After spending 10 full days in Hawaii, I think a post is in order! After spending a wonderful Christmas in St. Louis with both families, we came back to Seattle for just long enough to switch out bags, take Rufus to the puppysitter, and get a tiny amount of sleep! Then, off we were to beautiful Hawaii!
Our first full day was spent snorkeling at the beach at MM 14. It was amazingly beautiful...coral everywhere and TONS of colorful fish. After that, time was spent lunching and lazing.
Another day was spent on Haleakala. First, we woke up SUPER early and drove all the way to the top to see the sun rise. It was beautiful! It was a bit cloudy, so as the sun came up, the only thing to be seen was these glowing clouds.... Amazing!! As the sun slowly rose, the glow became brighter and brighter until it broke free from the clouds. I took about a million pictures, but only posted a few. I don't want to make everyone suffer through that!
After the sunrise, we drove back down to go on our zipline tour, which was pretty awesome. After a really short hike (not even a half mile), we got to the first line. They started out short (about 75 feet), and got longer as they went along. The 5th and final line was about 300 feet long and crossed a ravine that was about 150 feet deep. Before each line, the group was told about one of the native animals, which while interesting, was rather depressing. As it turns out, all but 1 of the native animals that they told us about were almost extinct. Very sad! Luckily, the exhilaration of the ziplines kept me from getting too depressed!
After the zipline tour, we went for a short hike at Poli Poli State Park. One thing we quickly learned about Hawaii state parks is that the roads to them are most definitely NOT kept up! Luckily, we rented a Jeep Wrangler and I was driving! Once the rode started to get bad (big pot holes and narrow), we met a couple and their son from Maryland. They parked their rented minivan on the side of the road and started to walk to the park. We ate lunch, and drove on. Shortly after, we ran into the Marylanders, and offerred to give them a ride. They hopped in the back and drove with us for a few miles. They were a super nice family, with another son in Seattle! Apparently, he hates it. Eventually, we dropped them off, and drove on. After another few miles, we stopped and found a hiking path. As everything on Hawaii, it was beautiful. It actually looked more like Washington than Hawaii. There were huge, not at all tropical trees, and it was a little chilly. After hiking for a bit, we drove down the hill and headed back to the condo.
The rest of our time on Maui was spent lazing on the beach. Jim did a bit more snorkeling, where he saw plenty more fishies and even a sea turtle!
We spent New Years Eve at the Old Lahina Luau. Open bar and unlimited food made for a short night! We didn't even make it to midnight..... That's what happens when you get old :-)
New Years Day was a travel day. We slept in, packed, and drove to the airport. On the way, we pulled off at a little stop. We were super lucky to see a momma whale and her baby playing right off the shore. It was great! Sadly, it was too far away to really get any good pictures.
Off to the Big Island! Sadly, our first night was less than ideal. We checked in to the condo and went to dinner, but I was too itchy to really enjoy much of anything. By the next morning, I had broken out in a terrible rash and a painful blister was forming on my foot. Jim took me to the Urgent Care doctor in Kona, where I was perscribed some pills and a creme and sent home. I was out of commission for the rest of the day.
One day in Kona was spent driving to and exploring Kiluea. I drove while Jim hiked and took pictures so that I could see what he saw! Sadly, I don't remember much of what we saw, much less what else we did on the Big Island. I was on meds and not feeling well.....
Overall, an awesome trip. We're already planning to go back in 2011 or 2012. Who's with us??
Take a look at our pictures.
