Other points of interest from the trip:

1. Gasoline ranged from $4.17 to $4.48
2. Milk $4.99 a gallon
3. Temperature was pretty constant – Kona side low 70’s at night and low 80’s daytime, the Hilo side a little cooler – mid to upper 60’s night and 70’s day. Always humid.
4. New birds to add to the list: The Brazilian Red Cap Cardinal, Japanese White Eye, Myna (thick as Starlings in Iowa), Golden Plover, Nene (the State bird), Moorhen, Grouse, Kalij Pheasant, Chuckar, Java Sparrow, Red Whiskered Bulbul, Canary, Wild Jungle Fowl (colorful Roosters), Spotted Nap Dove and Peacock.
5. Flowers and trees – so different and colorful but too numerous to name all of them. Wild Orchids were a real treat & Poinsettia’s as tall as some trees. 
6. So many colorful and mostly tasty fruit 
7. Also more Waterfalls and Rainbows than one could imagine
8.  We saw a shooting star on the way back to AZ.

Hawaii - updated

December 19^th – Time to pack but we did get a nice walk, breakfast and the girls did a little more shopping. After an early lunch it was time to head to the airport to start the long trek home to Arizona or from warmer back to warm. We left Kona airport jus after 1:00 PM and arrived in Phoenix close to 1:00 AM, and then had to pick up Lexi and drive back to Green Valley. Got home about 3:30 or just after midnight Hawaiian time.

December 18^th – We got up, had some breakfast and hit the road by 8:30. We took the “

Saddle Road

” through the mountains to get a good view of the peak and the observatories on Mauna Kea. It is about 14000 feet but the locals like to add to it by measuring to the ocean floor (another 18000 feet) which would make it the tallest in the world. The road never got over 6500 feet but even there, there were lava flows from old volcanic activity. Well – the whole island is the result of volcanic activity. As it is with most of the island there were interesting flowers and trees along the way. We made our way through Hilo and just south of there toured the Mauna Loa Macadamia nut farm. It is one of the largest in the world with over 250,000 trees on 2500 acres. The trees are all in rows but each section is separated by the Norfolk pine trees – both trees were brought over from Australia. Samples and souvenirs were plentiful.

Then we stopped at Lava Tree State Park. It is a unique display of an unusual

Thing that happened when a lava flow 12 feet deep came through here. The trees didn’t disintegrate until the lava had cooled enough to leave hollow towers of lava where trees had once stood – huge trees and flowers are everywhere there now but these unusual towers are still there. Now it is lunch time and we were not disappointed by following a local recommendation for good Mexican cuisine at LuQuins.

We still had time to drive to a coastal town that is divided by a lava flow. There we found the Star of the Sea – another “Painted Church” by the same Fr. Damian that did the one in Kona. It was worth the trip. It was moved to this location by the town’s people just hours before the lava flow would have consumed it in the old location. Then on to the main event of the day – Our helicopter tour of the Volcano which just started flowing into the ocean again three weeks ago.

We had a great ride in an EcoStar helicopter with a great pilot/narrator. It was like sitting in a living room chair but at 2500 feet and being zoom right in when you see something good. We saw a lot of lava flows from the past and some of there effects – like a town split richt down the middle and a church saved by the villagers just before that lave would have destroyed it. Another was a house very near the current activity that is the only one of 64 and he was close to loosing it twice before – stubonrn old guys refuses to leave – the view is great but the only way in or out is a six mile hike across lava or a helicopter.

Three lava flows into the Ocean

Needless to say this was the trip HIGHLIGHT!

With a little searching we found a local homemade Ice Cream place that had flavors like ginger, boya fruit, likini (passion fruit), coconut and about ten other flavors. While eating it we were invited to walk through the tropical gardens out back that was there before it was an ice cream place. Now if you need a unique place to pitch a tent this is it.

On the way back we planned to stop in Waipio Valley for another great viewpoint. The road down to the beach said 25% grade ahead – wow that would be a tough hike much less driving down (4 wheel drive required) – oh really… Another long but productive day in paradise.

December 17^th – We went for our morning walk in a lot of wind, so I think we got more of a workout. We had a relaxing morning and fixed a nice spaghetti meal for lunch and looked around the resort for awhile – they are still working on the pool, hot tub and activities. It has been closed since we got here and while it has a lot of people upset it really didn’t affect us as we do most of our exercise on our own and create our own activities and tours. We did go to a nearby black sand beach we found out about and it is neat to see. The surf was fairly calm there and we saw people out there snorkeling and paddle boarding. We heard about another beach with green sand but it was a long drive and a dangerous 31/2 mile hike in. We decided to go to church tonight to free up the day tomorrow over on the other side of the island. We tried to get to an authentic Hawaiian mass but the times and places didn’t fit in to our schedule. We enjoyed the one we went to in Waimeia and our friends went with us – we enjoyed their singing abilities much more than the local choir… We stopped at another resort on the way home that has its own shopping plaza where there was to be some entertainment and food but all we found was some strolling musicians singing off key Christmas carols and restaurants to open soon or one that was REALLY expensive so we went home and raided the refrigerator for what ever we wanted – plenty of choices. Then we started playing cards and before we knew it – it was midnight! Nite, nite.

