Green Sand Beach

Here was our other big 4-wheel adventure. This was actually some of the most intense driving we have ever done, and there were several times I had to get out of the car to direct Aaron to keep from bottoming out or getting stuck. Mom was funny, because there were several times where she just had to shut her eyes because she was kind of freaked out - we got her adrenaline going that day ;o).

Most people hike this puppy, but since that was not in the cards for mom we decided to give it a go. It was 2 1/2 miles of craziness, that felt more like 10 miles.

After what seemed like forever, and several moments of wondering if it were worth it with thoughts of turning back, we made it. It was beautiful! Unfortunately, the beach was down in a whole and mom couldn't make the climb down. 

 I was contemplating just taking pictures and leaving, but Aaron drove all the way there and wanted to be on the beach. I'm so glad he talked me into going! We set mom down on a rock to watch the view and went down. Once down there I was totally suck in! I learned in Mexico, years ago, never to go anywhere like this without a swimsuit on because you never know..... OMG, so glad I learned that lesson!!! The waves were so inviting, and the day so nice, I just HAD to get in. 

I saw mom sitting on her rock and got a pang of guilt, and started back up, and then all of the sudden I had a Carpe Diem attack. I will probably never be in this spot again and I needed to seize the moment! I stripped down and jumped in. The-best-decision-ever!! One of the most memorable moments of our entire trip. We had some of the best body surfing I have ever done, and we had so much fun I can't imagine the trip without this experience. Aaron and I could have stayed down in that little bowl of a beach for hours if we had been by ourselves, but after about a half hour guilt did start to get the best of me and we got out. So worth the drive in!

 

The End of The World... Or At Least The US

On the way out of the Green Sand beaches we took a detour and headed to South Point, just so we could say we were at the Southernmost point of the USA. I'm sure not many people can say they have done that  before! It is SO windy here that they have a wind farm and all of the trees grow to the side of their trunks instead of straight up.

Following our handy guide book, we also found an great restaurant that is the Southernmost restaurant in the US. Fortunately we came across this little gem right at lunch time, as the food was great. We were just super sad we didn't have room left over for their amazing looking, home baked desserts.

Punalu'u Black Sands Beach

There are quite a few black sand beaches on the big island, but Punalu'u is the easiest one to get to, therefore making it the logical choice to take mom to. The only disadvantage to this is, because it's so easily accessed it's also where all the tour buses end up.

By the time we got here the weather was starting to turn, and it was getting cold and windy. Hard to believe that just a couple hours previous Aaron and I were body surfing on the Green Sands Beach!

Punalu'u is one of the only beaches that the sea turtles will actually come up and beach themselves on a regular basis. As luck would have it, there were two of them on the beach when we got there.

 We were pretty irritated while looking at the turtles. There is a law in Hawaii that if a sea turtle is seen you must give it at least 20 feet of clearance and not disturb it. Remember I said the tour buses all stop here? Well, who is usually on those big tour buses? Yup - Japanese. Now, if you know me at all you know that I am not a predigest person at all. I love all people of all colors, races, genders, sizes, sexes and sexualities. However, there is one thing about the Japanese that is a cold hard fact: they love their pictures and will do anything to get a good picture of their vacation. This includes invading the space of a gentle sea turtle to snap a shot of them "with the sea turtle". 

As we were standing there taking pictures (with the zoom lens of course, to keep our distance), along came a full tour bus. Once the turtles were discovered, it was all over. They did just about everything they could to get their pictures, short of climbing on the turtles backs. I finally just turned to mom and Aaron and said, "Let's get out of here. I don't even want to be associated with this in the tiniest manner". I was so irritated that I just had to leave: there was absolutely NO respect there. It gave me a little taste as to why the Hawaiians don't like tourists very much and it saddened me.

Kealakekua Bay and Dolphins!

Instead of getting up early to run, Aaron and I decided it was a great day to swim across the Kealakekua Bay, to the Captain Cook monument, that we had been wanting to do since we saw it on our first day out.

Bright and early we got up and headed out: we had heard that morning is the best time to spot Dolphin if they are going to be in the bay.  

It's really hard to see in this picture, but if you click on it to make it larger, and look clear over on the other side of the bay, you will see a little white spot: that is the Captain Cook monument, and that is where we swam too. Most people rent kayaks to make the trip, but Aaron and I are champions..... and cheap ;o). Seriously, I totally out swam Aaron and I was starting to wonder if he was going to make it across, but I eventually got a very grumpy Aaron to the other side.... Lord, we still had to make it back!

Here was my mistake. I just went for it and swam straight across instead of hugging the shore and snorkeling across: I didn't make that same mistake twice. We took our time getting back and snorkeled the shore. Not only was it easier because it was a slower pace, it was much more enjoyable because we had stuff to look at the whole time.

This is the day we saw the dolphin! I didn't get any pics of them because they weren't close enough to get one with my crappy water camera, but they were there. They came in as we were about 2/3 of the way back, and there were about 10 or 12 of them. Aaron was able to get close enough to actually see them swimming under water, I only saw them from about 50 feet away on the surface.... they are fast buggers for sure! At one point, when they were about 150 feet off, a couple of them were jumping and twirling out of the water. It was SO cool. We found out later that the next day they left the island, so we timed that snorkel trip just right!

Aaron and I have discovered that we LOVE to snorkel. I am thinking the next step in our life adventure will be to get certified to dive. I think we could totally get into that!!!!

Visiting Hilo: Waipi'o Valley

The Big Island is appropriately named.... it is big. We really wanted to visit the Hilo side, since that is the lush side with all of the waterfalls and beautiful gardens. We had a long day of driving ahead of us, so we got up early and headed out.

Our first stop was Waipi'o Valley. When Hawaii was first inhabited, the people would live in the valleys. It isn't the safest place to be however, when a storm hits, and they decided to move to higher ground. The Waipi'o Valley is the only valley still inhabited, as it is the largest valley. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Here was one of the reasons we sprung for the extra 4-wheel drive on our rental car: you cannot drive down into the valley without it, and since mom didn't have a prayer of walking down there......

It was very beautiful down there, however we didn't stay too long. The entire time we were there we just didn't feel welcome. No one said or did anything to us, you could just sense that the local people were resentful of the constant intrusion. I would imagine many people are not respectful to the fact that this is their home, and that is just too bad. We were really glad we went down there though, as it is so breathtaking!

Visiting Hilo: Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls was our next stop on our Hilo adventure: they are suppose to be the most impressive falls on the island. Beautiful they are for sure, but when growing up in the PNW with Snoqualmie Falls, Twin Falls, Sol Duc Falls and the like.... well, we are pretty waterfall spoiled here ;o) It was a very beautiful walk, with vegetation that we don't get at home, so very worth the stop.

Visiting Hilo: Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens

The Tropical Gardens was one place mom for sure wanted to visit. She had heard good things about it from a friend, and she loves her plants. After leaving the falls, the guide book we had raved about a restaurant between the falls and the gardens, so we stopped and gave it a try. Good choice!!! Amazing smoothies, with farm fresh ingredients, and amazing sandwiches.

The gardens truly were beautiful. I was continually amazed at how LARGE plants get in Hawaii. All of those common house plants that I have in my living room and office are growing wild here, and at about four times the size!

On the way back to our side of the island, we drove Saddle Road which cuts across the middle of the island. You drive right between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa - the two highest peaks on the island at over 13,000 ft each. It was so foggy up there you could hardly see 50 feet in front of the car... weird considering we spent all day in the sunshine.