cold
It was completely foggy- we saw nothing
I couldn’t wait to be off my horse (sammy) and into dry clothes
Is it possible to be that wet?? Yuck….still get the shivers thinking about it.

Who’s rotten idea was that?….oh wait….I believe that was all me……my bad.

You win some, you loose some right?

Are you tired of hearing about my hikes yet? Well, this one was definitely different….starting with the fact that we attempted it twice. It was a waterfall hike in Waipio Valley…this gorgeous section of the north part of the Big Island. The first day, the four of us set off looking for the supposed waterfall….bigger than any we had ever seen…according to the lady at the hostel, and some books we found. We first hiked down this rode that must have been around 2 miles long. straight down….very, very, steep. It took us a good 18 minutes to get to the bottom (I like to use my running watch to time all parts of our hikes….much to the annoyance of my traveling friends.) At times we would walk in diagonals just to take some of the pressure off of our “old people knees.” Once at the bottom, we continued along the path, that was more like a road than an actual trail. While on the trail we got a good taste of what Hawaiian life is like for the people living in the valley. We saw their taro farms, their small homes, their simple way of life…it was very eye opening, and I had a hard time figuring out how normal everyday was like for these people in the valley. On one hand I thought,
“how difficult”, but on the other hand, “how peaceful and simple” Oh, and during the hike we came across these stray horses who were so friendly…I got one to follow me for a bit, just like a little lost puppy…it was cute.

The tricky part of the hike was that parts of the trail were covered in water….the kind of water you couldn’t just hop over. I first tried just taking off my shoes for the wet parts, and then putting them back on, but then I realized just how much of the hike was through water so I gave up, and did a lot of the hike in my barefeet….like I said….every hike is a bit different :) We saw a lot of beautiful things while looking for the waterfall ( many of those things on private property) but never quite found it. On our way back out, we did spot the trail head, but by that time it had been 3 hours, and most of the group was spent….so we vowed to come back again, and finish what we started at a later date….besides we still had the grueling uphill climb to master.

The next morning, Jessica and I woke up early, determined to finish what we had started the day before…This time around we knew exactly where we had to go, unfortunately we had no clue how hard the actual hike was, or how long it would take us. We had gotten a lot of different responses from the people we had asked, so we were kind of going at it blind. The added challenge was a time limit. We had to be checked out of our place by 12:00..we were under the gun….This was not a leisurely stroll to a waterfall, this wasn’t some pansy hike, this was a serious endeavor, a race against the clock….we were on a mission….get there, and get back…no fluffy stuff. We took one bag, one camera, and this time I came prepared with both flip flops and shoes. Right from the start, I knew this would be a hike like no other. The trail was very overgrown, and it was super wet, so every rock was a chance to slip. Also, this trail required going through the water, not just ankle deep, but up to my chest. During one part of the trip I was literally holding our backpack above my head, as I waded in water up to my neck…I had to get passed my, “gross, what’s in the water/hope I don’t step on something nasty” fear. The trail was also extremely hard to follow. Many times we would loose the trail….cut our own path, and then find it again later. I guess you could call the setting “wet jungle” a bit like our IAO Valley hike, but with more stream crossings, and more upward rocky climbs. It was one of the hardest, if not the most difficult trail so far, and ironically I was forced to do most of it in my bikini and flipflops ( because of all the water). We did, surprisingly enough, meet up with a guy named Jeremy. Jeremy was a little different. Jess likes to refer to him as a cartoon character. He was on some type of spiritual quest, and ended up going with us the rest of the way to the falls. (He is also the reason I soaked my shoes- I won’t really hold it against him, but I was kind of pissed at the time, to say the least- maybe a story for later). I’ll admit when we actually made it to the falls, I was a little disappointed. Instead of rushing water, we got what amounted to a trickle of water falling from an enormous cliff…still impressive….the shear cliff walls alone were a sight, but I was hoping for a little more water. Regardless, Jessica and I went swimming in the cool waterfall pool for a quick minute, and then it was back to business. I don’t think I’ve ever hiked as quickly as I did that day….we were like professionals…minus the few slips we both took…. we made it back to the main road in a little over two hours….The final hike up, up , and more up…was the most challenging (26 minutes- thank you timex). It was quite the workout. We made it back to the hostel with 20 minutes to spare….not bad.

The lava fields. This island is like no other I’ve seen. The barrenness of the land….the igneous rock is everywhere…..making up the entire island, and in my mind, I don’t find it that beautiful…..but as I observe this “dead” landscape, I see life….I see beautiful things growing amongst the rock….in-spite of the rock, there is growth, there is hope, there is beauty.




We jumped the barbed wire fences, we approached our hill. From a distance it was majestic, it was perfect for climbing…to look from afar, it was a straight shot to the top…it would be easy. We began the accent….as we got closer, we realized the challenge of our hill….there were easy patches of long soft grass, but throughout this grass were briar bushes…..painful thorns at every turn….we hadn’t expected this set back on our “easy hike” to the top of our hill. We were committed though, there was no turning back, we couldn’t control this, we never saw it coming…we had to go through it…we had no choice. It’s nice we had each other though….we were struggling together….at times laughing, at times cursing our rotten luck, at times wanting to quit, but feeling there was no other place to go but to continue up. Then someone would remind us of our goal…to reach the top…to see the sunset….and we would press on. While traveling through the painful briars I would sometimes stop and just look around at the amazing beautiful view….breathtaking, and I would forget the hard part of the climb. “It’s going to be worth it”, a voice called from the top of our hill- encouragement from above. Then the summit….exhilarating.