December 16^th – It’s going to be a long day. The girls planned it and Linda thinks if it is only an inch on the map it shouldn’t take long. Then they adjusted the plans as we drove… Combine that with road construction, a max speed of 55 and a lot of 35 and 45 – I think you get the picture. But I have to be honest – they really got us to see some interesting things along the way and we got several water falls and the Volcano National Park all in. We had a great sunset too, but we were still in the Park, we had one more stop to see the glow of lava from the caldera – well worth the wait. Now the long, dark and winding road home. Thanks Ken.

December 15^th  - We decided to stay fairly close to here today because we have the big Luau tonight. But decided to go back to a beach where we saw the big sea turtles the other day. We took along the snorkeling equipment and got some good looks at colorful fish and several of those turtles. I grabbed the back of the shell on one of the big boys thinking I would just hold him still and watch how they moved in the water – WRONG!! He pulled away quite easily. I think in deeper water you could get quite a ride. We came back to get lunch – we have a lot of leftovers – just not too much. Save the appetite for tonight.

Wow – what a Luau. Good setting, great entertainment and lots of local foods. Watch that punch though.

December 15^th We decided to stay fairly close to here today because we have the big Luau tonight. But decided to go back to a beach where we saw the big sea turtles the other day. We took along the snorkeling equipment and got some good looks at colorful fish and several of those turtles. I grabbed the back of the shell on one of the big boys thinking I would just hold him still and watch how they moved in the water – WRONG!! He pulled away quite easily. I think in deeper water you could get quite a ride. We came back to get lunch – we have a lot of leftovers – just not too much. Save the appetite for tonight.

Hawaii 2011

Trip – Hawaii 2011

December 14^th – This condo is right on the golf course, but who would expect to see them out there mowing at 6:30 in the dark with lights on the mowers… I’m just saying.

Then I got to play calling games with a Tom Turkey - from the Lanai (patio or balcony) while having some Hawaiian Kona coffee - about a hundred yards across the fairway for about 15 minutes before the mower guy got too close. After breakfast we headed out for the day – first stop was a Kona coffee plantation and mill – it is at 3500 feet. It takes much longer to mature at that altitude but that increases the flavor content of the beans and explains why Kona coffee is so expensive. The maximum size and quality of bean increases the price. This company Thunder Mountain has now developed a high anti oxidant product to improve health – especially the locals who are genetically disposed to gout. They also mill coffee and roast for a lot of small coffee growers from the area including the little lady that did our tour – she was loaded with information and so willing to share. She wasn’t even 5 foot tall but said she handled 100 pound coffee sacks and we all believed her.

We saw more different birds and flowers that we are still trying to identify. Then we found a Benedictine Church called the painted church – it has elaborate paintings on the inside done by a priest that was here in the 1880’s. The on and off rain showers were only while we were traveling between things again today.

December 13^th – We did a tour of the part of the Island north of here by working our way across to the west and coming across the top and back down the west coast. Some of the stops along the way afforded some great views. Including one overlook where some of the wild mules were wandering around. The story is they were no longer neede to haul coffee beans down the mountains and were turned loose. There are so many now there are warning signs along the roads like there are for deer in Iowa. One stop we waded out among the sea turtles and colorful fish in the shallow waters. What a great day! After a nice supper and good conversation and planning we played a few hands of cards – darn girls beat us again.

December 12^th – We move to the Big Island today (Hawaii). We got our usual step workout – we were on the 5^th floor but had three flights of stairs before we got to the 1^st floor, and we did them several times every day. After our walk, breakfast, clean up and packing we had time to do some shopping in Wakiki. We filled up the rental car returned it and took their shuttle to the airport. We thought we were fashionabley late but the found out the flight was delayed and then delayed again! We could have spent a great deal of time outside in the sun rather than being stuck for four hours in an airport.

We arrived (finally) on the Big Island – the view is pretty stark coming in as the airport is built on a lava bed. Well – the entire Island is a Lava bed – and it is growing daily with the constant eruption of the active Volcano on the south side of the island. Our friends picked us up and we settled in at the condo, caught up with them, ate, played cards and settled in for the night.

December 11^th – We walked to church – only a half a mile and near the marathon route so walking was the only option. We were more than impressed by the vocal and music group led by a 400 pound Samoan with an outstanding voice. He drew us in to the music like a magnet. Then we stopped for breakfast at an open air restaurant we came by on the way to church. They had a delicious breakfast special and the atmosphere was great. I got a real kick out of the forecast for the day printed on the wall – it is so close to the same every day it can be painted on the wall.

