Haleakala Sunrise

Monday, Bill & I were up when most of you were getting ready for work. We had an excursion with Maui Sunriders Bike Co to watch the sunrise on Haleakala Volcano then bike back down. Check in time at the bike shop was 3:15am and we were approximately an hour away. We arrive at the bike shop right on time and picked out our gear. The shop provided dirt bike helmets, wind breakers with pants and back packs loaded with bike locks.

The elevation was 7000 feet and the temperature was around 50 degrees. Thank goodness there was no wind at the top this morning. We were able to see a little sunrise, but still no orb. Once it got light out, our guide took us just outside the park to let us loose on the bikes. We were on single speed Trek bikes with disc breaks. That's all you need for this type of ride. It was all down hill except for one small incline. Bill used his map my fitness to clock our ride. At one point we were going around 32 miles an hour.

Now we have seen the sunrise and set on a volcano. We enjoyed the sunset more for many reasons.

Drums of the Pacific Lu'au

Friday night was Lu'au night. There are so many to choose from on the Island. Bill had heard that the Drums of the Pacific Lu'au had fire dancers and we wanted to see those. We had heard from several people that the authentic Hawaiian Lu'au to see was the Old Lahaina.  We even met one of the dancers at Local Boys Shaved Ice. We will check them out on the next trip. We were not disappointed in our two and half hour interactive show. They served a variety of food and the quality was great. It was not your ordinary dinner theater show food. It was the real deal. We highly recommend this wonderful Lu'au located just steps from the Pacific.

By Air and By Sea

Saturday we started our day with Air Maui. We weren't going to do this kind of excursion, but it was highly recommended by some friends. I'm glad we did. We saw a part of Hawaii that we would not of seen. Waterfalls, tallest cliffs in the world, and shores where pro surfers boat in to surf.

Saturday evening we took a sunset cruise with Teralani Cruises. We set sail at 3:30 with a thin little girl as our Captain. There was a crew of three running that huge catamaran and serving the guests. They did a fabulous job and we experienced a breathtaking sunset on the Pacific.

We're Hooked

Thanks to our local connection, we checked out Jamba Juice's acai bowls. Contrary to our presuppositions, Jamba Juice is more than just fruit smoothies. Bill & I shared a large acai bowl and it was the perfect size for both of us. It's our new favorite breakfast and we've decided Mt. Pleasant needs one.

Volcanoes National Park

B and C's Corner

This was our main excursion for the day. The Kilauea Volcano was approximately a 2.5 hour drive to the other side of the island. Like all of our adventures, there are side roads to explore.

The first beach was Kahalu Beach Park. This park was was filled with snorkerlers and we saw a sea turtle. We also had our first Hawaiian shaved ice of the trip.

We pulled off at a couple of scenic overlooks and continued on to Punaluu Black Sands Beach Park. The surf was rougher and the black sand was more like gravel. It was pretty hot too. We saw several more sea turtles sunning themselves.

Once we arrived at Volcanos National Park, we headed to the Visitor's Center. From there we took a short trail to the sulfur vents. We crossed the road and there it was. This huge crater with smoke coming out of it. What a site to see!  Our first peak into the top of a volcano. We continued on the loop that was lush with vegetation. We really needed to pay attention on the trail. While walking we discovered many more vents, some the size of a hub cap, on either side of the narrow path.

We had a couple of hours before dark so we checked out the town of Volcano. We use Yelp & Trip Advisor to help us find places with good eats. The pickings were slim but found Cafe Ohia. The menu was sandwiches or dinner plates for $8.75. We chose the pork plate with gravy, rice and potato salad. This little gem of a cafe housed someone who just liked to cook.

After our late lunch / early supper, we headed back to park and made our way to the Jagger Museum where we waited for the sun to go down. As it did, we watched Kilauea change colors. Seeing that glow change from a light pink to a bright red/orange was the highlight of the day.

Life on an Island

I would love to see more stores do away with disposable bags. We were caught off guard when we made our purchase at Target. It seems that just about every store on The Big Island had the same policy.

Local Good Eats

Want to know where the locals eat. Just hook up with a local running community. Bill & I discovered The Big Island Running Company. They had a local run Tuesday at 5pm with several distance groups to choose from. We decided on the 5k. After the run we got the scoop on cheap eats in the area. One place was located right behind the store. It was a sports bar called Oceans. They were having Taco Tuesday. Being the taco connoisseurs we are, we couldn't turn that down. So tacos it was, and they were yummy, considering it was a sports bar.

Post Work-Out Breakfast

After our tough work out at the pier, we stopped in at Island Lava Java. We both ordered the half papaya, yogurt topped with house made granola. We had a front row seat to the bay. While we enjoyed our breakfast, we were entertained by a ukulele player. This place not only had good food, they also served up a good cup of Kona Coffee.

The surprise moment

Tuesday was hang out day. We started our day off with a swim at the famous Kailua-Kona pier. This is the start and finish of the Triathlon World Championships. We always knew the water was crystal clear, because we had watched the race many times on TV.  What we didn't realize was they started over a reef! The view was breath taking. The sea life was incredible. If only we could practice our swims here everyday.

Flying High Tech

What is one to do on a ten hour flight? Sleep was the plan. That option went out the window after discovering this high tech touch screen in front of me. It even controlled the overhead light & showed us our location. The pleasures of being on B767- 400. 

Actually I'm jealous; Bill could sleep. My head just bobbed for about forty-five minutes. Guess  who will be the first one to sleep tonight? So two movies, one Ironman documentary and loads of music later, we are almost there.

Aloha!

The long awaited 25th Anniversary trip is just days away. Since I turned fifty this year, It's only fitting that we are traveling to the fiftieth state. I will be posting about our adventure here on my old/newly revised blog. I hope you enjoy.

Mele Kalikimaka! Oops, I mean - A hui kaua - Until we meet again!

Flower Fan

When you need to replace the fan blades on your ceiling fan, you can do a little updating too. We had some leftover spray paint and thanks to my creative husband, ta -da, we now have a flower fan. It's a perfect design for our screen porch, a.k.a The Mermaid Lounge.

You know when...

You know you're knocking on falls door when these show up in Trader Joe's. I'm not a fan of fall and winter, but I'm fan of all things pumpkin. If you have a Trader Joe's, hurry up and get your bars they go fast. Oh wait, I forgot to tell you, I bought them all. 

My Big Little Sister

My big little sister, not big in size, just taller than me went home this week. The old saying that "time flies" and "all good things come to an end" rang loud Monday morning. As I drove her to the airport, I contemplated a kidnapping, however, the wrath of my brother-in-law came to my mind. He's bigger and badder than me, so I kept the course. 

Departures are never easy for us, especially the older we get.  We never know what tomorrow will bring. So for now, I hold onto the memories. 

As I dropped her off & through  tearful eyes, I could see for one last time my big little sister, with a big suitcase and huge smile turn and wave. A piece of my heart departed this week. Thank you Sissy, I'll keep the note forever.