Too Wet

Tuesday December 20
Hilo Hawaii

Last night on the east coast (read:dry side) it rained cats, dogs, and horses! Most of the night! High winds added the mix. Whew! What a night!

Today we drove the infamous Saddle Road over the saddle between the 2 volcanoes at nearly 7000 ft. Beautiful farm land for most of it. Also up on the clouds! Then, back in Hilo and guess what? It's raining. It rains 2 out of 3 days here. Locals say even this amount of rain they've been having is excessive. Not staying here long. Need the sun. That's why I'm here!

Tonight I'm staying in a garden hostel here on Hilo. Beautifully lush tropical gardens with paths and nestled campsites snuggled between the foliage. Really delightful place:). (except for all the rain today).

So I'll get some supplies and drive to the dry(er) side tomorrow. Looking forward to being on my own a bit but will miss my "back seat driver" :). It's gonna get lonely fast, I'm sure. Deal with it, Bag Lady!

Here's a little touch of Hawaiian Christmas. Notice the Hawaiian print tablecloth and mermaid picture in background:)



Aloha!

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Pics

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Eco-people

Sunday December 18th

The people on this Puna Coast are my kind of people. Eco-people. Heike's word. I like it. They are eating organic. They use rainwater to wash everything. They have composting toilets. They wear recycled clothes - probably tie-dyed. The kids run around naked. Ah yes!

Thermal pools
Waves crashing the cliffs
Lush jungle foliage
Rain, rain, rain. (that's the part that would be hard). You have to always carry am umbrella even if the sun is out because showers can come at any time, and they do...often. But just wait cause they pass. But nothing ever dries out. The only place we found to dry our towels was in the car with the windows rolled up!

So I made a decision today to stay another 3 weeks. It's a bit scary because i'll be alone but I'll be able to do some of the things I couldn't do with Heike. Next big question is how long to keep the car. Hitching and bus are options for getting around. Would have to store my extra gear without the car. Might even go visit another island. Bit scared about all this but also excited. Where will I be on Christmas and New Year's Eve? Only time will tell!




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Amazing Lava

Wednesday Dec 14th
Puna HI

Don't remember when I wrote last. We've slept near a black sand beach in a canoe house a ranger offered up, in a remote lava field alone in Volcanoes National Park and tonight in an Eco-cabin (camped outside) that is being rented by Rick, a new friend we met our first night on the island. So cool: outdoors shower and toilet among the ferns and orchids, one screened great room with loft and 2 porches. Tiny living. I love it!




But I should talk about the volcano, Pu'u O'o, that's spewing lava and smoke. What a sight! And we hiked across the bed of a crater that erupted in 1959, Kilauea.

(photo deleted here)

It's amazing how stark this lava can look and how rich a soil it is!
It's also so sharp that walking over it is risky business. You don't want to fall...ever! I slipped at the coast one day and scratched my ankle up. It hurts for days. Nasty stuff. But it's so rich that stuff grows when planted in a pile of it!

Hawaii: where all rainbows are born and fruit falls from the sky! That's the definition we've come up with:)

We've seen rainbows almost every day. And we found fruit where no trees were nearby: grapefruit on the beach and a mango in a meadow.

Tonight as I type this we're sitting in the most delightful gathering of locals, good food, hawaiian music, and warm breezes. And male hula dancer.


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Dolphins, Sea Turtles, Exotic Fishes, Oh My!

Friday December 9th.
Ho'okena Beach County Park

Spent a couple of leisurely days hanging out at Kapa'a Park because it was quiet, dark and secluded. Love the north end of this island. Simple living where indoor and outdoor blend together as someone told me. My kind of living!

Then yesterday we wandered south through Kailua (Kona), the biggest city on the island. Expensive pizza, great stuff at the farmers market, more fuel and out of town. Too much.

Our park for the night is down a 2+ mile windy road to the shoreline. 1000 ft drop. Tucked in by the rock cliff in a sandy grove of young palms were a bunch of tents. But room for 2 more. And we keep running into people we met somewhere else on the island. It's a small island we're finding out:). And young and old are camping their way around it, like we are. Great fun. Sharing ideas and good finds!

