Hawaiian Adventure Day 5

Big Island day 5

Hilo

Today we see the green side of the island, or the wet side, depending on who you ask.
Once again we were all up early... bah. But it means we get rolling earlier, so that is good.
We decided to drive across the island over Saddle Road, instead of all the way around.
This saved us a little time.

You can almost make out the telescopes on the top of Mauna Kea

We made it to the Mauna Loa Macadamia nut factory in good time.
The tour is self guided and doesn't take long... then all that is left is to decide what kind of mac nuts to buy. And there are sooo many choices. We found our assortment and headed out.
We rejoined our GyPSy guide island tour here and followed its suggestions around Hilo.

Hilo Waterfront park

Rainbow Falls

Lava Tube

After our Hilo tour and an easy lunch we went to Verna's for milkshakes. Now this is a history thing... Hubby and I were on the big island about 15 years ago and at that time we found a Verna's location in Kona... the milkshakes were AWESOME. Best we had ever had... so we had to see if they were still around. Not in Kona, but Verna's III was in Hilo, and really, what could it hurt to try?
The kids aren't into milkshakes so they went for a scoop instead. And the service was less than friendly. Hubby was going to get a malt, but the girl taking our order was confounded that we only wanted ice cream and not lunch food, we decided not to push it to much.
Right from this point of ordering, I was sure it was going to be a bust. It wasn't the same.. just keep the memory and let it go. But... but, I was wrong. Still crazy good milkshakes. I haven't had a milkshake in forever and this wonderfully chocolate shake was delicious.

From here we hit the road and started the guide back up.
The big stops on the way back were Akaka Falls and the Train Museum.
This side of the island is a world away from the Kohala Coast where we are staying... its so green and lush. Beautiful.
I was less adventurous today than I expected to be. Some days things just aren't clicking.. ya know. But we (at least some of "we") were able to see several waterfalls and the overlook into Waipio Valley.

Amazing single lane road

Along the path to Akaka Falls

Akaka Falls!

... and the path back UP!

Gecko! 

View into Waipio Valley

We wrapped up the exploring and were back to the condo for dinner by a reasonable time. This evening is dedicated to laundry and getting things ready to pack up in the morning. Tomorrow we fly to Maui. Or as the young lady and I have taken to saying.... "Mau-Weeeeeeeee!" Yup, we are silly that way, just wait for " O-wahHOOOOOOOOO" ;)

Last visit to the Koi pond at the Queen's Marketplace

Some of the fish are cuter than others ;)

Hawaiian Adventures Day 4

Big Island day 4

Today was scheduled to be a laid back day. We had no set plans. We planned to sleep in... you get the picture.
But apparently our family likes jet lag and we are going to keep on getting up before 6 am.. yes BEFORE... until we darn well feel like it :(  Grrr.
So the sleeping in thing failed.

Yesterday I stumbled across a brochure for a farm tour that looked really fun.. reservations were made.. so then we had plans for today.... lazy day? Not as much.

We found out the Big Island has the only Vanilla farm in the US, and the tour for today still had room - and we like a nice vanilla. The kids were game, so after a mellow morning with time to play in the pool, we headed out.

This is the official sign that its time for the pool... it happens by magic :)

Really nice pool... small, but we had it all to ourselves.

And I am taking this opportunity to chill out a bit :)

Our GyPSy wasn't useful on the way over as we drove against the grain... and the full island tour is "anti-clockwise" (anti.... really? [Editor's note: It would make more sense if the guide had a British accent, but he does not...]). But we passed the hour like the road trip veterans that we are. The last 2.5 miles were crazy - a one lane, winding country road up, and up and up and up... with the occasional bridge. If you are veterans of Disney's Animal Kingdom safari ride.. the bridges were reminiscent of a bridge on that ride. Eeks!
But we arrived with time to spare.