Then we picked up the car and headed to the North Shore. We stopped along the way at the Dole Pineapple Plantation for a tour of the grounds – it was nice but way over commercialized. As we worked our way north the signs warned of heavy traffic due to a surfer competition – the waves were up and surfers plentiful. The traffic wasn’t that bad – afterall we are on an island where the top interstate speed id 55, and more 45 and 50 than anything. After the North shore tour and an old but interesting church we stopped at we went down into Waimea Valley to se a waterfalls but what we found on the 0.8 mile hike was a tropical rainforest with trees and plants from many areas in the world. They thrive here with the constant temps and the 230 inches of rain per year. Yes we got a few light rain showers – but mostly some spectacular plants, trees and flowers. We found a unique little Thai restaurant on our way back across the top of the North Shore. After feeling nourished and refreshed we headed back to the hotel. We stopped at the Food Pantry – the little grocery across from the hotel and got our “Sunday night popcorn” and a huge cinnamon roll hopped in the basket for breakfast with some yougart.

December 10^th – We learned a lot of interesting things about the streets in Honolulu – a lot of one way and some of them have bus lanes coming at you. Enlightening. We headed out early to the Pearl Harbor and Arizona Memorial. What a well done Memorial and a very moving experience. A couple light showers provided some beautiful rainbows without interfering with any of our activities.

Then we went to the downtown area with an unintentional visit to Chinatown along the way – what did I say about the one way streets!! We walked around the downtown and wharf areas for several hours. We found the Aloha Tower, more monster bank buildings than you can imagine and a three block area of city buildings with elaborate Christmas decorations. The most decorated was City Hall – where all the city departments had separate displays – not sure if it was a competition. It was a huge old building and had ample room for many large displays. Many more old buildings and churches made the walk an interesting one.

After that we stopped at a place called the Punchbowl Crater – it was a big Military Cemetery with areas dedicated to each of the wars over the last century. But no white crosses! They were all taken out at some point during the government transitions in the late 50’s when Hawaii became a state. But many of them had small white wreaths with red flowers – not quite as well lined up as the crosses usually are. There was an .8 of a mile hike up to an overlook there that not only gave a spectacular overview of the cemetery but of all of Honolulu as well.

Now the interesting or maybe frustrating time of the day – the journey to Diamond Head. We ran into so many roads closed in preparation for the Honolulu Marathon in the morning we couldn’t get to the places we wanted to eat at. By the time we got to the Diamond Head Park we would have eaten most anything – case in point the only food available was from and old yellow motorhome serving footlong hot dogs and chips – yes make mine with everything!! A couple more bottles of water for the hike and away we go. They said 1.5 to 2 hours to make the trek – but with a little effort we made it up to the top in 25 minutes spent time at the top taking pictures and taking in the view(s). Then on the way down we started a jog in a light mist and made the downward trek in 14 minutes. Not bad for a couple old farts. We did actually have a few comments like that! We were beat by the time we got back to the hotel and after toddy time it was raining so we went down to Chili’s again and split a burger slider meal – almost more than we could handle – not a clue how one person could eat all that…

December 9^th – Well we wouldn’t have needed that 3 AM alarm! The internal clock went off at 2:30. Oh well, more time for coffee, walking the dog and a final packing check.  (Are we staying for a month?) We were out of the driveway a little before 4 and made it to Linda’s brother Craig’s place in Scottsdale before 6:00 – traffic not too bad. We got Lexi’s stuff unloaded and let her tear around a bit being antagonized by Craig. Hope she survives the next 10 days.

Craig took us to the airport and dropped us off at the Hawaiian Airlines gate. The airport checks in went smoothly and other than being long the flight went smoothly as well. We arrived in Honolulu just before noon local time. After we rounded up our bags, we took the shuttle to the rental car place – Alamo. Then we made our way to the Ohana West hotel where we got a 5^th floor kitchenette. Not bad but we really miss our foam mattress. The first thing we found was a Farmer’s Market starting at 4:00. Just enough time to walk a block to the Waikiki beach to “observe”!! The Farmer’s Market was mostly fresh fruit and bakery items – how tough the decisions were. We tried fruit we couldn’t even pronounce the names of but most of it was very tasty – not so sure about the one (Rambutan) had little tentacles all over it… We stopped on the way back to the hotel at a corner grocery store for some necessities for Happy Hour and breakfast. There was also a coffee shop and bakery in there – all set now.  We went down to a Chili’s in the hotel for a bowl of soup because a rain shower put a damper on our other plans for supper. I knew better than to go to bed early but we had been up twenty hours already. Opps – 2:30 – no it’s too early – back to bed. 5:00 ok I can handle this – coffee and a walk – more coffee, now we are ready.

Traveling again

With Andrea's hospitalization and surgery that included delays in her recovery it was December 1st before we left Cedar Falls. A couple weather delays in New Mexico put us in Green Valley on the 3rd.

We barely got things settled in the AZ house when we had to pack for our Hawaii trip. We are really excited to visit the 50th state and the 48th on our USA states tour.