Today was fabulous. Started with swimming in our cove at the campsite with dolphins right off shore. Then we went to Kealekakua Bay and rented a tandem kayak and paddled across the bay to the Captain Cook Monument. And guess who joined us? Ten to thirty dolphins. Pods here and there, all around us! Then at the monument we snorkeled in one of the best coves in all of Hawaii. OMG! Fish of every color and absolutely clear water! And there were people there that paid $130 each to do the same thing. We paid $20 each to rent the kayak.

Did some coffee sampling and walked through a tropical fruit garden. Fruit is EVERYWHERE!

And we visited City of Refuge, a Nat'l Monument where the kings lived. Quite special. And there we saw our first sea turtle paddling in shallow waters near shore! Incredible! So much to write, but this thumb typing is killing my basal joints!!!

Here's our sunset tonight as we celebrate a good day!




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Splish, Splash, Oops...

Monday, December 5th

Happy Birthday Mom and Maddie!

Oh that hellish hike out of the valley brought back memories if similar hellish climbs: Nepal - up to Tengbouche Monastery came to mind. How had I forgotten that? But we made it in an hour and 20 minutes.

But Heike's knee really bothered her on the downhills. She wrapped it and got a bit of relief but by the time we got to the major descent back into Waipio Valley where we started she was a hurtin' dude-ess. She had to back down much of the way to be able to hike at all. We even switched packs because mine weighed less.

Then back across the beach and a river crossing where it feeds into the ocean. That's where the dastardly deed occurred. You've got the flow of the river into the ocean and the push of the waves coming in and them pulling out. And it's rocky and knee deep or more. Add to that I had my pole, my boots, and a grapefruit I'd found and was going to eat. Stepped wrong. Dropped everything in the water trying to catch my balance. No luck. The once down the current was making it hard to right myself. Heike caught my shoes as they rolled by. When I got upright we went after my pole that was rolling in the surf. Grapefruit I didn't even try for. But my camera was not in the plastic bag. Ouch! That may be $500 out to sea. It's resting in a bag or rice right now. Gonna give it a few days to see if it works. I suspect not. That will be the last expensive camera I have. Not meant for me.

I'm pretty depressed about it.
We're over on the west coast and what a shock: one minute I'm commenting on the lush pastures and how lucky the cows and horses are... Then, boom, I
in Southern California! Dry rolling hills and tumbleweed!
And warm air. Not like the east side. I can see why folkslive on the east side. The lushness of it. And if you're craving sun, go west for the day:)

Pretty scuzzy park we're in tonight. No plans on staying. Have to see what else we can find.

And, oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I broke my big toe in the tumble, I think. I can't move it and it's quite bruised.




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Guava, Guava Everywhere

Sunday, December 4th

Today we hiked in to Waimonu Valley. 11 miles. Quite, quite challenging. Heike first backpacking trip. What a trouper! It starts with a 1 mile walk down this mountain road with the 25% grade. Unbelievably steep! Had to walk carefully using poles not to fall. Then out to a black sand beach made from lava rock. That was a bit tiring to walk on with packs. Then the climb out of the valley began. 1200 ft in about a mile of switchbacks. And the sun came out and pounded on us. Oh was I ever hot flashing! It's not good when the body is already exerting itself. Lots of stops required. Whew! Then we hiked in woods. Or jungle I should say. Guava trees everywhere. And we gobbled up the yellow fruit. You break it open; it's about the size of a lime. And suck the seeds and pulp out. Sweet and tangy! I also saw Norfolk Pine - the grow to be really tall here. And coffee trees in the wild. There was an enormous tree. Like a normal maple or something only dinosaur in size. When we get to the botanical gardens, we're going to have a lot of questions answered.



The hike then stayed in the woods while it wove in and out of about 12 hollers. We walk to the back of the ravine where we could cross to the other side then out around the cliff and back again. There were some delightful pools of water to splash and soak in along the way. Then we got to the drop down into the valley where we're camping tonight. it was the worst descent I've ever done. 25% - 35% grade for the mile down. Wet mud and wet rocks. Treacherous. And we know we have to climb back out tomorrow. And Heike's knee was really bothering her all the way down. I felt her pain!