The farm is owned and run by a single family. They offer a number of options for learning more about vanilla, including a lunch, a tea, and the tour. The lunch people stay on after they eat and join the tour. The group size was nice. The owner gave the tour. We were allowed to walk or drive to the location which was appreciated.
Over all it was great! OH! it starts with a beverage... your choice of vanilla lemonade, vanilla iced tea or a mix, what he called a Jimmy Boy (I grew up calling this an Arnold Palmer, but this drink was sooo much better than any other mix of tea and lemonade that I have ever had, that I will call it whatever he wants).

Drinking our wonderful lemonade drinks. 

So the drinks were AMAZING! Best beverage of the trip. The vanilla added sooo much to a already good drink. Hubby and I were impressed. The kids both enjoyed the lemonade... our little lady drank slowly to make it last... very cute.
We got to hear how this family came to be vanilla farmers and why here. And a little about what it takes. Then we got to see some plants.. and some beans.
It was all wrapped up back at the start with some crazy good vanilla ice cream. And of course the opportunity to buy some stuff.
We did.
Cause again, we like a good vanilla. And this stuff was good. And well priced. It was definitely comparable to similar quality we have purchased elsewhere. So, if you find yourself on the big island with a half day to kill, you like vanilla and can drive up a one lane road... check out Hawaiian Vanilla Company.

This was given to the owner in Mexico when he went to do a talk. Its made from vanilla. 

The vanilla plant 

This one has some pods! 

After the tour we headed back to the condo. We were able to pick up some GyPSy commentary on the way back. Our condo time today was lazy.. reading, playing on tablets etc. We decided to dine out for dinner and save our last dinner in the condo for tomorrow night.

One kid is thrilled we are almost done with this island.. the other is sad. But we have two more islands to go, so I am not to worried about either of them.

Hawaiian Adventures Day 3

Big Island - day 3

Do you assume that 6 hours in a car is a typical day for a day on the island? Well you should ;)

No... maybe not. But that was what today looked like for us. Our day to go to Volcanoes National Park started early... again. We were up before 6 am (ugh, jet lag), so we were able to hit the road around 8:30. And with a 3 hour drive ahead of us.... I was actually glad for it.

Our GyPSy Guide was on and the drive was great.
(We all seem to call the GyPSy Guide different things... Jim, seems to be the most common, but our oldest, seems to prefer "Sir" when talking to or about it. The sillier members of the family - not me, I can't believe you would think that - like the tipsy Gypsy. Sigh... I try not to worry about them)
The guide had commentary on the how the islands were formed, the types of lava flow and types of volcanoes, and the history of Hawaii. Needless to say, the time went quickly. We stopped to see another black sand beach and once to have a snack... ah, Malasadas.

So.. this guy was on our windshield when we were pulling out of the garage. 

The terrain here is so surprising. We are clearly on the dry side of the island. 

Do you like Hawaiian Rolls? If so, stop here! Good malasada too. 

We found another black sand beach.

Looking for tide pools.

Found a crab!

Sand is blacker than dads shoe! 

A little after noon we arrived at the park.
And it was starting to rain. We had come prepared, but the tour buses full of people at the visitor center had not, and were buying up ponchos like they were a hot fashion trend. We didn't linger too long at the visitor center, and quickly were back on the road to explore the park.

A few things to note here:
Our oldest HATES volcanoes.. He is more than anxious about today. He tried everything in his arsenal to get out of this particular adventure. And had mentioned to me daily that this island isn't where he wants to be.  Somehow the other islands are ok with him, but this one, with an active lava flow... not good. At one point in the drive today, when it fully hit him, this was happening, he muttered (loud enough so we could all hear him) "I'm doomed".  When hubby and I started to giggle, he started laughing too.

The other thing is that hubby and I have been here before. Back in 2001, we spent a week here and took a few trips into Volcanoes National Park. On that trip we used a great guide book to explore the park. Yes, things are marked, but to simply drive around, without additional info, and you will miss some spectacular views.

Ok, back to the day:
We were thrilled that the GyPSy had info for the entire park. Telling us what was at each outlook spot and what could be found down each trail. We also appreciated the tips and suggestions.
We didn't get out at every stop, but we saw a lot and enjoyed the park (well, most of us... one of us survived the park. Luckily, he loved the GyPSy commentary, so as long as the guide was talking, he was a happy adventurer).
We left the park a little after 3 pm. Time to head back to the resort, oh - and find some food.