Life isn’t a straight shot….Life isn’t easy….life is filled with brokenness and pain….but life is also an incredible journey, full of wonderful things, blessings, beauty, love, adventure, excitement….The goal is to finish…..The goal is to live life in the best possible way we can…no regrets….We know this life isn’t it….we have a wonderful “top of the hill” to look forward to….we have that hope…..we press on towards that which we were promised. We are not alone. We have other life climbers with us….we hold hands….and we go together….we endure together….we share the good parts and the bad parts…..we listen for that encouraging voice from the top…..we press on and look forward to a day with no briars.

We traveled north today along 190 up the Kohala Coast…our final destination, a small old -time- hotel in Honoka’a, which I will for now refer to as the sleepy town. It’s so quiet here, and everything is closed (at 8:00)…I guess some would call it creepy, I find it to be somewhat peaceful. The two adjoining rooms in our “suite” seem to be a cross between the bed and breakfast I stay at when my family goes to Lakeside, and the little room I stayed in when visiting my grandparent’s as a child. I’m not sure how everyone else feels about it, but I really like it. It’s the perfect place for relaxing and reflecting on the day…which was quite eventful. We started the morning with a great breakfast, banana/macadamia nut French toast…which I was a bit hesitant about at first, but ended up really liking. We checked out of the Coffee Barn, and headed to a historic park called Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. I’m not always into historical stuff…I’m not a big fan of museums typically….call me shallow….but these ancient Hawaiian ruins were all outside right on the water and were really quite neat. I was able to learn some interesting things, see some really beautiful things, and make some calls on my cell phone all at one time…..great multi-tasking!

Next we went in search of a beach. One thing I’m finding on the big Island is that the beach selection is somewhat limited. There are beaches, but a lot of them are rocky, or super crowded, or really small, or in-front of a swanky resort. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying it’s been a little different compared to the other islands…just a little more challenging to get what we’re looking for. The first place we went was called A-bay (actually a much longer name, but this is how the locals refer to it). I would actually give it a C+. It didn’t help that it was cloudy and sort of cold, and then it down poured, which luckily has never happened on this trip yet. We took cover at the neighboring resort where we went to the bar and got a drink…that was sort of fun. The next beach we tried was Kahalu’u ( it was swarming with snorkelers and was only about 50 yards long)…try again. We finally settled at La’aloa Beach. This beach had the best sand…so soft….The beach was small and crowded, but at this point it was nice just to be laying down on our towels and I had to remind myself that even if the day seemed stressful, we were still on a beach in HAWAII…life was good. This beach was also unique in that it had massive waves….along with massive rocks…..tricky business. It was funny to watch everyone play in the waves….all on one side (trying to avoid the rocks on the right), all crowded together like at Geauga Lake….remember the WAVE pool….everyone would get super excited when the gigantic wave started to approach then there was a lot of screaming….and then the loud powerful crash of the wave against the sand. Jessica and I braved the waves for a bit. I was reminded of how much power the ocean has. I got caught in the “crash zone” a few times. It was like being in a washing machine….the swimsuit definitely came off, and as I tried to recover, I got hit again….it was so….fun?? Well, I guess I could have done without that part of it, but I loved the energy of everyone in the water….young and old…..all having fun….all in awe of the nature they were a part of.

We left the beach, on our way North. On the way the scenery began changing…We were in cowboy country for sure….golden wheat (or some kind of wavy plant looking like wheat,) contrasting beautifully with the darkening sky, and the vast black lava fields…gorgeous. Mountains as a backdrop, and green hills lit just perfectly by the lowering sun. It was worth stopping for a better look. We exited the car and explored the land…at one point I just took off running up the highway in my flip flops, it was the type of setting you just couldn’t not run in. As we continued to drive, we saw the best hill in the distance…..We all wanted to climb to the top…we had to do it….the hill was calling us……to be continued

Our first days on the Big Island have been a lot of fun. We added two more people to our group….Beth and Barry. Our first accommodation was in South Kona at a Macadamia Nut/Coffee farm. It wasn’t quite what we expected….Barry likes to refer to it as a hut…I’d say it was more like a nice cabin…The beds were cozy….but had mosquito nets around them, which may give you an idea of what we were dealing with here. We were a little freaked out the first night….Barry found a giant spider among other things…so we all sort of held up in one bed, watching Friends on the computer and eating the ultimate comfort food…brownie mix…it was quite humorous.

The next day we rented kayaks and braved the open sea (can you always tell when I’m exaggerating? ) Well, we were paddling in the Pacific…and there were waves….and there were DOLPHINS…..that’s right….our 30 dollar kayak rental turned into a “swim with the dolphins” excursion. It was so great! They were all around us. We took turns abandoning ship and swimming with them. I can’t tell you how cool it was. After the dolphins, came the fantastic snorkeling. We docked our boats…hiked to the Captain Cook monument, rescued our wheat bread from a hungry mongoose, and then did some of the best snorkeling of the trip. I saw fish I’d never seen before…all kinds….some frankly were a little scary. We paddled back after a while….taking our time. We finally were forced out of the water by a rainstorm. The ride back to the rental company was a bit interesting….we weren’t the best at attaching our kayaks to the car…..let’s just say we’re pretty lucky travelers. We finished out the day with dinner at an outside restaurant/brewery. Not a bad Hawaiian day I’d say.