But we were entertained by seal lions tonight playing in our pool of water which is fed by tall waterfalls in the back of the valley. Could not be a more picturesque piece of paradise. Camping right at the edge of the lava rock beach. I get to sleep again to the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. And we're both gonna sleep well after that hike!






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Sacred Place

Saturday, December 3, 2011




Spent last night at Laupahoehoe State Park. It's the location of a tsunami that destroyed a village there in 1946 killing many children and adults. The waves crashed against the black lava boulders of the shoreline. The rain stopped when we got in our tents about 7:30 pm and didn't start again til we got up. What gives? This side of the island is living up to it's reputation for clouds and rain but it's still so lush and beautiful that it's forgiven. We keep pulling off onto the old roads and meandering along the coast at a snail's pace. No fancy resorts here. Real small houses and farm land and lush foliage. Avocados, jack fruit, guava. All growing by the sides if the roads. I've eaten more papaya in these 3 days than in the previous 62 years:).

We checked out the place where our hike starts tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will hold for us like it did today: cloudy with no rain after the little bit this morning. The road comes to a parking place at the top of the cliff. There are signs to engage your 4WD NOW! 25% grade! That's the road we're heading down tomorrow. Then across a very flat wide valley. About 1 mile across. Then up the Z trail, switchbacks with a 1200 ft climb in another mile. Then we'll be on the tops of the cliff.

We found a place to camp near a town park in the little village at the top of the cliff. We set up mid afternoon to get our tents dry. There's a large, mowed, rolling meadow between us and the cliff's edge. Our tents were still wet from this morning so we had put them up to dry. This guy comes over on his ATV and passes me by to go up to Heike (we think he thought she was a guy) and talk to her. He said it would be better if we waited til after dark to put up our tents so as to not upset the residents. Or we could move them onto the meadows which was his property. How nice was that? And this is the sacred place. The energy in this land is palpable. We walked out to the cliffs tonight and he and his wife were out there. He's an artist, the moved here from OR 5 years ago, they've been married 43 years (I'm so envious), and they love the land. They call it Too Huge For Words. Looking out off the cliffs from the special stone altar he's built out to the ocean on 3 sides and back at the cliffs we'll hike tomorrow all the way north up the shoreline was mystical. The dark misty clouds hanging low. The white waves breaking against the shore 500 ft below. Breathless. And that's where I'm sleeping tonight!

Oh ya. And I explored a lava tube today by myself with rooms 7-8 ft high. My headlamp barely lit the space up. Creepy. Exciting. I know people lived in this cave in days long ago. Too afraid to go far in alone. Didn't want to get lost.

Beddy bye!

BagLady










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Arrival: Hawaii, the Big Island

Picture of flying Greyhound! Disgusting terminal in LAX.

Flight went smoothly although I almost missed my flight from LA due to not paying attention to details. Landed at 1:30 am in my body - 8:30 local time. And the airport is all open. What i mean is no full walls. Open-air airport Loving this island:). Heike was there to meet me.

No issue with time change because I slept on the plane and then got 12 hours last night. Feeling great now.

Hilo is a very real town. Not pretentious. Not yuppified. And oh the fruits!


Eating lillikoi, a passion fruit here.

Great hostel. Met nice folks. Hawaiians are very, VERY friendly. The language is very confusing and the street names often look the same: 10 letters long and all start with k.

Rained all afternoon. Poured tonight. We're at a campground on the ocean. This is the rainy side of the island. The side the has deep gulches formed by all the rain. And jungles of plants growing thick and tall. We have a camping permit to stay at a valley that's an 11 mile backpack across the most ridged area of the coast on the northeast section of the island. We explored it on google earth last night. It's going to be quite challenging. And now with this storm all day long I'm concerned that the hike is too dangerous. And there's not anyone to ask about it. We'll see what the weather is doing and then make our decision. If it's raining tomorrow we'll bag the hike and head to the west and sunny side and give the Hilo side a rest for now.

We have decided to stay on this island the whole time. Too much to see and do!

Off to sleep!