Steam Vents.

Toxic gases coming from the crater

So, it's a little windy... just a smidge.

the lava fields are amazing

Great Sea arch

With a late morning Malasada and snacks in the car, we were ready for an earlier dinner.
In the town of Captain Cook, we found a great little pizza place. Either the food was amazing or we missed a real lunch.... I think it was both. Even the iced tea was amazing.

Excited for some good food!

Really good stuff. 

Finally, after once last stop, we made it home. What a day.
Our oldest got though it and did very well, considering his strong feelings. He has said he will not return to this island in the future. If my current trend of once every 15 years holds up, he will be out of my direct care the next time I come... and I might not invite him ;) So I am ok with him making that choice. But I am proud of him for getting through today.

Tomorrow, we attempt to be lazier. And spend less time in the car.

Hawaiian Adventures Day 2

Big Island day 2

Soo, we got up EARLY today. Our body clocks are still on home time.. not island time, and by 6 am, everyone was awake and stirring.

Today was our first full day on the island and we had very little scheduled. We downloaded the GyPSy Guide app for the Big Island and looked forward to the "guided" driving tour of the area.

It was not a disappointment. Best $8 purchase of the trip! This app has all the things we loved about the GyPSy Guide from our 2011 Canada trip, but now it's more convenient.  So, today we took the Kona/Coffee Coast tour plus a little bit from the Kohala Coast tour. We stopped a few places along the route that sounded interesting, enjoyed a laid back lunch in Kona, and some tasty Gelato while touring.

Beautifully maintained grounds around the resort area 

Beach near the petroglyph trail... not the best sand ;)

What a great tree, marking the start of a trail

a small break at a  black sand beach... Looked very black, once it got wet

lunch break

the white half is Coconut Haystack, the brown half is Chocolate, Coffee and Mac nuts.... It was ALL GOOD 

Seriously yummy stuff and rather busy  

very interesting terrain on our drive

After a day of driving and sightseeing we were ready to relax - so we enjoyed a nice dinner in the condo. After dinner we explored the King's Shops, a few blocks down from our condo. We were able to pick up a much needed item and found some great things in the planter boxes at this shopping area.

Pineapples!

It was a great day of exploring! Tomorrow: Volcanoes National Park.

Despite being an ocean away from real life our responsibilities have found us. We both had to deal with work related issues today :(
We are hoping tomorrow we can dive a back into our vacation bubble without the phone calls and emails :) Hey, remember life before smart phone? Yeah, those were good times... but then we would have never found that Gelato place .... tricky.

Hawaiian Adventure

Big Island - day 1

I am always thankful when I don't have to get up extra early to catch a flight.. so today was great. We got to the airport with time to spare - and discovered just how valuable TSA precheck is! Seriously people, why aren't you getting your precheck paperwork done? ok. moving on.

Great view of the planes coming and going while we got some food at the airport.

Our plane was brand new.. I mean off the line in March, so it still had that new plane smell. But it also had a little extra leg room all around, which I am also thankful for. 

And this flight may have been the easiest one we have had as a family. We loaded up everyone with movies, games, comfy headphones and books... 5 hours and 31 minutes later... ALOHA! 

I packed my camera in the back of the car, so I wasn't able to take any pictures until after we checked in and unpacked. Our condo is north of the airport in the Waikoloa resort area. We quickly found how close to shopping and dining it is. 

Condo Living Room

Master bedroom

Patio 

Kids room

Fun tropical details in the unit

Wonderful flowers all over the grounds

Beautiful!

Leaving the condo area in search of groceries 

A fun Koi pond at the local shopping area.... also note the bird behind them :)

With LOTS of travel today and a 3 hour time change we decided to stay close to the condo. We grabbed some groceries and then hit the "Queen's Marketplace" for some window shopping and dinner. 

Now to figure out how to wind down so we can get some sleep.

Sunset from our patio