Hawaii

I could bore you all with a detailed account of our trip to Hawaii, but I won't do that.  It was lovely.  A week on Oahu and a week on Hawaii.  I'm going to do a quick, random recap of our time there.  We rented condos while we were there, so we were able to cook.  We picked up food from the Farmer's Markets and in China Town.  We cooked and ate locally grown food - we did not expect to eat anything we would normally eat on the mainland.  The fruit was amazing! We ate lunch out occasionally while we were exploring. The food trucks are amazing, and the little family owned restaurants make the best food!

 

Hilo Farmers Market

One of the healthiest salads I've ever eaten!

Chinatown in Honolulu

We arrived on the Big Island the day after the volcano stopped erupting.  She had been fountaining lava the day before we arrived.  We landed on the big island and *fizzle* there was a glow of lava, and so much steam from the steam vents.  But no lava.  We explored everything we could safely explore in Volcanoes National Park.  We walked out to see the Petroglyphs.  We drove to the ends of all the roads.  We explored the lava tunnels.  We went back at night to see the red glow. It was awesome!

We spent time in Hilo - the rainiest city in the United States.  It lived up to it's reputation!  But all of that rain leads to a lush and verdant rainforest and the most amazing waterfalls.  Loved every single minute of exploring those trails. Drove through the middle of the island between the two volcanoes and around the island. We did not begin to see everything there was to see.  We only scratched the surface.

Lili'uokalani Gardens

Wailuku River after a Storm.

Sitting on the seawall in Kona, looking out across the Bay.

Huli-hee Palace, Kona

Oahu is amazing. We went to the North Shore and watched the big waves. Ate Poke.  Visited Pearl Harbor. Had Shave Ice.  Hiked through still more beautiful rainforests and saw still more beautiful waterfalls. Went up to the National Cemetery of the Pacific. Had a formal tea.  Ate Malasadas. 

We found this gem when roaming through the Sheraton Lobby.

Ocean literally 100 feet away from where I took this picture!

The Byodo-In Temple
Jason Momoa posted pictures from here earlier this week.

Waimea Falls

I wish I remembered where I took this picture.
Honestly, it reminds me of Gilligan's Island!

But by far, my favorite part of Hawaii is how every single person stops to watch the sunset every night.  It is an event.  We went down to the ocean - and so did so many other people - and sat down with the crowd.  I am still in awe of how every single person was united in that moment of beauty - just stopping whatever they were doing to watch the sun go down.  We all need to do more of that.

Visit One New to Me State

Let's hop into the Way Back Machine.  When I was in Fourth Grade, my teacher held a six-week unit on Hawaii.  We ended the unit with a "traditional" luau.  I put "traditional" in parenthesis because when you've got a bunch of hyperactive 9 year olds in the middle of Ohio dancing the hula in cut-up trash bags, there's only so much "tradition" that you can claim.  We learned about the Hawaiian Royal Family.  Polynesian Culture.  The volcanoes.  The Black Sand Beaches.  Pearl Harbor.  Riding the Waves.  What it means when someone says "surf's up".  I really wanted to go!  

Time has a way of marching ever steadily onward.  Life happens.  And now, it is many, many years later. And I finally got to go!  Two weeks of bliss in Hawaii!  I have a few pictures and other things to share with you over the next few days.  

I'll start with a few of my favorites. We were on both O'ahu and Ha'waii.  We spent a week on each island and explored everything.  It was magical!

Another beautiful stream.

Akaka Falls.

So peaceful! 

Love these flowers.

A chick and her mama!  They are everywhere and they are beautiful!